Pilots are collected as if on fire – Newspaper Kommersant No. 12 (7457) dated 01/24/2023

As it became known to Kommersant, the AEVT asked the Ministry of Labor to cancel the requirement to provide pilots and flight attendants with fire-fighting overalls, which comes into force on September 1. The airlines consider the obligations unfulfillable and contrary to ICAO standards, and compare overalls with unsuitable for flying suits of firefighters. They emphasize that everything necessary to fight the fire is already on board: from smoke hoods, axes and fire extinguishers to oxygen cylinders.

According to Kommersant, President of the Association of Air Transport Operators (AEVT) Vladimir Tasun sent a request to the Ministry of Labor to exclude fire-fighting overalls for crews from the requirements for uniform standard standards for issuing personal protective equipment. The annex to the order of the Ministry of Labor No. 767n will enter into force on September 1. Its provisions oblige airlines to issue to pilots, in particular, a suit and headgear from exposure to open flames, impact-resistant safety shoes, “goggles against blinding brightness”, fire-resistant gloves and ear plugs. Flight attendants must be provided with overalls to protect against “industrial pollution”.

At the same time, as noted in a letter from the AEVT dated January 16 (Kommersant has it), for pilots “the possibility of work associated with exposure to an open flame is excluded.” In addition, in the event of a fire, the greatest danger on board is not fire, but smoke, “and there is a smoke hood as protection.” The AEVT separately emphasized that the provision of uniforms for both pilots and flight attendants in civil aviation is one of the main focuses of attention for the employer, since “the appearance of employees is an integral part of the image of the airline.”

The airlines consider the new requirements redundant and share the position of the AEVT. Smartavia noted that all of the listed mandatory PPE “is, in fact, a firefighter’s overalls, which in no way corresponds to the tasks of the crews and the documented actions in the event of an open fire.” At the same time, special fire-resistant gloves are already included in the emergency equipment kit, “and just they can be quickly and effectively applied.” Smartavia added that the purchase of new PPE will require “significant funds”. Another company clarified that the cost of “one fireproof suit starts from 15 thousand rubles, while the Social Insurance Fund compensates only 20%.”

An interlocutor of Kommersant in another large company says that additional equipment “in fact, with a firefighter’s uniform, in which flight is impossible” would require additional storage spaces on board, which would require approval of “design changes from the manufacturer.” The requirement to change clothes is not recorded in any regulations, he stressed.

In Smartavia, training for crews is held once a year in special training centers. Azur Air also undergoes on-board firefighting training at least once a year. In addition to theory, the program involves training using the means available on board, primarily fire extinguishers and fire axes. Crews also practice using personal protective equipment – smoke hoods, goggles, oxygen kits (oxygen cylinders and masks) and gloves.

Rossiya emphasized that the airline’s aircraft, both domestic and Western, are equipped with a set of emergency equipment, which includes a smoke-proof hood to protect the head and respiratory organs and asbestos gloves. “Both pilots and flight attendants have access to this equipment,” the press service added.

Some airlines fear that the requirement for fire-fighting overalls in the future may result in serious criticism from Rostransnadzor. The issue needs to be worked out by the industry, Igor Deldyuzhov, president of the Sheremetyevo trade union of flight personnel, believes: “In their current form, the provisions on PPE carry corruption risks that cannot be assigned to employers.” The trade union of the flight personnel of the Russian Federation, where they also intend to apply to the Ministry of Labor for clarification, called the document “raw and in need of improvement.” According to the head of the trade union, Miroslav Boychuk, ICAO standards do not provide for fire-fighting overalls for pilots, the existing rules for crew uniforms have been “tested for decades” and are considered sufficient.

Aigul Abdullina