Airport Operations Technician/ARFF - Alamosa County

REPORTS TO: Airport Operations Supervisor & Airport Manager

FLSA STATUS:  Non-Exempt

SALARY GRADE RANGE:  $19.37-$20.37/hour DOE

DATE ADOPTED: Revised May 2023

JOB SUMMARY:

This is a Full-time/ hourly position. An Airport Operations Technician is considered essential to Airport operations and Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) and is subject to work weekends, evenings, holidays and on-call shifts as necessary to maintain the safe and continuous operation of the airport in compliance with Airport policies, local, state, and federal rules and regulations.  This position reports directly to the Operations Supervisor or Airport Manager in his/her absence.

Performs a variety of skilled tasks in the maintenance, operations, and ARFF safety functions of a Class 1 Commercial Service Airport, including custodial duties in the Airport Terminal.

Skills; Mechanical background, electrical experience, able to operate heavy equipment, attention to detail, dependable, and a team player.  Some office work is required. 

Work Hours: Variable hours subject to Air Carrier flight schedules per Airport Manager.  Four (4) ten (10) hour shifts per week is the norm.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Responsible for ARFF and Airport Operations duties
• Functions as an effective team member, is able to work without direct supervision
• Assists staff to accomplish tasks as assigned
• Must be able to pass the 40-hour ARFF Basic Certification Course, including Live Fire Training, and maintain yearly recurrency requirements for the ARFF Certification within one month of hire.  No prior ARFF or firefighting experience is required.
• Probationary Period: 4 months.  Must be able to be trained in accordance with Part 139 required subjects within 4 months of hire. 
• Must agree to and sign the SAN LUIS VALLEY REGIONAL AIRPORT (ALS) AIRCRAFT RESCUE AND FIRE FIGHTING (ARFF) TRAINING AGREEMENT before beginning employment. For a copy of the agreement, please email your request to humanresources@alamosacounty.org
• Maintains a state of readiness for emergency response by:
  1. Inspecting and maintaining firefighting equipment.
  2. Training physically and mentally for emergency preparedness.
• Operates various airport equipment and identifies any maintenance needs and repairs equipment as needed
• Self-driven, able to identify and resolve safety and maintenance issues without oversight
• Responds to aircraft emergencies upon notification and performs aircraft rescue and firefighting during emergency incidents for general and commercial aviation aircraft.
• Treats individuals in medical emergencies as first responder.
• Must be able to work effectively at any time of the day or night (Emergencies and Snow Events)
• Works rotating shifts, weekdays, weekends, holidays, or on-call as needed
• Responds to after-hours call outs such as snow removal, security concerns and tenant concerns
• Measures, records and reports airfield conditions, by use of the Federal NOTAM system
• Conducts daily airport self-inspections for FAA part 139 and TSA part 1542 compliance
• Carries Unicom radio, 2-way radio, and airport duty phone on person during work hours or on-call
• Uses effective verbal communication to relay location and surface conditions to aircraft/pilots
• Interacts and effectively communicates with contractors, consultants, coworkers, airport tenants and all interested stakeholders
• Assists the Airport Operations Supervisor in maintaining the Airport Certification Manual to ensure compliance with part 139 regulations
• Assists with preparations for FAA 139 annual safety inspections
• Maintains and repairs all airport facilities and surfaces as required
• Operates Snow Removal Equipment (SRE) including but not limited to snow plows, sweepers, rotary snow plows, and spreaders
• Operates heavy equipment on the airport including tractors, mowers, backhoes, loaders, etc.
• Applies herbicides to maintain the Air Operations Area (AOA) and airport property landscapes
• Monitors airfield and airspace for compliance with 14 CFR part 77 (obstructions to navigable airspace)
• Monitors airfield construction, weather conditions, wildlife activity to maintain a safe operating environment
• Closes and opens aircraft movement areas as conditions warrant through the Federal NOTAM system
• Performs a variety of tasks such as painting, carpentry, electrical, and asphalt repair
• Performs routine maintenance of vehicles and equipment
• Repairs and maintains all runway and taxiway lighting systems
• Participates in Airport exercises, including the Triennial Emergency Full Scale Exercise and TSA AVSEC
• General building custodial duties of the Airport Terminal
• Computer skills including record keeping is essential to this position
• Reads and interprets facility drawings and blueprints
• Creates and interprets Airport Work Orders
• Competent in the operation of tablets and smart phones
• Adheres to part 139 regulations and policies, creates reports, updates documents, daily logs, and reviews FAA advisory circulars and cert alerts
• May have duties and responsibilities in one or more core programs such as equipment coordinator, wildlife coordinator, inventory coordinator, NAVAID coordinator, etc.
• Other duties as assigned by Airport Operations Supervisor or Airport Manager

