Members of the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Commission celebrated the official opening of the new aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) station at GSP International Airport on November 23. The 24,000 square foot facility houses GSP’s fire department and will serve as the center of emergency response operations for the entire airport campus. The cost to construct the new facility was approximately $9 million.
“Safety and security are our top priorities at GSP International Airport,” said president and CEO, Dave Edwards. “This state-of-the-art facility will ensure that the airport’s fire protection and safety services keep pace with the rapid growth we’re experiencing across the airport campus.”
The ARFF facility was designed by a team led by W.K. Dickson, supported by architecture firms Leo Daly and DP3 and built by Mavin Construction. The facility offers three times as much space as the current building. The expanded facility includes a larger apparatus bay for fire equipment, expanded administrative offices for the fire department, new training rooms, a workout room, and larger living quarters for the firefighters on duty. The new facility was funded through a combination of airport funds and monies received from an Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.
GSP’s fire department serves an airport campus spanning nearly 3,700 acres of property including the airport terminal, airfield, roadways, buildings and undeveloped land in addition to providing mutual aid to fire departments across the region.