The Air Line Pilots Association will hold its first-ever Cargo Aircraft and Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (AARF) Symposium Nov. 13-14, 2007 in Herndon, Virginia. The forum will explore numerous topics, including differences in passenger and cargo aircraft configurations, the need for a cargo aircraft firefighting plan and a pilot’s perspective on all-cargo aircraft. National Transportation Safety Board Member Deborah Hersman will offer her perspectives on all-cargo aircraft safety issues. In a recent address to the Cargo Airline Association, NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said while the cargo industry can take pride in having suffered only three fatal crashes in the last 10 years, there are improvements that must be made including a reduction in cargo fires. Cargo aircraft are required only to have a fire detection system, not a fire suppression system, for in-flight cargo fire protection. The NTSB recommended in 1998 that the Federal Aviation Administration explore the possibility of requiring such systems. "The Safety Board continues to encourage the FAA to evaluate currently available systems and promote new technology to reduce weight, increase reliability and create a system whose cost will encourage operators to install them," Rosenker said.