Aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle will replace 20-year-old machine that’s at end of life
The federal government is giving the Yukon $2 million to replace an emergency vehicle at the Whitehorse airport.
The money will be used for a new aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle (ARFF) that will replace a another that’s been used at the airport for 20 years and is now at the end of its life.
ARFFs are specially designed to respond to airport emergencies, with equipment to suppress aviation fuel fires and help passengers evacuate an aircraft.
James Paterson, the fire chief at Whitehorse’s Erik Nielsen International Airport, said airport emergency staff typically respond to about 50 “aircraft-specific technical calls” per year.
“We’ve got a lot of aircraft that are flying above our heads at any given minute, and those aircraft could encounter problems. And if they do, they’re coming down here,” he said.
“So we have to be ready for all of those types of eventualities that could happen at any moment.”
Linda Benoit, Yukon’s minister of highways and public works, said the new vehicle will be “built to perform in Yukon conditions.”
She said replacing the older machine “ensures our emergency response capability remains strong and reliable for years to come.”
The money for the new machine is from the federal government’s airports capital assistance program.
The Yukon government says it’s expecting the new vehicle to be delivered by March 31, 2028, “subject to change depending on the build time and whether any unanticipated issues arise.”
Paul Tukker · CBC News
