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Board asks staff to review tower-to-fire dispatch communications after delayed response report
Summary
After a pilot reported smoke and an airport controller said fire-rescue arrived several minutes after landing, the board asked staff to review how the tower’s radio-to-dispatch is configured and to invite a fire-department representative to the next meeting.
The Airport Advisory Board directed staff Oct. 27 to review tower-to-fire dispatch communications following a report that, on one recent incident, fire-rescue equipment arrived several minutes after a pilot diverted and landed at New Smyrna Beach.
Air traffic manager Scott Fansler described an event in which a pilot reported smoke in the cockpit, landed on Runway 2 and was on the ground for several minutes before fire-rescue equipment arrived. Fansler said the tower uses a radio that goes directly to county dispatch rather than calling a local fire unit directly, and that county dispatch then assigns the closest assets.
Board members pressed staff to determine whether the configuration could be optimized for faster response and to clarify which entity (city or county) provides dispatch for the on-field fire unit. Chair Terry Dempsey said the board would ask Arvin and the airport team to review the current setup and to include county and city personnel in the review; staff agreed to report back at the next meeting and consider inviting the deputy or interim fire chief.
Why it matters: The speed and reliability of emergency-response dispatch affects outcomes in aircraft incidents. The board framed this as an operational communications issue rather than a criticism of individual responders, and asked staff to examine ways to streamline communications without prejudging existing contracts.
What’s next: Arvin and the team will review how the radio/dispatch arrangement was set up and will return with recommended changes and, if useful, a county/city fire representative at a future meeting.
