No. H036/06
For release May 17, 2006
OTTAWA — New aircraft emergency response requirements for Canadian airports
announced today by Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and
Communities, are part of a comprehensive civil aviation program that provides
travellers with a high level of safety and protection.
The new requirements are the result of amendments to the Canadian Aviation
Regulations and will require on-site aircraft rescue and firefighting at a
greater number of airports with a high level of activity. The requirements will
be based on passenger traffic and apply to airports with a passenger count of
more than 180,000 per year. All airports, regardless of size, are still required
to prepare and submit for approval an emergency response plan.
"Our enviable safety record is due, in large part, to safety regulations that
focus on accident prevention," said Minister Cannon. "However, it is important
to ensure that airports are able to respond when an emergency arises."
The amendments ensure that approximately 95 per cent of air travellers are
covered by these requirements.
The airports covered under the requirements are: St John's N.L. Deer Lake,
N.L., Halifax, N.S., Fredericton, N.B., Moncton, N.B., Montreal (Trudeau), Que.,
Quebec, Que., London, Ont., Sudbury, Ont., Thunder Bay, Ont., Ottawa (Ottawa International Airport), Ont., Toronto (Lester B.
Pearson International Airport), Ont., Windsor, Ont., Hamilton, Ont., Winnipeg,
Man., Regina, Sask., Saskatoon, Sask., Calgary, Alta., Edmonton, Alta., Grande
Prairie, Alta., Fort McMurray, Alta., Kelowna, B.C., Abbotsford, B.C., Prince
George B.C., Vancouver, B.C., Victoria, B.C., Whitehorse, Y.T., and Yellowknife,
N.W.T.
To assist airports with the implementation of the new requirements, the Airports
Capital Assistance Program has been modified to provide funding. All qualifying
airports required to provide aircraft rescue and firefighting services are
eligible for funding through this program to help cover initial capital costs
for vehicles, ongoing vehicle replacement, and training.
The changes were published in the Canada Gazette, Part II on May 17, 2006 and
come into force on June 30, 2006.
A backgrounder on aircraft emergency response services is attached.
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Contacts:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
(613) 991-0700
Lucie Vignola
Communications
Transport Canada, Ottawa
(613) 993-0055
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.
BACKGROUNDER
AIRCRAFT EMERGENCY RESPONSE
As part of its comprehensive civil aviation regulatory safety program,
Transport Canada has new requirements to provide effective aircraft firefighting
services that are in keeping with traffic levels at Canadian airports. These
requirements are the result of amendments to the Canadian Aviation Regulations
and require a high level of firefighting standards, including on-site coverage,
at Canada's busiest airports handling approximately 95 per cent of Canadian air
travellers. The amendments essentially merge the existing two levels of aircraft
rescue and firefighting services into one regulation.
The amendments reflect Transport Canada's ongoing commitment to aviation safety
and the department's careful assessment of the most effective and efficient
method of providing emergency response services at Canadian airports. The
aircraft rescue and firefighting service, should an incident, accident or fire
occur, would provide the travelling public with a high level of safety and
protection, while conforming to stringent Canadian and international aviation
standards and recommended practices.
The new requirements are enforced by Transport Canada safety inspectors and
cover issues such as hours of operation, level of protection, extinguishing
agents, equipment and firefighter training.
Some of the regulatory requirements covered by the existing regulations include:
the minimum number of vehicles and quantities of extinguishing agents,
emergency equipment and the qualifications and training of personnel that must
be made available by the airport operator;
a three-minute response time for first-response vehicle(s) responding to
an emergency at applicable airports;
100 per cent coverage of scheduled commercial aircraft operations and a
minimum 90 per cent coverage of scheduled air taxi and commuter traffic;
the presence of qualified personnel, trained according to Transport Canada
standards, who are able to deliver aircraft rescue and firefighting service at
the airport during operating hours;
the annual testing of emergency services to evaluate response times and
confirm that the emergency services being provided adhere to the standards
specified in the regulations; and
a program to collect statistics on aircraft movements and type to confirm
emergency services are commensurate with the size and frequency of aircraft
using the airport.
To view the new requirements please visit Transport Canada's civil aviation
website at
www.tc.gc.ca/CivilAviation/Regserv/Affairs/cars/Part3/Subpart3.htm.
May 2006
