Unified Command at a Terminal Gate APU Fire
At 07:55, a Boeing 737-800 is at Gate 22 with 162 passengers and 6 crew during boarding. The auxiliary power unit (APU) exhaust area shows flames, and smoke is entering the cabin through the aft galley. The APU fire warning is active; the crew has not discharged the APU bottle. The jet bridge is connected at the forward left door, and 60 passengers are in the terminal hold room. Airport Fire Department units A-1 and A-2 respond. Airport Operations, Police, EMS, and the terminal manager arrive. The tower reports no runway impact, but Taxiway B is adjacent to the gate and must remain clear for EMS. Radio traffic on the primary channel is congested, and Police are using a separate channel. The incident commander is the ARFF battalion chief. What is your plan?
1. How do you establish command and set initial priorities at this gate incident?
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Establish command at a safe location outside the gate area and assume a unified command with Police, EMS, and Airport Operations. Priorities: life safety, then incident stabilization, then property. Order evacuation via the forward jet bridge only; the aft cabin is smoke-filled, so do not use aft exits or the aft galley. Have the crew discharge the APU bottle if not already done, but do not wait for it to extinguish the fire. Assign A-1 to attack the APU fire from the upwind side with a handline and dry chemical or foam, and A-2 to protect the jet bridge and evacuation route. Request EMS for smoke inhalation, and have the terminal manager move the 60 hold-room passengers away from the gate. Keep Taxiway B clear for EMS. Account for 162 passengers and 6 crew. Do not open the APU access panel until a charged line is ready.
2. What is your interagency coordination and radio plan given congested primary traffic?
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Radio congestion is a command problem, not a reason to delay operations. Assign a radio operator at the command post, switch fire operations to a tactical channel, and keep the primary channel for command and EMS. Place Police on the unified command with a liaison; do not try to run law enforcement on the fire tactical channel. Give a clear assignment to Airport Operations: close the gate area, hold the jet bridge, and keep Taxiway B clear. Tell EMS where the casualty collection point is and how many patients to expect. Notify the tower only if smoke or apparatus movement affects taxiways. Use a single incident action plan with divisions: fire attack, evacuation, triage, staging, and traffic. Confirm each unit acknowledges its assignment. If a unit cannot reach you on the radio, use a runner.
3. How do you manage evacuation and passenger accountability if smoke reaches the forward cabin?
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The jet bridge is the primary exit, but if smoke reaches the forward cabin, switch to slides and move passengers upwind. Keep the aft exits closed. Use the terminal hold room as a casualty collection point only if it is upwind and clear; otherwise use a remote staging area. Assign a passenger accountability officer and reconcile the 162 passengers with the manifest and the 60 in the hold room. EMS triages anyone with smoke inhalation or burns. Do not let passengers re-enter the gate area. Keep the APU fire attack isolated from the evacuation route. If the APU fire extends to the wing or fuel system, escalate to a full aircraft fire attack and withdraw the jet bridge. Report completion of evacuation to command and maintain the unified command until the scene is stabilized.