Blue Card’s FIRST ARFF Module TRAIN-THE-TRAINER JUNE 23–25 in Phoenix! Learn how this program defines best practices & improves coordination to ensure the best outcomes.
Blue Card's FIRST ARFF MODULE TRAIN-THE-TRAINER JUNE 23–25 in Phoenix!
Learn how this program defines best practices & improves coordination to ensure the best outcomes.
The goal of the Blue Card Incident Command System is to ensure effective incident deployment, organization and communication to manage tactical priorities within any hazard zone. We achieve this by utilizing the standard Eight Functions of Command and the Strategic Decision-Making Model. This process is the standard by which firefighters consistently operate at any incident scene. The Blue Card Incident Command System provides validated and accredited certification for incident commanders and a continuing education process.
The goal of any fire response system is to deliver highly effective response capabilities that save lives and property while protecting firefighters. As our founder, Alan Brunacini, said, “You better be doing everything right when something goes wrong.” Blue Card has established an operational standard and certification program for aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) agencies, defining what “doing everything right” looks like through standardized training and certification for aircraft response system ICs.
Aircraft incidents pose a significant threat to life and property, requiring decisive, well-organized and coordinated actions to effectively manage this threat through fire extinguishment, and victim location and removal. The Blue Card ARFF Program is designed to apply our standard incident command elements to maximize deployment, incident organization and communication during aircraft emergencies. Further, the program integrates best practices in incident command and certification with the resources, language and unique environments of airport operations and movement areas. Simply, the Blue Card ARFF Program and IC certification are extensions of the standard Blue Card system.
The ARFF Program … supports an airport’s standard dispatch process—whether initiated by air traffic control or a fire/public safety dispatch center—and provides a more effective method of managing both on-airport ARFF resources and off-airport fire/EMS companies.
The ARFF Program provides a standardized process for initial responses to inbound/inflight emergency aircraft or aircraft already on the ground. It supports an airport’s standard dispatch process—whether initiated by air traffic control (ATC) or a fire/public safety dispatch center—and provides a more effective method of managing both on-airport ARFF resources and off-airport fire/EMS companies. It is designed for hazard-zone management, including fire extinguishment, victim search and rescue, and exposure protection while maintaining effective firefighter accountability and safety. Blue Card’s ARFF Program enhances the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 139 response standards by introducing a communication and coordination process for incident response. It also aligns with standard ARFF certification requirements, providing the next step in strategic- and tactical-level management of the task-level work conducted by ARFF firefighters.
The Blue Card ARFF Program improves an airport’s ARFF capabilities and overall response outcomes for both the people onboard aircraft and the aviation industry’s critical infrastructure. It strives to enhance operational decision-making and communication in situations that involve serious life safety considerations within compressed time frames. We achieve this by consistently applying the 8 Functions of Command and a strategic decision-making process at every operational level. The system is trainable and measurable for ARFF response systems, just as it is for structural fire systems. Blue Card’s ARFF Program is essential training for agencies managing high-stakes ARFF operations, significantly bolstering safety for everyone on scene.