Scrap plane benefits emergency training: Aircraft used in firefighting rescue scenarios

ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE) - A plane crash with passengers on board; the aircraft on fire.  It's a disaster that emergency crews must be prepared for.

This week, they simulated those scenarios to make sure they're ready.

Roswell firefighters responded to a DC-8 aircraft from the 1960s as if it were on fire. They used their striker truck, which holds 1,500 gallons of water and firefighting foam.

"We utilize our water resources, also utilize our tools and equipment to check and see what tools and equipment would be capable of doing the things that we need to do," said Lt. Terry Chaves, of the Roswell Fire Department.

The priority for Aircraft Rescue Firefighting crews, or ARF, is saving lives, and that's what they're training for.

Crews practiced cutting into the plane, simulating a rescue. In the event of a fire, they can cut through the door with a nozzle and shoot water on the escape path.

If it were a real aircraft fire, all of the heat would be more intense than a regular fire because of the fuels and the metals burning. For this reason, crew members wear proximity suits which reflect the heat.

Their gear weighs about 65 pounds.

Normally firefighters learn about this type of operation in a classroom, but Stewart Industries, which stores and scraps a lot of old planes in Roswell , provided the plane.

"When they're done with their training it's actually going to be brought over to the scrap pad and crunched up," explained Jeffrey Reese, chief inspector for Stewart Industries. "The metal will be recycled and put back into service, and maybe make more airplanes."

Reese said Stewart Industries was glad they could help the fire department and to find another use for the plane before it was scrapped.

"These guys put their lives on the line for everybody and it's really neat to actually see them in action," Reese said. "If anything happened out here it's a good feeling to know that these guys are more focused on their training."

Whether it's driving the striker, learning how to tackle a blaze, or rescue missions, firefighters said this training also gives them confidence.

"Knowing that we have that background behind us, knowing that we have the capabilities, knowing what capabilities we have," Chaves said, "It's a very good asset, not only for us but for the experience that we get."

And it's this experience they'll take with them in a real emergency.

Now that this hands-on training is available to them, Chaves said the fire department would like to do this several times a year.

 Scrap plane benefits emergency training: krqe.com