Interesting issue going on at Fort Smith, Ar (KFSM) airport, as a result of a half-hour early shift to the AA flight schedule out of the airport. This shift, requiring resultant Aircraft Rescue FireFighting coverage, is taxing the airport financially.
For some history, FSM is a joint-use military-civil field. For decades, the resident 188th Fighter Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard has been a tenant there, with their A-10s, F-16s, F-4s, and F-100s they've flown from Ebbing Air National Guard Base there over tha time. As a result, the ANG crash/rescue fire department.....like many joint-use ANG/civilian fields.....has provided the ARFF services for not only the military aircraft on the field, but for the civilian aircraft also, both GA as well as air carrier. This is a benefit these airport authority or local governmental entities have enjoyed, either for free for for a very nominal fee. Amazing savings for the airport operations budget.
A few years ago, the 188th Fighter Wing was realigned in a DOD base closure/realignment process. The realignment resulted in the 188th FW losing their flying mission, their A-10s being sent to active duty USAF at Moody AFB, GA. The 188th Fighter Wing became the 188th Wing, with a focus on intelligence/space operations, as well as a remote UAS operation. As a consequence, with the resident Ebbing ANGB no longer having aircraft on their ramp, there was no longer a reqirement for the ANG to have a ARFF section of their fire department. The Fort Smith Airport Commission now had to shoulder the responsibility for an ARFF department and crash/rescue protection for the airport. With no ARFF assets in the local structural fire department in the City of Ft Smith, and with the airport commission having to fund the service, the ARFF service (like many airports) went to private contract ARFF provider. This same situation has also occurred at the Des-Moines, Iowa International Airport following the change of mission of the Iowa ANGs 132nd Fighter Wing, and the resultant loss of their F-16 unit.
FSM has contracted for 14 CFR 139 ARFF Index B coverage, which provides for two trucks: one small Rapid Intervention Vehicle (RIV) and one medium-size ARFF foam truck; manned by one firefighter each. A total of two firefighters on each shift will makeup the ARFF department at FSM. Backup for any aircraft incident/accident will come from the Ft Smith city fire department. This is a large reduction from the ANG, which used to have approximately 10 firefighters on shift, manning 2 medium ARFF foam trucks, one rescue truck, one chief truck, and one structural engine.
If one references the FAA AF/D, one will see that airports that do have ARFF services (only required by the FAA for airports with air carrier service), that service may not be 24 hours. Whether municipal (government) operated or whether private contractor, many airports only have ARFF services for specified times of the day, and either unavailable at other times, or available at other times only by prior notice / PPR. This is the case with FSM. With regional jet service to/from DFW on AA, and ATL on DAL regionals, the shift by AA to an earlier time has generated some revenue woes for the airport commission. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Story here:
Link here:
http://swtimes.com/business/time-shift-creates-budget-turbulence-fort-smith-airport
For some history, FSM is a joint-use military-civil field. For decades, the resident 188th Fighter Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard has been a tenant there, with their A-10s, F-16s, F-4s, and F-100s they've flown from Ebbing Air National Guard Base there over tha time. As a result, the ANG crash/rescue fire department.....like many joint-use ANG/civilian fields.....has provided the ARFF services for not only the military aircraft on the field, but for the civilian aircraft also, both GA as well as air carrier. This is a benefit these airport authority or local governmental entities have enjoyed, either for free for for a very nominal fee. Amazing savings for the airport operations budget.
A few years ago, the 188th Fighter Wing was realigned in a DOD base closure/realignment process. The realignment resulted in the 188th FW losing their flying mission, their A-10s being sent to active duty USAF at Moody AFB, GA. The 188th Fighter Wing became the 188th Wing, with a focus on intelligence/space operations, as well as a remote UAS operation. As a consequence, with the resident Ebbing ANGB no longer having aircraft on their ramp, there was no longer a reqirement for the ANG to have a ARFF section of their fire department. The Fort Smith Airport Commission now had to shoulder the responsibility for an ARFF department and crash/rescue protection for the airport. With no ARFF assets in the local structural fire department in the City of Ft Smith, and with the airport commission having to fund the service, the ARFF service (like many airports) went to private contract ARFF provider. This same situation has also occurred at the Des-Moines, Iowa International Airport following the change of mission of the Iowa ANGs 132nd Fighter Wing, and the resultant loss of their F-16 unit.
FSM has contracted for 14 CFR 139 ARFF Index B coverage, which provides for two trucks: one small Rapid Intervention Vehicle (RIV) and one medium-size ARFF foam truck; manned by one firefighter each. A total of two firefighters on each shift will makeup the ARFF department at FSM. Backup for any aircraft incident/accident will come from the Ft Smith city fire department. This is a large reduction from the ANG, which used to have approximately 10 firefighters on shift, manning 2 medium ARFF foam trucks, one rescue truck, one chief truck, and one structural engine.
If one references the FAA AF/D, one will see that airports that do have ARFF services (only required by the FAA for airports with air carrier service), that service may not be 24 hours. Whether municipal (government) operated or whether private contractor, many airports only have ARFF services for specified times of the day, and either unavailable at other times, or available at other times only by prior notice / PPR. This is the case with FSM. With regional jet service to/from DFW on AA, and ATL on DAL regionals, the shift by AA to an earlier time has generated some revenue woes for the airport commission. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Story here:
A half-hour earlier adjustment in American Airlines’ flight schedule at the Fort Smith Regional Airport has created some turbulence in the airport’s fire and rescue protection budget.
Airport Director John Parker told the Fort Smith Airport Commission on Tuesday that the move requires the airport to provide at least 19 hours of aircraft protection instead of the 18.5 hours in a nearly 1-year-old contract with Pro-Tec Fire Services. Following talks with the Wisconsin-based company, a revised labor contract for 24-hour protection would cost the commission an extra $300,000 of uncompensated expenses.
“We’re paying a half-hour of overtime every day,” Parker said. “The end of the day is variable because aircraft don’t arrive on their scheduled arrival time all the time. … We can’t justify going to 24 hours at this point. We’re spending less in overtime than this contract would take.
”As an example, one air carrier recently flew its final flight of the day into the airport at 2:30 a.m., Parker noted.
Pro-Tec offered estimates for the years 2016-18 for 24-hour protection. It would cost the airport an extra $50,000 a year. The commission followed Parker’s recommendation and did not approve an amendment to the contract.
“Although it’s always been our goal to have 24-hour ARFF coverage, at this point in time without having a revenue source established, we can’t go into further deficit spending,” Parker said.
Potential for canceled flights due to published aircraft rescue and firefighting protection still exists, the airport director wrote in a memo to the commissioners.
The airport is already looking at $153,000 in planned deficit spending due to the adjustment in aircraft protection. Staff is seeking a renegotiated lease agreement with the Air National Guard as compensation. The contract with Pro-Tec is roughly $250,000 a year for 18.5 hours of daily coverage before and after flight schedules.
A rough estimate for the overtime being paid to Pro-Tec was not available due to the variable time at the end of the day. Parker could only say it would be less than $50,000 a year.
The airport has been required to pay for its own aircraft fire and rescue protection following the change in mission last year of the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Wing from an A-10 Warthog unit to the nation’s first space-based targeting mission.
In other news, Delta Air Lines is expected to bring in a larger CRJ700 jet in September to make up for the recent cut of a daily flights out of the airport. The larger plane will bring back up the daily seats offered to 147.
Link here:
http://swtimes.com/business/time-shift-creates-budget-turbulence-fort-smith-airport
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