Yakima Air Terminal-McAllister Field (YKM) is now home to a new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) apparatus.
The apparatus’ purchase price is $760,898, with another $208,000 required for apparatus items such as hoses, nozzles, first aid kits, radios, data terminals and firefighter Personal Protective Equipment suits.
“No local tax dollars or City of Yakima general fund dollars were used to acquire the apparatus and the additional items,” said Airport Director Rob Peterson. “A grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) covered 90 percent of the total cost. The remaining 10 percent was funded through the Passenger Facility Charge program.”
Details about the apparatus include:
- A vehicle gross weight of 54,800 lbs., with the capability to carry up to 1,500 gallons of water/Aqueous Film Forming Foam and 450 lbs. of dry chemical to combat fires.
- It has Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera to identify small internal fires while having the capability to produce 750 gallons of water per minute.
- FAA safety standards highlight this apparatus is capable of carrying rescue and firefighting equipment adequate to help combat fires on large aircraft such as a Boeing 737.
The apparatus was ordered last year and delivered last week by Oshkosh Airport Products, LLC. Staff from YKM and the Yakima Fire Department (YFD) received training on the ARFF last week.
“This will replace the airport’s 1987 Oshkosh T-1500 fire apparatus,” said Yakima Fire Chief Aaron Markham. “The FAA recommends we replace these fire apparatuses on a specific schedule so they are ready to respond to airport emergencies within three minutes.”
YFD Station #94 is based at YKM.
Click Yakima Fire Department for more about YFD.
Information about flights and services at YKM is available at https://flyykm.com/