“‘Are there fires in Antarctica?’ That’s always the question I get,” says Megan Branson, who spent over 24 months “on the ice” as a fire-fighter and paramedic between 2007 and 2010.
And the answer? Yes. Though rarely, if the the Antarctic Fire Department can help it. In the busy summer season of October – March, there are over 1,000 residents at the US Antarctic Program’s McMurdo Station, making it the largest settlement in the region.
Flights landing at the base must, by law, have a fire crew on hand, but McMurdo is also a fully functioning town. As for any town, building fire safety is important. Even more so when outdoor temperatures only inch above freezing at the height of summer.
> Read entire article Yes, Antarctica has a fire department | Mary Halton | BBC