New fire truck for Brac Service

Friday,  February 10, 2006

Of the five new Fire Trucks that arrived recently in the Cayman Islands, one was earmarked for the Brac Fire Station at the Gerrard Smith International Airport.

The trucks were purchased for approximately CI$400,000 each, which was a package deal negotiated by Government.

The Brac airport is rated Category 2. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dennom Bodden explained that Categories are determined by the length of the aircraft an airport can accommodate.

This is stipulated in International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) law, which came into effect 1 January 2005. As a Category 2, the Gerrard Smith can accommodate the 737 Cayman Airways jets that make regular scheduled flights to Cayman Brac.

The two trucks already in use by the Aerodrome Service on the Brac are sufficient to meet requirements to retain this category. However, if something happened to one truck, the requirements would not be met, said DCFO Bodden.

The additional aircraft is part of the Service’s contingency planning to have a back up truck in their airport stations to allow for breakdowns and maintenance. 

The Owen Roberts Airport is a Category 8 airport, which demands three trucks, but the Service has four as part of its contingency planning, DCFO Bodden noted.

Without the additional trucks, there is a potential to disrupt air traffic, he said. When there is a temporary depletion of fire trucks in use, the Fire Service must inform the Civil Aviation Authority, who would relay this information to the airlines.

It is up to the airlines to decide whether they land at the airport or not, said DCFO Bodden.

The five new trucks are part of the replacement fleet for the Cayman Islands Fire Service. Because one truck on the Brac is slightly older and holds less water, this will become the back-up truck.

The new trucks are all 2006 Oshkosh T3000 models, which hold 3,000 gallons of water and 420 gallons of foam concentrate, though there are differences in the complementary media.

The Brac Fire Station also has an E-One Tanker Truck for its Domestic Service. Twenty-six officers in total in the Cayman Brac Fire service with three officers on Little Cayman.

“This is a well disciplined service on Cayman Brac and our officers are well respected in the community,” said Station Officer Curtis Conolly. 

“We are grateful to the Government for making sure we have this new truck to further improve our Aerodrome Service for locals and visitors to the island,” he added.

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