"Roll the Trucks" ATC verbiage in the USA
 

What is the verbiage you all use to request the fire department (the trucks) to come to your airplane when you land after an emergency or while on the runway and actively in need (like a fire) or just in case (hot brakes)?

What would be a universally understood call to ATC that works all over the world? Crash - Fire - Rescue ?
I can only guess that "rolling the trucks" might not be understood everywhere (but Texas....haha)

Thanks

I’d imagine “Request Fire Services” would work.

I'd use fire trucks or emergency vehicles. Jepp uses Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, so perhaps that's a bit more appropriate.

Regardless of where you're operating "roll the trucks" is always incorrect though. Just think of how it'll sound at the hearing.

Here in Australia I’d use the term ARFF, but wasn’t sure that’d work in the USA.

Ay R R Ef doesn’t roll off the tongue

ArrrrF might be construed as an exclamation with the -“uck” clipped. 😂

It is important to recognise that one of the more 'fragile' systems in aviation is the R/T voice connection between pilots and controllers. So much of what happens, in fast moving situations, relies on the correct understanding by pilots of the controller's instructions, and the correct understanding by controllers of the pilot's intentions. Think about it for a while.

In international operations this is particularly important and there have been many instances where miscommunications have led to accidents. It cannot be stressed too strongly that the ICAO recommendations should be followed - using the correct phraseology in the correct contexts.

This may sound pedantic but it is not - safety is involved. The use of phrases like "roll the trucks" may sound clever but it is not. It is merely puerile.

True!
Then again here in Oz we’d shorten it and most likely call for “the fireys”.. not much better than our Texan friends. 🤣

I'd hope to hear something like
Tower ABC123, then location, request fire service then reason and any immediate action crew are taking.
If you know of any HAZchem cargo etc that may have an influence advise that too.

Location = stand/taxiway/holding point
The ATCO may have to cross refer that to a fire map that is a grid system to tell RFFS to go to location X in grid H4. The grid airfield map is widely used for simplicity to give an easy primary indication of incident location. Not every crew member will be 100% on each taxiway stand location hence the grid format. Depending on severity the service may cut direct across the grass to you, but also may use airport roads and manoeuvring area.

Reason = fire indication, possible hot brakes Thats important as that preps the fire crew as to what they're attending and their likely response, it helps ATC and airfield ops in a very quick tactical assessment of how that will affect the airfield operations, with perhaps blocked taxiway and potential duration.

The fire crew will advise ATC on deployment if the airfield fire category is degraded immediately, and will update again on arrival at location. That too has an immediate effect potentially on both ground and air traffic that ATC need to consider. Variables are obviously things like airport size and fire crew equipment and team size

In my outfit we use "Request fire brigade" despite it may not sound cool enough... :ugh:

From listening to incidents in America on youtube I don’t think it matters what you say at all - ATC will not understand you, ask you to repeat it, ask you to confirm and then ask you to confirm it using a bunch of other words/phrases. Cringeworthy stuff.

Sound awfully British..

I’ve always used:

Request men and equipment by the runway.

Fire folks should have staging areas where they go and hold while you try and not end up in a heap.

Just declare a PAN PAN or MAYDAY and ATC will activate RFF accordingly. Why is there such a reluctance to use these terms in the US?

I don't know that there's a reluctance. For years, my company preached the use of mayday, even in situations that really didn't warrant it. Thankfully there's been a recent push to use pan when appropriate.

In the US, saying “pan pan” or Mayday means exactly the same thing, and will get you a response from ATC that’s says: “understand you are declaring an emergency”.
Furthermore, the ARFF is required to be activated a certain number of times every month, just to make sure that everything works correctly. A malfunctioning gear light that prompts a request for a tower flyby so that they can tell you that “your gear appears to be down” (they won’t, of course tell you that it actually is, for obvious liability reasons) will generally result in the tower telling you that “We are going to roll the trucks, just in case” I have had it happen more than a few times, and it was never stated as a request to do so.

Have had 5 emergencies where I felt emergency services on the ground would be prudent while flying in the US in the last 2 decades. " Declaring an emergency, request fire and rescue upon arrival". Worked every single time. And I am sure "roll the trucks" would have worked too. Before that, I flew in the EU (for almost a decade, and not from the US myself) I declared an emergency, twice, did the "mayday-x3", repeated it on every frequency, advised ATC we would be unable to vacate the runway due to a hydraulic failure, and still had a couple of aircraft behind us forced into go around because ATC did not realize that we would need a tow after landing. Maybe the US isn't very ICAO, but at least the controllers understand English and aviation. (yes, I have had bad luck, and I have at least another 5 emergencies that didn't require "the trucks".)

Might sound British, but at my, non uk, company, we use the same term.

For an emergency, absolutely.

What about a fuel spill nearby while you’re at the gate? Or a traffic collision between aircraft ground vehicles? These are scenarios I’ve seen play out in front of me and require somewhat different terminology. Sometimes you need the ARFF for different reasons.

Good discussion - let’s keep it civil! Too easy to denigrate into trashing other countries!

Where I work (UK) incidents on stand such as fuel leak/traffic collision/vehicle fire etc usually get noticed/advised to Airfield Ops first and they are first on scene.

They will declare a "Ground Incident" via RT to GMC (Ground Movement Controller) in tower.
That gets the same response as a Mayday. The RT call will identify location/nature of incident.
Further information can be provided either via GMC or direct to Fire Chief via RT

An aircraft aware of own or nearby incident just needs to advise GMC and they will declare the Ground Incident.

Not a pilot, but retired Licenced Engineer (mechanic) with engine run/taxi authorisation. Never had to invoke it, but consideration always made with regard to an aircraft fire, and my crew briefed accordingly. Without hesitation, it would be a Mayday to the Ground/Tower frequency in use, and worry about possible apologies afterwards. I have to add that the majority of experience is in the UK.

Incidentally, with regard to communicating the location, I think a Crash Map grid reference is ok for an incident off-piste, but you can't whack the Airfield Chart for precision. Every responder is Airfield Driving qualified (or will be so escorted) and will know exactly where "Taxiway Tango abeam Stand 23" is.