Local

Rescue Firefighters Train at Atlanta Airport

September 17th, 2013

If you were driving near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Tuesday you may have seen a thick plume of smoke. The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department’s live training exercise was part of an annual certification process for airport rescue firefighters. It also follows a recent escalator fire at the airport.

Dozens of local firefighters hold yellow fire hoses as they battle a flammable liquid fire. The exercise is supposed to help airport rescue firefighters learn how to extinguish a fire that could start after a fuel spill. Stephen Giddens stands near the fire and thick smoke as he holds the nozzle of one of the hoses. Giddens has worked in the profession for four years and has been an airport rescue firefighter for about six months.

“I think it will help a lot because training and keeping your hands on and knowing your job it definitely can make a difference if we were to have an actual situation out here.”

After firefighters put the fire out, another is set. This time the blaze is on an airplane that’s been repurposed for training. Two fire rescue vehicles move in. The exercise is led by Lieutenant Carleton Jinks.

“My biggest hope as a training officer is just to ensure that I’m teaching some individual or individuals things that could potentially help them in their future or help them in their careers and when we have large incidents that they operate as safely as possible.”

Jinks also says what airport rescue firefighters learn can help them in nearly every situation, including those like the recent escalator fire. The training comes after a similar exercise held by the department in August.