FORT SMITH (KFSM)- Only two people will be on duty providing fire protection at the Fort Smith Airport for a while.
Airport director John Parker said starting (Oct. 1) one fire fighter and one supervisor from Pro-Tec Fire Services will be in charge of keeping flyers safe in case of an emergency.
“That contract will cover 18 hours per day of our coverage here at the Fort Smith Regional Airport every day of the year,” Parker said.
The contract was approved this week.
This comes after a mission change with the 188th Wing, which will no longer be in charge of fire protection after September 30th.
5NEWS asked how much is the contract with Pro-Tec for.
“It`s in the amount of generally $251,000 for the first year,” Parker said.
Parker said other agencies like the Fort Smith Fire Department are prepared to step in during an emergency.
“They had several people on duty during the day and now they are just going to have one supervisor and then one crew person there,” Fort Smith Fire Chief Mike Richards said.
Richards said he's been in contact with Pro-Tec and the airport's changes comply with safety codes.
“FAA only requires one person during flight operations for that type of aircraft to come in and so they meet that requirement,” Richards said.
With the change approaching 5NEWS asked what equipment the one supervisor and firefighter will be using.
“Currently the plan is the current national guard bureau equipment that`s on the airfield presently but that agreement hasn`t been finalized,” Parker said.
Parker said the contract with Pro-Tec fire lasts through December 2016.