AviationFAA fines NYC airports for using untrained personnel for fire, emergency duties

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fined LaGuardia, Newark, and John F. Kennedy airports $3.5 million dollars for failing to train firefighters and aircraft-rescue personnel.

As part of the settlement agreement between the FAA and the airprts, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which supervises the airports, will create a new chain of command and training for rescue and firefighters.

USA Todayreports that the settlement states that throughout 2011, and during the first half of 2012, JFK officials did not ensure that rescue and firefighting personnel were trained. Between June and May 2012, JFK allowed seventy-seven police officers without the proper training to serve 357 rescue and firefighting shifts.

The Port Authority also failed to train rescue and firefighters for 341 days at LaGuardia airport, and for 378 days at Newark airport.

“These violations were egregious, and they will not be tolerated,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told USA Today.

The fines could have been as high as $15 million, but they were reduced when the Port Authority agreed to pay the fine in a month. If there is a second violation, the FAA will enforce a $1.5 million fine and a $27,500 fine daily for each new violation.

The Port Authority has since adopted new operating procedures and training methods after an FAA inspection discovered lapses in training. According to Port Authority spokeswoman, Lisa MacSpadden, the authority has hired chief security officer, Joe Dunne, and a former New York City fire commissioner, Tom Von Essen, to review rescue and firefighting operations.

“We are also launching a nationwide search for a new fire chief and fire captains to lead a stand-alone” firefighting force, MacSpadden said.

Under the agreement the Port Authority will:

• Create a force of personnel for aircraft rescue and firefighting, without additional duties as police officers.
• Assign to the force a fire chief, who reports directly to the Aviation Department, by 31 March 2014.
• Develop 75 hours of training to join the force and 40 hours of recurring training annually.

“We expect the Port Authority to have trained safety personnel to ensure the safety of the traveling public and airport personnel, just like we have at all airports in the United States,” FAA administrator Michael Huerta said.