PHOTOS: There are some airport amenities you can’t wait to use. The Shake Shack in JFK’s Terminal 4. A newly renovated lounge. A fun shop, or a runway viewing deck.
One of the most important services, though, which just about every commercial airport has, is one that you hope you’ll never need.
Every airport has an on-site fire-and-rescue department, often known as ARFF (airport rescue and firefighting), which responds to accidents and crashes on the airfield, emergency landings and other emergencies.
The size of most commercial airports, coupled with the mass casualty potential of an aircraft disaster and the unique challenges an aviation emergency presents — such as the presence of jet fuel — means that having a local municipal fire department respond simply isn’t effective enough.