Cherry Capital Airport firefighters train with live burn ahead of upgrade

Flames rolled across Cherry Capital Airport’s tarmac Tuesday as firefighters worked through the airport’s annual live-burn drill with all three aircraft rescue trucks, a hands-on exercise meant to match the emergencies Traverse City may face as traffic keeps rising. U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City provided the burn area, and ARFF Specialists, which says it has trained more than 175 fire departments in 15 states, led the training.

Lt. Bob Scott, the training officer, said the realism matters when seconds count. “There is no substitute for real fire when crews are preparing for emergencies,” Scott said. The drill gave airport firefighters a chance to practice response tactics, truck placement and coordination under conditions that classroom work cannot fully reproduce, including the mutual-aid rhythm that would matter in a real aircraft fire or crash on airport property.

The timing was deliberate. Cherry Capital Airport is set to move up to FAA Index C classification this summer, a shift tied to the size and frequency of aircraft now using the airport. Under Federal Aviation Administration Part 139, certificated airports that handle scheduled air carrier operations must provide aircraft rescue and firefighting services, and the agency’s certification standards also include fueling safety, snow and ice control and wildlife hazard management.

Index C matters because it reflects a different level of risk. It covers larger planes, including Boeing 737 family aircraft now flying regular daily service out of Traverse City. That means the airport’s response planning is no longer built around the traffic patterns of a few years ago, but around a busier schedule and heavier aircraft that demand faster, more specialized emergency coverage.

The numbers show how quickly the airport has changed. Cherry Capital said it served 935,816 passengers in 2025, a 19% increase from 787,114 in 2024, making last year the busiest in airport history. The airport’s annual report also says terminal expansion plans were underway, with ground expected to be broken in early 2026, adding another layer of operational change while safety requirements rise with the traffic.

The Coast Guard connection has deep local roots. Traverse City was dedicated by Congress as a Coast Guard City in 2010, and the city says its Coast Guard City Committee exists to support U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City. On Tuesday, that relationship was visible on the airport grounds, where the burn drill doubled as a reminder that growth at Cherry Capital brings opportunity, but also a higher standard for the crews who would answer first if a fire ever broke out on a runway or near a packed terminal.