Preparing for what they hope will never happen. First responders participated in a full-scale training exercise at Redding Regional Airport on Wednesday, March 29. The Federal Aviation Administration requires it every three years.
The call came in a little after 10 a.m.: a 76-passenger plane crashed at Redding Regional Airport. Firefighters from Station 7 were first on the scene, trying to get the flames under control, with an Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Vehicle, a.k.a. ARFF. "There's a lot of specialized equipment, a lot of heavy-duty jaws of life, a lot of saws that we can get through fuselages of an aircraft. And, it's primary focus is putting out the fire and starting rescue efforts on the passengers that may become victims," said Redding Fire Battalion Chief Mike Sawyer. "It [fire engine] carries three different types of firefighting extinguishing agents: it carries water, it carries foam and dry chemical."