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Written by Staff
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It takes a team of 16 firefighters, working 24 hours a day, to keep the Winnipeg Airport Authority—and everyone in it—safe. Captain Brian Gierl is one of the four fire captains that lead the four teams of four firefighters as they rotate shifts to cover the airport 365 days a year.
Gierl has been working at the Winnipeg Airport Authority for 11 years, and has been an airport firefighter for 25. He says that having an on-site fire brigade is crucial to the safety of the airport. To lay it out: a standard aircraft carries a massive amount of fuel, giving firefighters roughly three minutes to respond to a potential fire. His team gets there in a minute and a half.
The Winnipeg Airport fire team typically deals with six to eight fires a year, says Gierl, but his team handles around 300 calls relating to fires, medical emergencies and aircraft emergencies. Each firefighter is receives specialized training to deal with aircraft and airport-related emergencies,and on a daily basis, perform inspections, plan for emergencies and continue training.
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