Serco's International Fire Training Centre (IFTC) in Teesside, one of the world's leading aviation fire training centres, this week welcomes a delegation of firefighters from Athens International Airport.
The team will undergo a one-week intensive fire training programme at the Centre, which is based at Durham Tees Valley Airport, near Darlington
The aviation fire team based in Athens provides firefighting cover to the two terminals at the international airport, which accommodated 176,000 flights and 18 million passengers last year.
ITFC’s experts will provide the group with a mixture of theoretical and hands-on training – including exercises carried out with aircraft fuel to simulate real life situations, as well as training with fire rescue systems, and various firefighting and rescue apparatus. The simulated aircrafts that the Athens team will be training with include: Boeing 767 (category 8 & 9), Airbus A380 (category 10), Trident Aircraft, and Helicopters C130 and ATR42.
IFTC has enjoyed a successful year with visiting teams from Luxembourg, Poland, Greece, Turkey and Israel choosing to complete their training at the Centre. Later this year, the IFTC will welcome a team of NATO firefighters for a one-month intensive programme.
Serco's Gary Watson, Business Operations Manager for the IFTC, said: “We welcome the Athens team back to IFTC and we look forward to providing them with a truly authentic and safe environment in which to hone their skills for tackling aviation fire emergency situations.”
IFTC currently trains around 10,000 delegates from around the world each year. Its experts are firefighting professionals with extensive hands-on experience across military, industrial and civilian ranks.
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