The smooth operation of any airport depends on Ground Support Equipment.

If a fire occurs on a vehicle this has an immediate impact and aeroplanes could be left for hours waiting on the runway until the fire has been extinguished. At the very worst case the ground support equipment fire could set fire to a plane. The associated repair costs and equipment downtime are reason enough to consider installing an automatic fire suppression system to each vehicle.

Towbarless Tugs are used to move aeroplanes around as they improve handling times. But they are also a potential fire risk; when towing the engine of the tug is situated directly under the cockpit, increasing the risk that an engine fire will result in an aircraft fire. Also towbarless tugs are fitted with complex hydraulics which are used to lift an aircraft. If a hydraulic line fails, there is a risk that flammable fluid is sprayed on to hot engine parts.

As well as towbarless tugs other types of support vehicles pose a fire hazard. These include:
• Cargo lifts – complex hydraulic systems which if fail create a fire hazard.
• Ground power units – these are liable to electrical, hydraulic or engine fires
• De-icing equipment – are a fire risk because of the combustible nature of glycol
• Buses and baggage tugs - engine compartments which pose a fire hazard

All these support vehicles can easily be protected with Firetrace’s automatic fire suppression system.

A ground support vehicle can be retrofitted with Firetrace in less than a day, either by our installation engineers or by one of your own team once they had completed our inhouse training course. New installations can be completed at your location or Firetrace can also work directly with the manufacturer to ensure that the equipment arrives with a fully functional automatic fire suppression system.

To find out how to protect your ground support fleet with Firetrace call 01473 744090 or email sales@firetrace.co.uk.

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