A letter to UK media (which suits the drive by London Heathrow to gain preference in the upcoming UK Airports Commission review of airport capacity in the south east of England) says authorities need to consider emergency response facilities at London Gatwick.
It claims County Council fire service cuts have impacted safety at the airport and have "seriously reduced the survival chances for anyone on an aircraft that crashes at Gatwick Airport".
The airport fire service should be able to deal with the fire, the writer says, but to release trapped casualties from wreckage is labour intensive and well beyond the capacity of the few firefighters employed at the airport.
Fewer fire engines
He goes on: - One crash in 1989 involved the airport fire service plus 22 fire engines and over 100 firefighters from the local fire service, however, the West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service today is smaller than ever, despite aircraft carrying more people.
-Three of the five nearest fire engines to the airport have been removed from service, and the total available to assist aircraft in serious trouble has been cut from 10 fire engines to just six.
- Other essential specialist vehicles, including Crawley’s special rescue vehicle, have been removed from the automatic response. Poor crewing also means that many of the nearest fire engines and support vehicles often are unavailable. As many as 16 of the nearest 22 fire engines have been without crews on occasions and response times have increased dramatically.
- People who survive a crash may not survive the longer wait for rescue at Gatwick.
Before making any decision, the Airports Commission must ensure passenger safety by reviewing airport emergency plans and fire service cuts, the letter says, adding either those cuts need to be reversed, or Gatwick airport needs to significantly increase its provision of firefighters and equipment before any expansion is approved.
A letter to UK media (which suits the drive by London Heathrow to gain preference in the upcoming UK Airports Commission review of airport capacity in the south east of England) says authorities need to consider emergency response facilities at London Gatwick.
It claims County Council fire service cuts have impacted safety at the airport and have "seriously reduced the survival chances for anyone on an aircraft that crashes at Gatwick Airport".
The airport fire service should be able to deal with the fire, the writer says, but to release trapped casualties from wreckage is labour intensive and well beyond the capacity of the few firefighters employed at the airport.
Fewer fire engines
He goes on: - One crash in 1989 involved the airport fire service plus 22 fire engines and over 100 firefighters from the local fire service, however, the West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service today is smaller than ever, despite aircraft carrying more people.
-Three of the five nearest fire engines to the airport have been removed from service, and the total available to assist aircraft in serious trouble has been cut from 10 fire engines to just six.
- Other essential specialist vehicles, including Crawley’s special rescue vehicle, have been removed from the automatic response. Poor crewing also means that many of the nearest fire engines and support vehicles often are unavailable. As many as 16 of the nearest 22 fire engines have been without crews on occasions and response times have increased dramatically.
- People who survive a crash may not survive the longer wait for rescue at Gatwick.
Before making any decision, the Airports Commission must ensure passenger safety by reviewing airport emergency plans and fire service cuts, the letter says, adding either those cuts need to be reversed, or Gatwick airport needs to significantly increase its provision of firefighters and equipment before any expansion is approved.
