Jelle: Fire brigade commander at Lelystad Airport

I am a commanding officer in the fire brigade, seconded from Schiphol since June 2019. At Schiphol, I also worked for the fire brigade. When I was asked to set up the fire brigade here, I did not hesitate for a second. It seemed like a great experience and when do you get such an opportunity again?

Before I came here, there was no full-fledged fire brigade. The fire brigade was not set up the way it is today. Some employees did it as a side job. This is different now. There are 18 of us, including four on 16-hour shifts. Two years ago, we completely converted a hangar into our new barracks. There are new fire engines, a sports room, a recreation room. In short: full-fledged barracks. The organisation is now set in place and as soon as the final approval for commercial transport is made, we will be ready.

In the meantime, we have plenty to do. Lelystad Airport has around 80,000 annual air transport movements. If there is situation with an aircraft we have to be on standby at the runway. We also drive in the field to keep our knowledge up to date, check the crash tenders, test the equipment, play sports, practise, maintain the barracks, offer support to the various companies at the airport, and in the winter we keep the track snow and ice-free. We can also be deployed as support in the region. In January 2024, the deployment of Lelystad Airport’s crash tender played a crucial role in the fire in Rutten, and in 2021 during a fire in Kampen. In 2022, we were on-site during the power outage in Lelystad and the surrounding area. Additionally, the airport’s fire department was involved in combating a wildfire in Lelystad and a major fire at an industrial estate in Soesterberg.

So we are busy, I’m not bored for a moment.