Airport Familiarization, Communications, and Emergency Response Procedures
This domain tests whether you can read an airport as an operating system - geometry, markings, lighting, radio procedure, and the regulatory response-time standard - so you can locate an emergency and reach it quickly and legally.
Reading the movement area
The movement area is runways and taxiways under ATC control; aprons and ramps are non-movement. Markings you must recognize instantly: threshold bars and runway designator, centerline, aiming point and touchdown zone bars, and the runway holding position marking - two solid lines and two dashed lines, with the solid lines on the runway side. ILS critical area boundaries use ladder-style markings and a yellow sign with a black "ILS" legend.
Signs and lights
Red background with white legend = mandatory instruction (holding position, runway entry). Yellow with black = location. Black with yellow = direction. Black with white numerals = runway distance remaining. Runway edge lights are white, turning yellow for the last 2,000 ft (600 m); threshold lights are green, runway end lights red, taxiway edge blue, taxiway centerline green, hold-short lights red. A land airport's rotating beacon alternates white and green.
Communications
Use the dedicated crash phone or tone alert for dispatch, then the tower frequency. Plain language is acceptable in an emergency, but readbacks of runway crossings and the phrase "clear of runway 27" are expected. 121.5 MHz is the guard frequency and a common way to reach an aircraft or an ELT.
Response standard
14 CFR 139.319 requires the first ARFF vehicle to reach the midpoint of the farthest runway from its assigned post within 3 minutes, and all other required vehicles within 4 minutes.
Worked example. A vehicle 6,000 ft from the midpoint averaging 40 mph (3,520 ft/min) covers the distance in about 1.7 min; add 20 s for start-up and you are at 2.0 min - inside 3 minutes, but only if the route avoids an active runway.
Traps. Putting the dashed lines on the runway side; assuming every vehicle gets three minutes; failing to state "clear of runway" explicitly.