Local firefighters from a number of area fire departments did training Wednesday at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport using simulators that recreate the situation of a spreading fuel fire as well as other situations firefighters might face when responding to a downed aircraft. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

WILLIAMSTOWN — Local firefighters were being trained with how to respond to aircraft crashes during specialized training Wednesday at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport.

The West Virginia University State Fire Academy was onsite at the airport with a number of simulators, including a fuselage simulator and a helicopter simulator to help firefighters learn what to do if an aircraft crashes locally and what needs to be done to rescue people inside. There was also a simulator to simulate a spreading fuel fire on the ground.

Over the past couple of years there was an incident where a tree-trimming helicopter crashed in the Belleville area in March and a small airplane that crashed outside of Marietta in October 2022.

“All of our employees have to go through this annually,” said Ben Auville, airport manager. “We invited all of the local fire departments (in both Wood and Washington counties as well as the surrounding areas).

“The reason we were inviting as many people as we could is these kind of crashes can happen anywhere, not just at the airport.”

Washington Bottom Firefighter Chad Keller checks the equipment of Firefighter Garrett Cartta while Captain Mark Johnson makes a check of his own before doing a practice run on a simulator during training held Wednesday at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

The fire departments who attended Wednesday were Waverly, Vienna, Washington Bottom, Parkersburg and East Wood, airport officials said.

West Virginia Fire Academy Deputy Director Ralph McNemar said the Federal Aviation Administration requires airports to do annual fire training. They have simulations dealing with such things as a rolling fuel fire, a wheel fire, an engine fire and a cabin fire.

The airports where training occurs are the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport, Beckley, Clarksburg, Lewisburg, Huntington and Charleston, officials said.

The fire academy travels to the main airports around the state to provide this training to airport fire departments as well as local volunteer fire departments who would also respond to an incident.

“With the limited personnel at the airports, it requires the participation of all departments around the airport so they can provide that mutual aid,” McNemar said. “If something does happen, they will have the manpower to be able to go in and get people off the airplane and put the fire out.”

Local firefighters from a number of local departments received training Wednesday at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport on how to deal with aircraft fires in the event of crashes. Simulators simulated downed aircraft and spreading fuel fires on the ground. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

The training gives firefighters more experience in dealing with an aircraft incident, he said, adding aircraft fires are different from structure fires they have more experience dealing with as aircraft are made of metal that holds the heat longer and provide their own challenges.

How they approach the fire can also be different.

“What we want is for them to get more handline experience,” McNemar said. “That way when they get out there and something does happen they are better able to handle those handlines and know what the hazards are when they respond to an aircraft fire in what to look for, how best to gain access to it and get the people out.”

The airport’s linemen who refuel planes are also trained firemen.

Landon Mahaney, line chief/fire chief for the airport, said the training helps train their people.

One of the trucks used for firefighting at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport does a training run Wednesday on a simulator that recreates the conditions of a spreading fuel fire to help train local firefighters on how to respond to downed aircraft. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“It gives us good hands-on experience with real flame,” he said. “It certifies us.”

The fuselage simulator creates situations firefighters might see on a downed plane.

“The simulators throw fire between the seats and up and over your head which is something you will have to deal with if you are inside an aircraft,” Mahaney said.

The fire trucks the airport uses can carry 1,500 gallons of water and has nozzles that can spray water or fire suppression foam. The trucks are designed to be able to get close to a burning aircraft to be able to fight a fire with the nozzles being controlled from inside. There are line hookups firefighters can use if they have to get out of the trucks.

“It is good for putting out a fire fast,” Mahaney said. “We can get right next to an aircraft, spray it and be able to fight a fire real close.”

Water is also regularly sprayed from underneath in the event of a spreading fuel fire and it also keeps the brakes and tires cool.

The airport has 12 certified fire personnel trained to respond to fires.

Auville said this training is a chance for the local departments to learn how to work together on something and be able to share knowledge as various firefighters have different levels of experience and knowledge.

“You have people who have been doing it for 20-30 years and some who have only been doing it for one year,” Auville said. “Any skills they learn here will help them.

“There wouldn’t be much difference between this and a tractor trailer fire on the interstate.”

Assistant Airport Manager Sydnie Bealle said the event was a chance for everyone to train and learn the various equipment involved dealing with an aviation situation.

“We want everyone to take their time and go over the plan,” she said of dealing with these types of situations.

Waverly VFD Chief Dennis McAtee said any training they do was “a learning experience” for everyone involved. Waverly had six people at the training Wednesday.

“It taught us how to deal with downed aircraft that’s on fire,” he said.

They trained with the helicopter simulator which was a new experience for them.

“The training was about how to approach it,” McAtee said. “As far as a helicopter, you would approach it like you would a regular vehicle fire.

“You go in and put it out.”

The training teaches the local volunteer fire departments what to expect with an aviation accident and what some of the challenges are, Auville said.

“If they go into an aviation incident or accident, this is not the first time seeing this,” he said. “They will know the hazards, how to approach a fuel fire and more.”

Airport officials specifically asked for the helicopter simulator in light of the incident earlier this year.

“We get a lot of helicopter traffic through here, so the potential is there,” Auville said. “Accidents do happen and you want to make sure the people responding are the best trained they can be.”