Comments by Sofema Aviation Services (SAS) www.sassofia.com – Building an Aviation Emergency Response Plan
Introduction
Whilst we all should agree that the Emergency Response Plan (ERP) should remain viable at all times there is a tendency for some Airlines to rely on the “It will not happen to us” school of thought!
The same companies who “under engage” in the ERP often have not “risk assessed” their exposure in the event of a significant event and make no mistake the cost of a “miss-handled” event can be considerable and very damaging to the business.
Having a strong ERP, which is periodically practiced by competent employees will ensure that in the event of a crisis, the company will protect its reputation, customers and people in the best way possible.
Typical Composition of an ERP:
- Policy & Executive Summary
- Command & Control Ops
- Crisis Communications
- Emergency Call Centre Ops
- Humanitarian Assistance Ops
- GO Team Ops
- Destination Airport (Station) ERP
- Crisis Support Unit Ops
- Joint Emergency Response Ops – Contract & Subcontract Partners
- ERP – Exercise Planning
- Training
- Checklists
Consider the following as a “pre requisite” for an effective ERP
- Detailed communication procedures to ensure dissemination of information both internal & external including Press and Social Media
- Able to deal with serious injuries and fatalities
- Capacity to provide detailed management of ERP event records
- To be able to facilitate drug & alcohol test
- Full support for Humanitarian services
The ERP should ensure the following Protections (Note that access to the Site may be determined by different authorities depending on the locality of the accident)
- Aircraft Technical Records
- Passengers Manifest
- All Personal Belongings at the Site
- Human remains
Benefits of a Strong ERP include the following
- The ability to pass any audits and to ensure both regulatory & legal compliance
- Ability to demonstrate due diligence which may be an issue in the event of litigation
- Detailed understanding by all Stakeholders of roles and responsibilities
- Ability to provide protection for the Organisation “brand” concurrent with the delivery of effective safety and security
Auditing the Emergency Response Plan
- Your QA Department can audit your ERP for compliance, however, your Safety Department should audit the ERP for “Performance”
- Conduct & Audit EACH Year the ERP Exercise Training Drill
- Conduct a Gap Analysis
- Reviewing the ERP against Industry Standards and Known Best Practices
- Evidence of successfully delivered mitigations following previous ERP Exercise Training Drill
To access additional support documents please visit SAS download area – https://sassofia.com/download-area/#airline-ops-emergency-response-program
Next Steps
Sofema Aviation Services provides specific support related to ERP Training, Testing & Preparation of Process & Procedures – please see www.sassofia.com or email team@sassofia.com
Tags:
Airlines, aviation, Aviation Emergency Response Plan, ERP, ERP Procedures, ERP Training, legal compliance, Quality Audit, Risk Assessment, Safety Audit, SAS training
