ACAA Fire Training Team Honored by FAA Working Group

Pittsburgh International Airport’s (PIT) 8,880-acre campus houses many innovations, including a first-of-its-kind airport microgrid, state-of-the-art childcare center and fire training facility – which recently received recognition for its technical achievement.

PIT’s firefighting team was awarded the Karl Beeman Award for Technical Achievement from the FAA Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter (ARRF) Working Group at its International Educational Symposium on Sept. 23. This award honors technical, manufacturing or engineering achievements that have improved or created resources and tools within aviation firefighting.

PIT’s Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) Training Facility regularly hosts hundreds of firefighters from across the world, all of whom travel to Pittsburgh to learn at the state-of-the-art center. The facility, which was upgraded in 2024, was singled out by ARFF for its groundbreaking innovation in the industry.

PIT was specifically recognized for its creative solutions to water supply, developed by the Allegheny County Airport Authority (ACAA) Fire Rescue Department. As the industry continues to change rapidly, so does the need for a robust water supply throughout PIT’s terminal and on the airfield.

PIT’s ARFF crews conduct a training drill at the airport’s fire training facility on Aug. 22, 2024. (Photo by Beth Hollerich)

Environmental calls to switch to fluorine-free firefighting foam combined with the hazards associated with electric vehicle fires, led the team at PIT to examine current water supply capabilities to find potential for improvement.

In 2022, the team replaced dated firefighting equipment with a vehicle that could establish a continuous water supply to a large portion of the airfield. The modernization dramatically changed firefighting capabilities, allowing the team to cover over 90 percent of the property in just 5-10 minutes.

In fall 2025, PIT is opening its new, state-of-the-art terminal, and with that project comes more opportunities to modernize PIT to meet the needs of the region. Part of that project includes a 3,000-spot parking garage. The Fire Rescue team’s input led to increasing the standpipe system throughout the garage so that each stair tower can enable an excess of 1,000 gallons of water per minute to flow.

The innovations at the training facility included a new simulator in the shape of an aircraft fuselage that is lit on fire for firefighters to train in a controlled environment.

Each year, the training facility draws firefighters from across the country to train at PIT through in-person simulations and classroom learning.