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SLAI firefighting, D-Day Event (06-14)

Fire-fighting roleplay during the D-Day memorial event at SLAI (June 2014).

Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) is a special category of firefighting that involves the response, hazard mitigation, evacuation and possible rescue of passengers and crew of an aircraft involved in (typically) an airport ground emergency. ARFF is also known as: Crash Rescue, Search and Rescue, Airport Fire and Rescue, Aircraft Fire and Rescue.

In Second Life, ARFF is carried out by dedicated role-play groups equipped with simulated fire-fighting equipment such as 'water' particle sprays. Simulated fires in Second Life are typically not a feature of aircraft, built-in by manufacturers, but rather created by individuals as part of a role-play simulation.

Real-life ARFF

Overview

SNO Firestation Base, looking SE (02-15)

SNO Fire-station Base, looking south-east (February 2015).

Due to the mass casualty potential of an aviation emergency, the speed with which emergency response equipment and personnel arrive at the scene of the emergency is of paramount importance. Their arrival and initial mission to secure the aircraft against all hazards, particularly fire, increases the survivability of the passengers and crew on board. Airport firefighters have advanced training in the application of firefighting foams, dry chemical and clean agents used to extinguish burning aviation fuel in and around an aircraft in order to maintain a path for evacuating passengers to exit the fire hazard area. Further, should fire either be encountered in the cabin or extend there from an external fire, the ARFF responders must work to control/extinguish these fires as well.

Apparatus

Specialized fire apparatus are required for the ARFF function, the design of which is predicated on many factors but primarily: speed, water-carrying capacity, off-road performance and agent discharge rates. Since an accident could occur anywhere on or off airport property, sufficient water and other agents must be carried to contain the fire to allow for the best possibility of extinguishment, maximum possibility for evacuation and/or until additional resources arrive on the scene.

FRFD ARFF 342

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

ARFF Gear 001

Fire proximity suit in Second Life.

Due to the intense radiant heat generated by burning fuels, firefighters wear protective ensembles that are coated with a silvered material to reflect heat away from their bodies, called a fire proximity suit. They also must wearself-contained breathing apparatus to provide a source of clean air, enabling them to work in the presence of smoke or other super-heated gases, such as when making entry into the burning cabin of an aircraft.

Secondary to the hazard mitigation and safe evacuation of ambulatory passengers is the need to perform rescue operations. Passengers unable to extricate themselves must be removed from the aircraft and provided medical care. This process is extremely labor-intensive, requiring both firefighters and support personnel. Due to the nature of a mass casualty incident, rescue workers employ triage to classify the victims and direct their efforts where they can best affect survival.

More info here

SL Departments offering ARFF services

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