Erfurt: Fire brigade trains on a mobile aircraft fire simulator

The company fire brigade at the Erfurt-Weimar regional airport is currently the first customer to train on a mobile aircraft fire and recovery simulator from Arff Services GmbH. National and international authorities therefore require regular training.

In addition to the basic course "Aircraft firefighting for regional airports", so-called "refresher training" also takes place. The professional fire brigade Erfurt is also present at these practical refresher exercises, as they are also called out in the event of major events at the airport. Thanks to joint exercises and otherwise good cooperation, both fire brigades are a well-rehearsed team that practices indoor and outdoor fire scenarios together.

The heart of Ariff-Services GmbH is the mobile and modular aircraft fire simulator, which was developed by the company founder and managing director, Florian Funke. Funke, former head of an airport fire brigade, knows the challenges: “Whereas airport fire brigades used to have to travel to external training centers at great financial and organizational expense or set up and maintain training facilities themselves, an alternative is now available. With our realistic mock-up aircraft, you can now train flexibly on site, with your own equipment and in your own airport environment.”

The dummy is true to scale, corresponding to a Boeing B737 or an Airbus A320, and offers a safe training environment - it is CE and TÜV tested and "made in Germany". It can also be used flexibly - not only for firefighting but also for aircraft recovery training and for multidisciplinary exercises with other authorities, such as the police and special units. The mobile simulator can be rented by airport fire brigades throughout Europe.

"With the mobile aircraft fire and recovery simulator at Erfurt Airport, we can carry out the exercises prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) together with the Erfurt professional fire brigade. Training directly on site is a major advantage over the previous practice of practicing at external training sites. For fire brigade comrades, too, the stress caused by time-consuming and laboriously planned business trips is reduced,” says Jens-Uwe Germer, head of the airport fire brigade at Erfurt-Weimar Airport.