Definition
The specialized emergency service stationed at airports to respond to aircraft accidents, incidents, and fires. ARFF units use purpose-built fire trucks, foam-based extinguishing agents, and trained personnel to suppress fuel fires, rescue occupants, and protect aircraft on or near the airport. Larger certificated airports are required to maintain ARFF capability based on the size and frequency of aircraft they serve.
Plain English
The airport's own fire and rescue crews — the trucks and trained firefighters who respond when an aircraft has an emergency on the airport.
Context Anchor
You may see ARFF in airport information, airport notices, emergency plans, and discussions about what emergency services are available at an airport.
Why Pilots Care
Determines how quickly help arrives after an incident, directly affecting survival chances.
Intuition Check
Do not read ARFF as just a normal city fire department. In aviation, ARFF refers to emergency responders specially trained and equipped for aircraft rescue and aircraft fires at airports.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot declared an emergency, and the tower alerted ARFF to stand by at the approach end of the runway.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots review ARFF response times when planning operations at unfamiliar airports.