Fireman at the Airport Career Description
The principal objective of a rescue and fire-fighting service is to save lives and property. Firemen at an airport are responsible for the prevention of fires in aircrafts and buildings occurring at or in the immediate vicinity of an airport.
What am I going to do in this occupation?
Firemen working at an airport should be distinguished from firemen working for municipalities, although the primary task remains the same. Through legislation the airport fire service has it's own area of jurisdiction, which extends outside the airport boundary. Therefore the airport firemen perform duties at road accidents and buildings within their designated area.
The equipment used to gain access to aircraft and vehicles are basically the same as used by municipal fire brigades but are bigger, and are usually maintained by the fire crew themselves. One of the most important aspects of the firemen's work is to ensure that all rescue equipment are thoroughly checked on a daily basis and maintained in good order to be in a serviceable condition at all times.
To ensure that both the equipment and the firemen are ready for any emergency, emergency situations are simulated on a regular basis in various forms, especially an aircraft accident where all organisations involved in the mutual emergency programme, practise together.
A fire-alarm could be an audible alarm system both in and outside buildings, or it could be information received from the control tower. When approaching a fire scene the firemen have to assess what type of fire they have to deal with and select the appropriate extinguishing agent, since different kinds of fires require different extinguishing agents and methods to accomplish satisfactory results. They may have to fight various types of fires, ranging from veld fires to fires involving buildings, vehicles, aircraft or installations, each of which creates it's own problems and difficulties.
Other tasks of the firemen at an airport include standby's on aircraft refuelling with passengers on board, attending to fuel spillage, fire prevention duties, attending security checks on aircraft and in buildings and first aid treatment to flight crews, passengers and members of the public at the airport. A further task is to allocate parking bays, marshal aircraft to their respective bays, indicating to the pilot where and when to turn, how to enter a specific parking area and when to stop.
Firemen work indoors as well as outdoors. It is essential to have firemen on duty at all times, and therefore firemen work shifts. Normally a shift lasts eight hours. Fringe benefits depend on the specific employer and may include uniforms, medical aid scheme and pension fund, annual leave, thirteenth cheque and a housing subsidy.
Requirements
What kind of personality do I need?
Due to the nature of their duties the firemen must be physically fit and in good health. Employers ensure that there are enough training facilities available where firemen can exercise. A person must be at least 17 years of age, but not older than 42 years to be employed as a fireman. Their eyesight, colour perception and hearing must be good. Firemen often handle mechanical equipment and must have some mechanical aptitude as well as computing competency to calculate certain costs.
Where can I work?
Firemen at an airport can be employed at the Airports Company Ltd. or any other airport in the country.
Can I work for myself in this occupation?
You can not be self-employed in this occupation.
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