THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The new aerodrome rescue and firefighting (ARFF) station at Thiruvananthapuram airport will be commissioned on Friday. The new building has been constructed as per the standards of International Civil Aviation Organisation, Director General of Civil Aviation and category IX specifications of civil aviation requirements. The total cost of the project is around Rs 13 crore.
The fire station can cater to the needs of ARFF. The new building which has an area of 1,838 sq m is equipped with modern camera system and communication equipment that can closely monitor the operational area, including the runway, round the clock. The building has elaborate resting facilities for firefighting personnel. A total of 96 specially trained aerodrome rescue and fire fighting personnel are currently available to manage round-the-clock operations.
The new station comprises parking bays for 12 crash fire tenders. It has a 14.15 m-high central fire control tower. Associated structures like 6,000 sq m hard stand area for central fire control tower maneuvering, underground sump of 1,00,000 litres and an overhead water tank of 50,000 litres have also been built according to category IX specifications. Public announcement system, fire alarm system and allied electrical and electronic installations have also been set up to meet category IX standards. By increasing the capacity of pipelines, water can be filled in fire-fighting vehicles in four minutes.