At aerodromes approved for scheduled and/or non-scheduled traffic with aircraft carrying passengers, Rescue and Fire Fighting Services, and in some cases, also Sea Rescue Services, are established in accordance with the regulations for civil aviation.

Information about whether there is service or not and the extent of the service is given in AD 2.6 / AD 3.6 for each aerodrome.

Scheduled or non-scheduled traffic carrying passengers is not permitted to use aerodromes without Rescue and Fire Fighting Services.

Each individual service is categorised according to the table of the fire fighting categories shown in ICAO Annex 14. Temporary changes will be published by NOTAM.

1. Organisation of the runway surface condition reporting and winter service

The aerodrome operator is responsible for inspection, reporting and improvement of the conditions of the movement area at the respective aerodrome.

A winter service is established at AD Riga and AD Liepaja.

The clearance of movement areas will normally be carried out in the following order:

AD Riga:

1. Runway;

2. Taxiway(s) to runway;

3. Apron;

4. Other areas.

AD Liepaja:

1. Runway;

2. Taxiway;

3. Apron;

4. Other areas.

The aerodrome operator will conduct the following duties:

a. Surveillance of the movement area, with a view noting the presence of standing water, ice, frost, snow and/or slush;

b. Assessment of the runway surface condition when the runway-in-use surface is contaminated with standing water, ice, frost, snow and/or slush and, as far as possible, taxiways and aprons;

c. Implementation of measures to maintain the usability of the runways, etc.;

d. Reporting of the conditions mentioned in item a) to c) above.

2. Surveillance of movement areas

The aerodrome operator monitors the conditions of the movement area within the published aerodrome hours of service.

3. Surface condition assessment methods used; operations on specially prepared winter runways

The depth of a layer of snow or slush is measured by an ordinary measuring rod. Measurements will be taken at a large number of places and a representative mean value calculated. On runways, the mean value will be calculated for each third of the runway.

Runway Condition Assessment Matrix (RCAM) is used to assess runway surface conditions.

Use of specially prepared winter runways has not been approved.

For removal of ice and compacted snow that cannot be removed with mechanical equipment, chemicals are used.

4. Actions taken to maintain the usability of movement area

Snow clearance and measures for improvement of friction conditions will be carried out and continued as long as the condition of the movement area could impede the safety and regularity of air traffic.

Measures will be taken to clear the runway to full width but in special cases conditions may cause that wide runway temporarily will be opened for traffic even if cleared to a width of 30 m only. Snow clearance will not be considered completed until the runway is cleared to full width.

Measures will be taken to clear the runway to full width at Liepaja Aerodrome.

Chemical de-icing of runways will be carried out to the full width of the runway.

Improvement of the runway surface friction through the spreading of sand with a grain size of not less than 1 mm and not exceeding 4 mm may take place when other means prove ineffective. The sand will be spread out to the full width of the runway.

Improvement of the runway surface friction by spreading of sand may take place at Liepaja Aerodrome when other means will prove ineffective. The sand will be spread out to full width of the runway.

5. System and means of reporting

a. The aerodrome operator will use the SNOWTAM form for reporting which will be delivered to the Flight Information Service/ATS unit for further dissemination.

b. When standing water, ice, snow or slush no longer prevail and chemicals are no longer being used, reporting will cease after the issuance of a cancellation SNOWTAM. A new SNOWTAM will not be issued until these conditions return.

c. The Runway Condition Report (RCR) is used for reporting assessed conditions through the issuance of SNOWTAM, when necessary.

d. Snow banks adjacent to the runway are reported when they are penetrating the height profile defined in the aerodrome snow plan.

e. When information on runway conditions is given by section it is provided in the order in which the conditions in question are encountered at take-off or landing, in the runway direction which is indicated by the runway number. In instructions to landing and departing aircraft, the order of information by section of the runway-in-use will thus always be according to the order in which the conditions in question are encountered during take-off and landing.

6. Cases of runway closure

In cases when a postponement of clearance results in a significant risk of a deteriorating situation, e.g., when fall in temperature may cause that water or slush become solid ice, the snow clearance service is authorised to demand that sections of the movement areas be closed to traffic.

7. Distribution of information about runway surface conditions

Information on runway surface conditions at AD Riga and AD Liepaja will be disseminated directly by the individual aerodrome in a separate series of NOTAM (SNOWTAM). SNOWTAM will be prepared in accordance with ICAO Doc 10066, Appendix 4.

Information on the state of the runway is continuously broadcast in Riga ATIS information and Lielvarde ATIS information.