The Daviess County Fire Department's airport station hasn't had a serious aircraft crash in years. But in 2015, it made 1,296 emergency runs, which include fires, car accidents and medical responses in the western portion of the county. "There are really very few rescue and firefighting calls on an airport, fortunately," Airport Director Bob Whitmer said.
According to Daviess County Fire Chief Dwane Smeathers, the station's dual purpose makes it rare. Out of the 53 airports in Kentucky, five have on-site fire stations. But only Daviess County's firefighters go beyond the runways and hangars.
"In the whole southern region, which includes Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, there are only one or two that do what we do," Smeathers said. "So it is very rare."
The Federal Aviation Administration requires all airports with commercial flights to have a 24-hour manned fire station. General aviation airports, which are most, serve private plane operators and do not have the mandate.
Currently, the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport is home to two commercial airlines -- Cape Air and Allegiant. The largest commercial jet that lands at the airport is a 177-passenger Airbus A320. The U.S. military also brings in its Blackhawk helicopters and C-130s, which are four-engine turboprop transport aircraft.