By Emmanuel wise Jipoh
The Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) will later this month send a team of firefighters to Australia to acquire technical knowledge and expertise on how to operate a US$1.3 million dollar fire crash truck.
The firefighters will be drawn from the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA) Industrial Fire Service Department.
The fire truck is expected to arrive in Liberia in June 2023. It will boost efforts in combating fire attacks at Liberia’s premier Roberts International Airport (RIA), and by extension, the LAA in Margibi County.
LAA Managing Director Martin Hayes has said the departure of the firefighter technicians from the RIA-LAA rescue department is to ensure that firefighters at the airport grasp the technical expertise about fire outbreaks on aircraft.
Hayes said it will be the first of its kind to operate such a truck in Liberia, specifically at the RIA.
The LAA boss said the fire training will give firefighters the opportunity to practice using their equipment and bring back the expertise to boost the airport’s resilience against fire attacks.
According to him, the Fire Fighting and Rescue Department needs the training to take charge of fire outbreaks if they occur at the airport and beneath aircraft.
For his part, Cllr. Lawrence C. Sackie, Fire Commission Officer of the Aviation Industrial Fire Service, said the training in Australia is important for the firefighters.
