The aviation industry is keen to tell you that flying in a commercial jet is safer than driving an automobile. They are right. Given the large number of passenger flights in the United States, these jets rarely crash.

According to National Transportation Safety Board statistics, there were 1,700 accidents involving aircraft in 2007, which resulted in 535 deaths. Through the first 10 months of 2008, there were 1,402 accidents with 479 deaths. By comparison, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reported just over 37,000 fatal vehicle crashes in 2007. Some of the nonfatal aviation accidents last year included a plane that caught fire in San Francisco, an aircraft engine fire in Portland, Ore., and an engine cowling that separated during approach in Detroit.

And despite the effects of the current recession, air travel is expected to grow. In its 2008-2025 aerospace forecast, the Federal Aviation Administration predicts that the industry will increase its passenger capacity by 0.6%. The FAA sees a big jump in very light jets, with as many as 500 of these joining the fleet by 2025.

When aircrafts do crash, specialized firefighting and rescue tactics are a must. Tom Wagner's job is to train personnel in airport rescue firefighting, and he's recognized as one of the best in the business. He has been with the Chicago Fire Department for 28 years, and he has been based at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for 21 years.

His unique training operation offers two mock-ups of aircraft, which he can envelope in flames with the click of his computer's mouse. The fuselage of one of the sites contains life-sized mannequins with various life-like injuries. During training, flames are fed by propane and water is used to douse the fire. This is a substitute for the real thing — fire fed by fuel and extinguished by foam. In addition to the hands-on training, which Wagner says is crucial, he instructs his trainees through anecdotes, personal stories and serious warnings about how to approach a burning aircraft.

“A piece of the rim from the tire of an aircraft that is burning can fly off and kill someone,” he tells a new batch of trainees. “And always wear an air pack. You don't want to breathe in the toxins from an airplane fire. You want to be able to play a round of golf when you're 60.”

Wagner knows his specialty training will be changing, but he doesn't know exactly how. He and other experts agree that the most significant change in training tactics probably will be driven by the use of composites in the building of aircraft, rather than the standard metal.

“First and foremost, we have to get the fire out before we can start to rescue passengers,” Wagner says. “With companies like Boeing using more composites, it raises a lot of questions. How well does this material hold up to fire? How long do we have before the fire starts burning inside the cabin of the aircraft? How long before it pierces the skin of the aircraft? Manufacturers are trying to make the aircraft lighter while making them stronger.”

Those questions may remain unanswered for a while. Neither Underwriters Laboratories nor the National Fire Protection Association has tested these new aircraft materials.

Composites are engineered materials made from two or more materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties, and which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure. The new technology and lack of testing leaves aircraft firefighters in uncharted waters.

Wagner is concerned about whether or not the penetrating nozzles used by airport rescue personnel that can penetrate the skin of an aircraft to spray foam on a fire raging inside, will work on an aircraft made of composites.

Dennis Leon, training coordinator of the training division of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, says the manufacturing changes could necessitate the development of completely new tools. He compares the crash of an aircraft made of composites to wrecking a Corvette.

“Metal holds, composites shatter,” Leon says. “We'll need to learn how to make a forcible entry. If we don't know, we'll be beating our heads against a wall, literally.”

Then there are the large aircraft, like the Airbus A380, which went into service in mid October. Depending on how the interior is configured, it can hold 550 to 800 passengers and carry more than 300,000 pounds of fuel. Boeing plans to answer with its B787, due out later this year.

“It's harder to access high-volume carriers in order to assist in evacuation,” Leon says. “And a much larger volume of fuel means a much larger fire.”

Wagner believes the answers will come with time, and with testing done by FAA. For now, trainers will look to improve their processes however they can.

Wagner has a new burn pit for his training site that is filled with water, rather than rocks used in the old one. A mock-up of the aircraft fuselage sits in a 125-foot-diameter pit.

“From the standpoint of smoke and heat, it's much more realistic,” Wagner says. “The propane burns at the surface of the water. It looks like fuel is burning.”

He's happy with the upgrade, but he still has a wish list. He would like to record the training that goes on inside the fake aircraft, but the heat and flames make this problematic.

“Maybe an infrared system that could be tied into a digital recorder would work,” he says. “It would be very beneficial to go over the training afterward, to see what went right and what should be improved. When it's happening, it can all be a blur.”

Wagner also would like to be able to train with new, dedicated equipment, rather than the older crash trucks he now uses. And a donated real airplane would be a great addition to his campus.

He also thinks using simulators would create new training opportunities, like the simulation and training products made for first responders. Some companies make simulators that offer the virtual experience of driving a crash truck at an airport. This is useful because airports are too busy to allow trainees to drive the runways during training, making a real collision too likely.

Wagner and Leon are members of the ARFF Training Group, a professional association with about 800 members from the United States, Europe and South America. The group exchanges information and ideas through an annual five-day conference and newsletter.

Another ARFF Training Group member, Doug Mangels, safety coordinator and trainer for the Denver Fire Department, says that changes in airport rescue firefighting will be driven by emerging technologies and shifting attitudes.

“Airport rescue is a specialty; it's actually a step above fighting a structural fire,” Mangels says. “You have to be a proficient firefighter and have all the skills in order to build on them. You're using different agents. You have to be aware of all the technology. Structural firefighters didn't understand this.”

Mangels says that the group has built an awareness that has enlightened and promoted changing attitudes.

“The culture has changed dramatically in the last five years,” Mangels said. “Historically, airports were considered retirement homes for firefighters. We used to have to draft people to come to the airport. Now we have a waiting list. And it's not because they want a place to retire.”

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Nancy Gier is a freelance writer based in the Chicago area.