ARFF additional functionality

  • Should ARFF units be able to function beyond aircraft calls? 31

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    I did a quick search and didn't see this brought up before so here goes.


    I think that the ARFF unit should be able to respond to other types of calls besides the airport ones, for instance an ARFF truck should be more than capable of handling a Brush Pile or car fire. Having just spend about 1mil credits on ARFF stuff between extensions, stations, trucks and training it seems kinda strange that the trucks end up being pretty worthless overall when in reality they are very capable vehicles.


    Maybe they could function as both ARFF and Pumper-Tanker units ?(

  • I would like to mention that most airport fire stations have a normal pump/engine to respond to calls like these.


    AARFs are highly specialised pieces of equipment for use on aircraft not normal calls. The size weight and power of these vehicles make them impractical outside of the airport boundary.


    If you have 6 Airport fire engines for use and you send 2 to a off airport fire. Then depending on the regulations near you, you have to close the airports to certain types of aircraft.


    For example in the UK if a cat 10 airport like Heathrow or Manchester sent some of it'd ARFF capacity off site then by law it either has to close one or all of the 2 runways or restrict the airport to a lower category of aircraft that the fire cover is sufficient to cover.



    Short answer.


    I believe it should stay as it is as its very rare that airport appliances leave the airfield and that then has a direct impact on the level of fire coverage at the airport in question.

  • Sorry but I disagree. I know that airport fire engines at airports where I live are able to respond to non-airport local calls and I think that allowing this in the game would be a good idea. Emergency services operate differently in different countries and regions so it is better to integrate features such as this into the game and leave it up to the player to decide whether to allow it or not.

  • Sorry but I disagree. I know that airport fire engines at airports where I live are able to respond to non-airport local calls and I think that allowing this in the game would be a good idea. Emergency services operate differently in different countries and regions so it is better to integrate features such as this into the game and leave it up to the player to decide whether to allow it or not.

    In which country ARFF vehicle goes to regular call? Do you have photo that shows ARFF driving around city for some regular fire?


    In general, no one denies your opportunity to add regular firetrucks for Airport extension building.

  • As Realais says.


    A station with an airport expansion is a full station meaning it can have something like 29 units (I forget the number)


    Most ARFF missions only need a couple of appliances to sort so you could add a domestic truck that responds to generic calls.



    I personally have only ever seen airport appliances go off airfield once and that was just to an aircraft crash still within the airport fire services boundary or operations so its unlikely to happen.


    2 the airport appliances can spray thousands of litres per minute considerably more than a normal engine hence why its too specialised to regular calls.

  • I have also seen Arff vehicles go to other calls. They should be able to act as a pumper-tanker, just with the addition of foam. They can easily clear a car fire, and they also would respond to hazmat stuff like a tank farm fire. The airport near me, Arff vehicles have responded to car fires and put them out in a breeze, so they should at least be able to clear those basic calls. Even fallen trees, smoking electrical. They do carry extrication tools at my airport so they could even be a rescue engine, but atleast, they should be a pumper tanker, as they have a big water tank, they have foam, and then purple-k.

  • In the USA the FAA requires the level of crash protection that the airport has 15 min prior to arrival and 15 min after departure of flights. If you let an ARFF vehicle off property, or outside the required 3 minute response time, your airport has to find a substitute or downgrade airport certification while assets are gone.


    Most of the time the ARFF trucks stay put unless it's close to the airport. On rare occasions they will respond wherever a large amount of Class B foam is required like a fuel farm or fuel truck fire, or a hazmat incident. Otherwise they don't bother with the regular vehicle or brush fires.

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