Particles in Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) Tank on Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) Vehicles

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery” (OMB Control Number: 2120-0746)

T ITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Particles in Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) Tank on Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) Vehicles

PURPOSE:

Particulates have been found in the Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) tanks of some Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles at airports across the country. The particulates could restrict the foam proportioning system in the vehicles and alter the foam production or nozzle discharge, resulting in a potential safety hazard. This information collection will help the FAA determine (1) how widespread this issue is among the ARFF departments of airports certificated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 139, Certification of Airports, and (2) whether the severity of the problem requires further study into its causes and potential impacts. Participation is voluntary.

This survey results will enable the FAA to provide customer service by making stakeholders aware of a potential safety hazard and identifying how pervasive it is and possible causes of the problem.

Responses to certain questions (8, 13, and 15) determine whether airports will see related questions. Depending on their responses to questions 8, 13, and 15, airports will see between 10 and 16 questions as well as a final comment field.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

ARFF personnel at Part 139 certificated airports.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software) [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [X] Other: Online Survey________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

N ame: ________________________________________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following questions:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System of Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Part 139 ARFF personnel	530	0.25 hr	132.5
Totals	530		132.5

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $2950_____

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [X] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan). If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them.

The FAA certificates approximately 530 airports under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 139, Certification of Airports. We plan to issue a Part 139 CertAlert announcing the survey to these Part 139 airports and recommending that they have a representative from their ARFF departments complete it. The CertAlert is an information vehicle known to our target audience. CertAlerts are posted on the FAA website and their availability promoted via a voluntary web subscription service and through communications from the FAA Certification Inspectors assigned to the airports.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No