BY MICHAEL J. LOPINA
THE Lockport Township (IL) Fire District began its aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) program in 2006 as a result of assuming fire protection for the general aviation Lewis-Lockport Airport (KLOT) from the Romeoville (IL) Fire Department in 2003. It is the fourth busiest airport in Illinois with 120,000 takeoffs and landings per year. As the ARFF coordinator, I was responsible for developing standard operating guidelines (SOGs) and response plans along with a detailed box card for different alarm levels. This box card was developed according to mutual-aid box alarm system (MABAS) guidelines (the designated format) and is revised as needed annually. Once the SOGs and …
