Fire-Safety Upgrades in Airport Control Towers

This paper discusses fire-safety upgrades and the various aspects of their design and construction in standard airport traffic control towers (ATCTs) for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the Western Pacific region. Towers provide a safe and orderly flow of airport traffic for the benefit of the flying public. Knowledge of ATCT fire-safety upgrades can benefit professionals and contractors in various engineering fields, especially those interested in project management and control techniques. Specifically, the successful upgrading of 35 standard towers in the Western Pacific region to provide smoke-free, fire-protected means of egress and early-warning fire detection and alarm system, as specified in FAA's Fire Safety Guidelines, demonstrates how to meet major program objectives within a cost-effective time frame. This paper includes a brief history of the relationship between the FAA and the Technical Support Services Contract as it relates to these upgrades; a general description of the work required by the FAA; and a review of project organization, communications, design methodology, cost/scheduling, procurement, construction, major challenges, and recommendations for future upgrades.