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Southern Pines staff outlines plan to staff airport firefighting as commercial flights loom
Summary
Town staff presented a draft arrangement for the Moore County Airport requiring Southern Pines to provide certified firefighting personnel for scheduled commercial flights; the airport would supply facilities and equipment and reimburse the town at an extra-duty rate, with initial training costs and annual recertification covered by the airport and training partners.
Town staff briefed council on June 23 about preliminary agreements to provide aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) staffing at Moore County Airport if commercial service begins in 2027.
Fire leadership explained the airport would provide a station, apparatus and equipment and reimburse the town for staffing at an extra‑duty rate so the town would not reassign on-duty crews from regular apparatus. Staff said the airport would reimburse overtime and training costs and that initial certification would require a 52‑hour specialized training class; the community college partner would provide the training at no direct cost to the town while the airport would reimburse overtime for attendees.
Deputy fire officials said the initial staffing model envisions one firefighter present for an arrival‑to‑departure window, with an estimated reimbursable hourly rate (the town’s extra‑duty rate was $65 as of July 1). The airport also would supply periodic PPE replacement (two replacement sets per year were discussed to keep equipment in rotation) and pay for annual re‑certifications required to maintain ARFF qualifications.
Council and staff discussed triggers and renegotiation if flights increase beyond the initial one‑in/one‑out schedule. Staff said the contract language will include periodic annual reviews and a renegotiation clause should flight volume grow; in the long run, hiring full‑time airport firefighters could be revisited if operations substantially expand.
What happens next: Staff will draft contract language, include periodic review and billing procedures and return to council for approval at a future public meeting.
