Definition
On aeronautical charts and airport diagrams, FIRE marks the location of an airport fire station — the facility housing aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) equipment and personnel responsible for responding to aircraft emergencies on or near the airport.
Plain English
FIRE on a chart shows where the airport's fire station is located.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA abbreviation and NOTAM contraction material, and sometimes in airport information where emergency response facilities are identified.
Derivation
Fire comes from an old English word meaning burning or flame. Station comes from a word meaning a fixed standing place. Together, fire station means the fixed place where fire-response people and equipment are kept ready.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing the fire station's position helps with situational awareness during ground emergencies and can be useful when reporting an incident location to ATC or ground personnel.
Intuition Check
Do not read FIRE here as “flames” or “an active fire.” In this FAA contraction, FIRE means “fire station.”
Example Sentence 1
The airport diagram showed FIRE near the midfield taxiway, indicating the rescue station's position.
Example Sentence 2
After landing, the pilot requested directions to the FIRE station for a safety briefing.