Kamloops Airport will get another Aircraft Rescue firetruck thanks to a $1.287 million grant from the Federal Government.
The funding – from the Airport Capital Assistance Program – was announced by Minister of Rural Economic Development, Bernadette Jordan, who says Kamloops needs the second truck to accommodate the more than 350,000 passengers who use the airport each year.
“This state of the art vehicle is critical in providing rapid and effective response to aircraft emergencies,” she said. “It will have a capacity of over 6,000 litres of water and will be able to use foam concentrate and dry chemical fire retardants in order to handle any type of combustible or flammable emergency.”
Jordan notes today’s announcement was all about safety.
“And making sure that air passengers are safe, that grounds people are safe, that we are making sure that people can get to and from where they need to be,” she added.
“We need equipment like this to clear runways. We need to make sure that people who are working here have the right equipment that they need to make sure that they keep the airport safe.”
Airport Safety Supervisor Tracy Brown says the airport is growing and there is a need for a greater service level.
“And what drove the change to go from a Category 5 to a Category 6 airport is the introduction of the Bombardier Q400, which is a slightly larger aircraft than the Dash 8-300,” Jordan said. “So because the aircraft is larger, we will require a second vehicle with a second driver. That’s what your Category 6 requirement is.”
Airport staff hope to have the new truck in operation by February 2020.
“If we aren’t able to, then we’ll probably have a rental program in place until we can get that brand new vehicle,” Brown noted.
Bernadette Jordan says to date Kamloops Airport has received more than $9.1 million in funding for 15 safety projects, including the rehabilitation of Runway 08-26, the apron and taxiways, an ARFF and shelter, and snow-clearing equipment.
At the announcement, Jordan said the feds were spending $960,000 on the truck but a Ministry of Transportation spokesperson later noted that number was an error,
