Airports and Public Safety Groups Both Eligible
to Use Discrete Emergency Frequency
In 1999, the FAA issued an
advisory notice (FAA
AC 150/2510-7C) to all airports and other concerned
parties that provided guidance for planning and implementing
airport emergency communications and fire response
procedures. Specifically, the advisory specified that
all airports were eligible to obtain licensing for a
Discrete Emergency Frequency
(DEF) for use when responding to an emergency situation or
accident scene at the airport and in the surrounding
countryside. Since the release of this Notice, the FAA
has also clarified that local Public Safety entities are
also eligible to obtain licensing on this same frequency
to allow coordination between the Aircraft Rescue &
Firefighting (ARFF) personnel and local city, county, and
state emergency responders. Our experience is that
most airport managers did not receive or read this notice
when it was published, or did not consider that it was
important, so they never put the procedures into practice.
Fast forward to the present day, where interoperability has
since gained paramount importance.
While still mostly unaware, airport managers and local
Public Safety entities are very
interested to learn that the DEF is available for their use.
Once they know that this is available, they typically move
to implement the procedures specified in the Advisory.
Many times, they coordinate with the local Public Safety
groups to implement and train in the use
of the DEF.
Airports can obtain licensing of a new frequency to be used
as this Discrete Emergency Frequency. However, some
airports could also designate one of their existing
frequencies as the Discrete Emergency Frequency. An
example of this would be the frequency that is licensed for
use by the Mobile Utility Station (ground crew) may, in time
of emergency, serve as the DEF. Once an airport
manager has either licensed a DEF frequency or has co-opted
one of its existing licensed frequencies for the DEF, then
the local Fire Departments, EMS groups, Police, Sheriff, or
Office of Emergency Management may also be licensed for that
frequency.
Radio Licensing Services can work with
airport managers to license them for the Discrete Emergency
Frequency, and once completed can also license the local
Public Safety groups too. Call us to learn more about
how we can help you work together better to ensure quick and
timely response to emergency situations.
[
View the FAA Advisory Circular. ]
