New Rosenbauer PANTHER ARFF Trucks Heading to LAX

ByRich Sauer

Three New Rosenbauer PANTHERs for LAX

According to information released by Rosenbauer America, three new PANTHER ARFF trucks are headed to LAX and the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

The trucks are part of a purchase approved by Los Angeles World Airports in 2024. The order covers three 3,000-gallon ARFF vehicles from Rosenbauer Minnesota, LLC, with a total cost not to exceed $5,436,137.

These vehicles will serve the LAFD’s aircraft rescue and firefighting operation at LAX, which is based at Los Angeles Fire Department Station 80 on the airport property.

What Is an ARFF Truck?

ARFF stands for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting. These trucks are very different from normal city fire engines.

Airport crash trucks are designed to:

Respond rapidly across airport ramps and runways
Carry large amounts of water and foam
Fight intense fuel fires
Reach aircraft quickly after an emergency landing or crash
Protect passengers, flight crews, and airport personnel

The Rosenbauer PANTHER is one of the best-known modern ARFF vehicles in use at major airports around the world. The PANTHER 6×6 platform can be configured with thousands of gallons of extinguishing agent, powerful pumps, roof and bumper turrets, and high-performance drivetrains designed for fast response on large airport properties.

Why LAX Needs These Trucks

LAX is one of the busiest airports in the United States and handles everything from small regional aircraft to large international widebody jets. Because of that, the airport must maintain a major ARFF capability.

LAWA documents indicate that LAX’s main ARFF fleet includes six 3,000-gallon ARFF vehicles purchased in 2015. For an airport the size of LAX, six major ARFF vehicles are the minimum required level of protection.

At the time of the purchase report, LAX had eight ARFF vehicles on the airfield, including the six 2015 units, one leased 2001 unit, and one older inoperable 1998 unit. The new Rosenbauer trucks appear to be the first step in a gradual replacement program.

Rather than replacing the entire fleet all at once, LAX is starting with three new trucks now, with another three likely to follow in the future.

Not Just New Trucks — A Fleet Refresh

The arrival of these new ARFF units is part of a larger modernization of airport firefighting equipment.

ARFF trucks are expensive, highly specialized vehicles that take a long time to build. LAWA noted that vehicles of this type can take 18 to 24 months from order to delivery. That means airport fire fleets have to be planned years in advance.

These new Rosenbauer PANTHERs will likely improve reliability and reduce dependence on older reserve equipment. They may not dramatically change day-to-day ARFF operations at LAX, since LAFD already operates large Rosenbauer-style crash trucks, but newer vehicles mean better readiness, updated systems, and fewer maintenance issues.

What Scanner Listeners May Hear

For scanner hobbyists, ARFF activity at LAX is always interesting, but monitoring it can be challenging.

LAX ARFF responses may involve a combination of:

  • LAFD airport fire units
  • LAX Airport Operations
  • Airport police
  • Air traffic control
  • Aircraft ground and tower communications
  • Mutual aid fire resources, depending on the incident

Aircraft emergencies may first be heard on aviation frequencies before they are heard on public safety channels. Listeners near LAX may want to monitor LAX tower, ground, approach, and emergency-related airport operations channels, along with any available LAFD dispatch or incident traffic.

Major aircraft incidents often require extensive coordination, but not all communications are easily monitored. Some airport and public safety communications may be on trunked or encrypted systems, while aviation band radio remains AM and generally monitorable with a scanner that covers the civil air band.

Foam Changes and Environmental Issues

Another important part of modern airport firefighting is the transition away from older firefighting foams containing PFAS.

LAWA has already been working on removing PFAS-containing foam from ARFF vehicles at both LAX and Van Nuys Airport. That effort reportedly included 14 ARFF trucks across the two airports.

This means the new LAX ARFF trucks are arriving during a larger period of change for airport firefighting. Airports are not only replacing aging vehicles, but also updating foam systems, environmental procedures, and emergency response standards.

The new Rosenbauer PANTHER trucks will help keep LAX’s ARFF fleet modern, reliable, and ready for aircraft emergencies. They also show how much planning and investment go into airport safety behind the scenes.

LAX Frequencies

133.900     Tower North Complex - RWY 24/6
120.950     Tower South Complex - RNY 25/7
121.650     Ground North
121.750     Ground South
121.400     Ground West
127.850     Emergency - LAX/Aircraft/LAFD Coordination

Los Angeles Fire Department Frequencies

860.9375     LAFD 1      Operations South Bureau
859.9375     LAFD 2      Operations Central Bureau
858.9375     LAFD 3      Operations Valley Bureau
857.9375     LAFD 4      Dispatch - EMS South of Mulholland
856.9375     LAFD 5      Alternate Control - Wildland Fires / River Rescue
858.2375     LAFD 6      ALERT 6 - Emergency Trigger
859.4375     LAFD 7      Dispatch - Fire South of Mulholland
858.4375     LAFD 8      Dispatch - Fire/EMS North of Mulholland
857.2375     LAFD 9      Alternate Control - Structure Fires
856.2375     LAFD 10     Command
860.7625     LAFD 11     Command
857.4375     LAFD 13     Operations West Bureau
860.4375     LAFD 12     Tactical
856.4375     LAFD 14     Tactical
859.7625     LAFD 15     Tactical
858.7625     LAFD 16     Tactical
857.7625     LAFD 17     Tactical
856.7625     LAFD 18     Tactical
855.0125     LAFD 19     Tactical
855.7625     LAFD 20     Tactical
853.9875     CA FIRE 1    LAX Crash Crews Primary (Simplex)

Similar Posts