Tulsa International Airport has upgraded their crash phone system, which in the case of an emergency, is the primary line of communication for mobilizing first responders. As part of the airport’s ongoing commitment to safety and continuous improvement, the upgrade replaced an aging system, and also provides more clear service and new features. For airports that are FAA Part 139 certified, it is mandatory to have a crash phone system in place in the event of an aircraft accident, to alert Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) personnel.
“Safety is our top priority at Tulsa International Airport, and this upgrade to our crash phone system is just one of the many steps we are taking to ensure that we are prepared for any emergency situation,” said Paul Myers, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Tulsa International Airport. “We are confident the new system will provide the quickest response time and best communication possible in the event of an emergency.”
How are crash phones used?
Crash phones are set up for multiple organizations in different areas on airport property: the Air Traffic Control Tower, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Station (ARFF), Airport Emergency Dispatch and Air National Guard all have crash phones in their work areas. When a crash phone is picked up off the hook, it instantly bridges the other phones connected in the system, with no dialing required. For example, when the Air Traffic Control Tower picks up the crash phone during an emergency event, it immediately initiates an announcement to the airport’s fire station, dispatch, and the Oklahoma Air National Guard fire station for response. This time-saving piece of equipment is critical, since Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighters are required to respond to emergency scenes within three minutes.
Why was the upgrade needed?
While the old crash phone system was functioning, the phones were operating on an aging two-wire system. The new system provides better sound quality since it is an IP or network-based system. The new network-based system also allows the airport more flexibility to grow the system in the future if needed.
Other new features include automatic integration with the airport’s radios and Everbridge, TUL’s external emergency notification system, visual strobe lights, integration with our public address system, and the option for users to be able to replay announcements.
“KOVA Corporation is proud to be the chosen partner for Tulsa International Airport’s continued effort to improve their emergency preparedness,” said CJ Silva, VP of Operations for KOVA Corporations. “Through coordinated design, we were able to provide a crash phone solution with KEANS to allow the instant alerting of critical information to all first responders visually and audibly as well as automate additional notification to all necessary airport personnel via TUL’s existing Everbridge platform.”
