Clear skies. Low 67F. Winds light and variable..
Clear skies. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
City officials throw water on the Tyler Fire Department’s new new aircraft rescue and firefighting truck (ARFF) on Thursday during a push-in and wet-down ceremony at Fire Station No. 3 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
City officials push in the Tyler Fire Department’s new new aircraft rescue and firefighting truck (ARFF) on Thursday during a ceremony at Fire Station No. 3 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
City officials throw water on the Tyler Fire Department’s new new aircraft rescue and firefighting truck (ARFF) on Thursday during a push-in and wet down ceremony at Fire Station No. 3 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
Tyler Fire Chief David Coble speaks Thursday during a a push-in and wet down ceremony at Fire Station No. 3 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
City officials push in the Tyler Fire Department's new new aircraft rescue and firefighting truck (ARFF) on Thursday during a ceremony at Fire Station No. 3 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
City officials throw water on the Tyler Fire Department’s new new aircraft rescue and firefighting truck (ARFF) on Thursday during a push-in and wet-down ceremony at Fire Station No. 3 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
City officials push in the Tyler Fire Department’s new new aircraft rescue and firefighting truck (ARFF) on Thursday during a ceremony at Fire Station No. 3 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
City officials throw water on the Tyler Fire Department’s new new aircraft rescue and firefighting truck (ARFF) on Thursday during a push-in and wet down ceremony at Fire Station No. 3 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
Tyler Fire Chief David Coble speaks Thursday during a a push-in and wet down ceremony at Fire Station No. 3 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
City officials push in the Tyler Fire Department's new new aircraft rescue and firefighting truck (ARFF) on Thursday during a ceremony at Fire Station No. 3 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
The Tyler Fire Department on Thursday celebrated receiving a new aircraft rescue and firefighting truck (ARFF) with a push-in and wet-down ceremony.
City officials and firefighters gathered at Fire Station No. 3 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport to throw water on the truck and push it into the station, marking its induction into the department.
Mayor Don Warren said the tradition is more than 100 years old and began when firefighters used horses, buggies and steam engines to fight fires.
At that time, when firefighters returned to the fire station bay, the horses couldn’t guide in the steam engines. Because of this, firefighters would use water to cool down the horses and equipment before pushing the steam engines into the bay themselves.
“It’s a great tradition that has gone back over 100 years, and we’re proud to continue that tradition,” Warren said.
The new truck replaced a 22-year-old vehicle, said Tyler Fire Chief David Coble. It took 1,425 construction hours to put the truck together and cost $878,175.
The truck was paid for through a Federal Aviation Administration grant. The airport receives different types of grants, including for vehicles.
Coble said all firefighters at Fire Station No. 3 are specially trained and state certified as ARFF firefighters. They have their normal firefighter certification as structural firefighters and also an additional certification to operate the equipment needed at an airport fire station and can operate the ARFF truck.
Airports are unique because they store a lot of fuel, which has the potential to easily catch fire, Coble said. ARFF firefighters have to use foam and other chemicals to put out blazes that occur on aircrafts.
The new truck holds 1,500 gallons of water, 500 pounds of dry chemical and about 200 gallons of foam, Coble said. It is equipped with a high-reach extendable tarot, equipment to break the “skin” of airplanes and the ability to test foam through an internal computer.
To test foam with the previous truck, the department had to empty the entire foam tank, which can be hazardous, Coble said. With the new truck, firefighters can let out less than a gallon of foam for a computer to test it and then calculate the percentage of foam being created.
This is a test required yearly by the FAA, he said.
“For an airport to function … at the level of this airport ,you must have ARFF trucks, and without those trucks they’d have to divert the airplanes somewhere else,” Coble said.
I cover local government in East Texas for the Tyler Morning Telegraph. I’m from East Texas and love getting to report on the area I grew up in. Texas A&M University former student. If you have story ideas email me at mmcham@tylerpaper.com
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