Aviation Rescue Services Pty Ltd (ARS) specialises in providing comprehensive training and consultancy services for the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) services globally. ARS has successfully completed numerous projects for airports, Civil Aviation Authorities and training centres worldwide, and specialises in the design, development, implementation, and delivery of international best practice training programs and ARFF operational compliance auditing. Training programs are underpinned by and mapped to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS), European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Standards, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes, national Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) legislation, and international best practices.
Mr. Peter McMahon
ARS Managing Director, Mr. Peter McMahon, MBA(Adv), BDEM, is internationally recognised for his expertise in ARFF, with his knowledge and leadership highly sought after around the globe. He brings over 25 years of experience in emergency services, including serving as Assistant Chief Fire Officer (National Operations Standards Manager) for the Australian Government’s ARFF service. In this role, he and his team oversaw the operations and compliance of 28 airport fire stations, supporting nearly 1,000 firefighters nationwide. During his tenure, Peter led the organisation through numerous critical challenges, most notably managing the national response and organisational recovery following a fatal ARFF vehicle accident in 2011 and the subsequent Coronial Inquest. His leadership during this period was widely commended for its professionalism, transparency, and commitment to reform.
From 2015 – 2016, Peter was engaged by Changi Airport Group, Singapore to develop and implement a competency-based training and assessment program for all 540 ARFF personnel across six airports and airbases. The project was successfully delivered and is still being used today.
Peter and his team have been very busy providing training and consultancy to more than 20 countries worldwide. More than 10,000 firefighters have been trained by Peter and his team since 2015.
As a long-standing Executive Board Director of both the ARFF Working Group (USA) and the International Aviation Fire Protection Association (IAFPA), he is often asked to speak at key international conferences. Peter is a member of the Australian Government Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Technical Working Group and currently developing new Civil Aviation Authority Legislation (Part 176) pertaining to the provision of ARFFS in Australia. He has also recently been elected as a ‘Principal’ for the NFPA Technical Working Committee in the USA where he is a part of a team reviewing and developing Standards for the ARFFS worldwide. Peter is also a member of the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) Validation Committee (USA), and he and the team have just completed writing the new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, 7th Edition Manual, which was released in June 2025.
Peter was also recently elected to the Committee for the Euro CAE Standardisation of European Airport Firefighter Training. In this role, he and his team are actively reviewing and refining EASA standards related to firefighter training across Europe.
On the 3rd of August 2024, Peter was interviewed by producers of the television series Air Crash Investigation, produced by National Geographic in Canada and the USA. Peter features in the episode that was released in June 2025 which can be viewed by clicking on the link here: LINK.
Peter has also established ARFF services, and training colleges in several countries including China, Vietnam, Fiji, Mongolia, and Australia. In 2018, Peter was engaged by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to establish an international ARFFS training facility in Wuhan, incorporating the latest “state-of-the-art” aircraft fire training mock-up and supporting infrastructure. Since the facility was established, Peter and his team have trained more than 5000 airport firefighters in China since 2018 to present day using the qualifications framework and associated training material developed by Peter. ARS is the only international training organisation to be invited to train firefighters in many countries.
Peter also established “Qual-PAC” – a traveling international ARFF training symposium that unites top ARFF experts to deliver intensive courses in host countries. Qual-PAC events invite participants from multiple nations, promoting regional collaboration and knowledge exchange. A hallmark of Qual-PAC is reinvesting event proceeds into the host nation’s fire training infrastructure. For instance, a recent Qual-PAC program enabled its host country to renovate three classrooms and upgrade an aircraft fire simulator with the funds generated.
Peter is the founder of Qual-eFire™ (www.qualefire.com), the most comprehensive online training system available for the ARFFS, made specifically for airport firefighters with more than 80 immersive and interactive eLearning courses (and growing), and an internationally recognised training framework, written by some of the world’s leading ARFF specialists. Courses include the latest in advanced ARFF tactics and operations.
Peter also established an international, on-site ARFF training initiative called “Qual-PAC,” (https://qual-pac.com/) aimed at uniting some of the world’s top ARFF specialists to deliver world-class education programs hosted by a partner nation. These programs extend invitations to participants from neighbouring countries, promoting regional collaboration and the exchange of expertise. A defining feature of Qual-PAC is its commitment to reinvesting the funds generated back into the host nation, supporting enhancements to training infrastructure and operational resources. For instance, a recent Qual-PAC event enabled the host country to renovate three classrooms and upgrade their mock-up aircraft simulator, significantly boosting their training capabilities.
Peter is internationally renowned as a leader in the design, development, and delivery of internationally recognised ARFFS training programs, and his infectious and deep passion for public safety will without question, inspire and empower your teams!