LAX Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Facility Achieves Unique Certification

A proud statement from our friends at Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)...

Los Angeles, California – November 16, 2011) The new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting facility - also known as LAFD Station 80 at Los Angeles International Airport, recently achieved LEED ® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The structure is the first Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting facility at an international airport to achieve LEED ® Gold. The Gold certification recognizes the project’s efforts at maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing negative environmental impacts. It is the second building at LAX to incorporate LEED ® standards and receive LEED ® certification. The first building to incorporate LEED ® standards was the $737-million renovation of the Tom Bradley International Terminal – the first-ever for a renovation project at a U.S. airport. It received LEED ® Silver certification.

The LEED ® rating system is designed to encourage and facilitate development of more sustainable buildings throughout the United States. Points for certification are distributed across major credit categories such as Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.

For example, energy efficiency and water reduction measures incorporated into the building’s design will result in significant annual energy savings of 35 percent per year compared to a similar building that did not incorporate LEED ® standards. Low-flow plumbing fixtures in the building will result in significant annual water savings of 39 percent, or 35,800 gallons of potable water per year. In addition, more than 99 percent, or 3,300 tons, of on-site generated construction-related waste was either recycled or salvaged.

Other “green” construction measures incorporated into the project include:

• Efficient lighting fixtures and controls with occupancy sensors throughout the
  facility to reduce lighting and save energy during off-peak hours.
• Twenty percent of total building materials were manufactured using recycled materials.
• Low-emitting paints, adhesives, and sealants in the building interior.
• More than 12,000 gallons of recycled water was used for dust control during construction, instead of potable water.
• Upgraded controls for heating, ventilation and air conditioning that reset temperatures to maximum efficiency without sacrificing occupant comfort.

Los Angeles World Airports Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey said, "The LEED ® Gold certification reflects our commitment to contribute to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s vision of making Los Angeles the cleanest big city in America, and is in keeping with a sustainable ‘green’ building policy adopted by our Board of Airport Commissioners that commits us to incorporate LEED ® standards in all our future construction projects."

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The Los Angeles Fire Department congratulates LAWA executive leadership for this noteworthy achievement, and for their longstanding commitment to superior aircraft rescue and fire fighting services.

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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