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  Education and Experience:

• Must be eligible for or already possess ARFF certification and must maintain the physical ability to perform ARFF duties while employed as an Airport Rescue Fire Fighter; this includes the ability to lift and move 75 pounds.  ARFF training is paid for by the Airport
• Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Certification within six months of employment or depending on training course availability
• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Computer/word processing to include MS-Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• CO Driver’s License
• Possession of, or ability to obtain Basic and Advanced Airport Safety and Operations Specialist (ASOS) Certificates or ACE Operations Certification from the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) within 2 years of employment
• Ability to learn and pass all required ICS/NIMS training including IS100 and IS700

Knowledge:

• Willingness to learn and train on a constant basis to improve aviation knowledge and professionalism; willingness to take paid training courses that may involve travel
• Ability to learn Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) techniques and procedures
• Ability to learn emergency first-aid techniques and procedures

Skills:

• Attention to detail is essential
• Record keeping
• Good customer service skills and positive attitude
• Operate hand tools, power tools, and mechanical equipment in a safe and efficient manner
• Effective written communication skills
• Time management skills, able to meet time sensitive deadlines

Abilities:

• Ability to read and interpret all instructions and manuals such as procedural manuals and safety
• manuals 
• Ability to take initiative to and to accomplish all assigned tasks
• Ability to prioritize tasks and to adjust to changing priorities
• Ability to work unsupervised

Other Requirements:

• Background check and drug screening required

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS (not mandatory):

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Certification
• IFSAC Firefighter certification preferred
• Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, or Technical School preferred
  • Certified Mechanic, Licensed Electrician, Certified Welder or related experience is beneficial
• Airport or aviation experience preferred (airport management/operations, airline, pilot experience)
• FAA Part 139 Airport Operations or related experience
• Heavy Equipment operating experience
• Building Maintenance or Construction experience
• Experience in grounds maintenance, automotive/equipment maintenance, electrical, welding
• Commercial Driver’s License

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Preferred Knowledge: 

• Airport Operations, ARFF, and aviation
• 14 CFR Part 139 Regulations
• Basic building maintenance
• Basic equipment maintenance
• Basic vehicle maintenance
• Preventative maintenance techniques

  Preferred Skills:

• Ability to operate radio equipment and clearly communicate

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Preferred Abilities:

• Ability to type 20 WPM

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​WORK CONDITIONS AND ENVIRONMENT:

​​​​​​​The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Requires 24-hour, 7-day on call status.  Rotating shifts, nights, weekends and holidays can be expected. Moderate to heavy physical requirements needed for ARFF, snow removal and grounds maintenance, including fencing, roadways, taxiways, lighting, runways and ramps. Ability to maneuver uneven terrain. Duties performed in all types of weather conditions, extreme cold, hot temperatures, high winds. Position requires the ability to operate a computer keyboard and standard office equipment at efficient speed. The employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls, and to reach with hands and arms. The employee is required to sit, talk, walk, stand, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, see, and hear. Hearing and vision correctable to normal ranges; close-up vision and the ability to adjust focus across a distance. The employee is required to communicate both orally and in writing. Employee must be able to reach and manipulate objects, tools or controls, drive, frequently lift up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds. 

  Employee must be able to work in the noisy environment of an airport. 

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The statements contained herein reflect general details as necessary to describe the essential functions of this job, the level of knowledge, skills and abilities typically required, and the scope of responsibility, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements.  Individuals may perform other duties as assigned, including work in other functional areas to cover absences or relief, to equalize peak work periods, or otherwise to balance the workload.

It is the policy of Alamosa County to not discriminate against any person with regard to all federally protected classifications including race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, any disability, genetic information and testing, family and medical leave, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. 

This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and the employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

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