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Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Fire & Rescue Department
Operational area
Country	United States
State	Virginia
Special District	Dulles International Airport; Washington National Airport;
Agency overview
Established	1987
Annual calls	6,792 (2013 total) 4,352 (Dulles International); 2,440 (Reagan National);
Employees	157 (2015 total) 21 (Headquarters); 87 (Dulles International); 49 (Reagan National);
Staffing	Career
Fire chief	Interim
EMS level	Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS)
IAFF	IAFF Local 3217
Facilities and equipment
Battalions	2 Battalions
Stations	4 Fire Stations
Engines	4 Engine Companies
Platforms	1 Platform Truck
Ambulances	5 -Advanced Life Support (ALS) medic units; 2 - Basic Life Support (BLS) Units
HAZMAT	1 HazMat Truck
Airport crash	9 Crash Trucks
Website
	Official website

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Fire & Rescue Department is a special service fire department responsible for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport in the Washington metropolitan area.^[1] The department was formed from the Federal Aviation Administration's Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Branch when the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority was established in June 1987. Prior to that time, both airports were owned and operated by the FAA.^[4]

Area served

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Fire and Rescue Department serves as the primary responders for the fire, rescue, and EMS response for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport as well as portions of Virginia State Route 267 consisting of parts of the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Airport Access Highway adjacent to the airport. They also respond through mutual aid agreements to protect a larger service area that includes Arlington County, City of Alexandria, Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Washington, D.C., and other surrounding counties within the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Region. Mutual Aid responses have occurred outside the region to areas such as Baltimore City, MD for specialized equipment that the MWAA FRD possesses that was used at the Howard Street Tunnel fire.

Station and apparatus

The department has a total of four stations split into two battalions. Battalion 301, which is home to station 301, is at Reagan-National while Battalion 302, home to stations 302, 303 and 304, are located at Dulles International.^[5] As of January 2018^[update] this is a list of apparatus in use by the department:^[3]

Station	Airport	Engine Company	Foam unit	Ambulance / Medic units	Tower company	Other units	Chief units
301	Reagan National	E301 E301B	310 311 312	A301 M301 M301B		HazMat 301, MCSU 301, MCP 300, Utility 301	BC301
302	Dulles International		320 321 322	A302 M302 M302B	TW302	Twin Agent 302, Special Ops 302 MCSU 302	BC302
303	Dulles International	E303 E303B		A303		Safety 322
304	Dulles International		340 341			Command Aide 321	C320

^[6]

Notable incidents

Eastern Air Lines Flight 537

On November 1, 1949, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster operated by Eastern Air Lines as flight 537 was coming in to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) when a Bolivian P-38 Lightning operating from nearby Bolling Air Force Base was declaring an emergency due to erratic operation of one of the engines.^[7] The two aircraft collided mid-air, killing all 51 passengers and 4 crewmembers on board and leaving the P-38 pilot with serious injuries.^[7]

Transpo '72

The world's largest airshow of the time was held over a period of nine days at Dulles Airport from May 27 to June 4 of 1972, nicknamed Transpo '72. The event included all forms of transportation, including high speed rail demos and jumbo jets of the time. During the air show events, three separate fatal incidents occurred. The first involved a hang glider kite accident killing the pilot.^[8] The second incident during an aircraft race when a sport pilot crashed into a pylon and careened into the woods on the far side of the airstrip from the spectators killing him. The last incident was the first fatal accident for the United States Air Force Thunderbirds when Major Joe Howard lost power while flying his McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and ejected successfully from the crash. However, Maj. Howard was blown into the fireball from the crash, causing his parachute to melt and Maj. Howard to receive fatal injuries from the fall.

Air Florida Flight 90

On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737, clipped the 14th Street Bridge before crashing into the Potomac River shortly after takeoff from National Airport.^[9] Of the 74 passengers and 5 crew members on board, only four passengers and one flight attendant survived the crash. In addition, due to heavy traffic on the bridge at the time from a snow storm impacting the region, four motorists in vehicles on the bridge were killed.^[9] The snow storm, and traffic congestion were noted to delay response and impede access of response resources throughout the region. Due to the deficiencies noted in the response in icy waters, the department improved their River Rescue capabilities with airboats capable of operating on surface ice of the river.^[9]

9/11

On September 11, 2001, a team of five al-Qaeda affiliated hijackers took control of American Airlines Flight 77, en route from Dulles International to Los Angeles International Airport, and deliberately crashed it into The Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. EDT as part of the September 11 attacks.^[10] All 64 people on the airliner were killed as were 125 people who were in the building. The impact of the plane severely damaged the structure of the building and caused its partial collapse.^[11] The MWAA Fire & Rescue Department units from Fire Station 301 were among the first units on scene at the Pentagon, and staff and equipment from both airports operated at the incident scene for several days past the initial incident operations.

References

^ ^a ^b "About". Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
^ "2015 Recommended BudgetBudget" (PDF). Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
^ ^a ^b "2011 Apparatus Response Statistics" (PDF). Fire & Rescue Department News. 1 (1): 12. February 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
^ "mwaa.com - MWAA History and Facts". www.mwaa.com. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
^ "Newsletter" (PDF). Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
^ https://www.facebook.com/IAFF3217 ^{[user-generated source]}
^ ^a ^b "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-54B-10-DO (DC-4) N88727". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
^ "Kite Rider Killed in Crash At Transpo 72 Air Show". The New York Times. New York Times. 30 May 1972. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-222 N62AF". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
^ "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 757-223 N644AA". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
^ Isikoff, Michael; Daniel Klaidman (June 10, 2002). "The Hijackers We Let Escape". Newsweek. Retrieved Oct 22, 2009.