Harlingen airport mulls rescue, firefighting services

HARLINGEN — For six months, Valley International Airport officials have been reviewing their aircraft rescue and firefighting services, debating whether to cut ties with the Harlingen Fire Department while considering hiring a private contractor.

During a closed session meeting Tuesday, Marv Esterly, the airport’s aviation director, updated board members on details surrounding the review.

Now, airport officials are planning to meet with city commissioners to discuss rescue and firefighting services, proposing joint meetings, Esterly said.

“We want to work in conjunction with the city of Harlingen,” he said Wednesday. “We’re going to work closely with the city and come up with a solution.”

For decades, the airport’s worked with the Harlingen Fire Department to offer aircraft rescue and firefighting services.

“I think our firefighters are doing an amazing job protecting passengers who fly through Valley International Airport,” City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez said. “Passengers who use our airport come from all over the Rio Grande Valley and they should feel secure knowing that we provide the best-trained firefighters to keep everyone safe.”

As part of an agreement, the fire department provides 10 firefighters to serve the airport, Esterly said.

“They’re not regular firefighters,” he said. “They’re aircraft rescue firefighters.”

Now, the city’s charging the airport $1.2 million a year for the fire department’s services, Esterly said.

“It continues to go up,” he said, referring to the cost of services. “It’s a financial issue. We operate like a business. It all stems from budget restraints. We break even, basically. Costs continue to escalate so we look at ways to reduce those costs.”

Since last August, when board members passed the airport’s tight $18.5 million budget, with $9.28 million in revenues exceeding expenditures by $469, officials have been considering the option of hiring a private contractor to provide aircraft rescue and firefighting services.

“There are several private contractors nationwide, those companies who specialize in just that,” Esterly said, referring to aircraft rescue and firefighting services. “We’re looking at options. We’re making comparisons.”

To offset rising costs, officials don’t want to boost airline fares, he said.

”It’s important the airport board continues to monitor finances and maintain our self-sustaining rate structure,” Esterly said. “Ultimately, we want to make sure the airport is safe and efficient.”

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