Emergency Management

Emergency Management

2004

Emergency Management

Flying by airplane has become very popular in Australia during the last decades , and the number of people using aircrafts for traveling purposes is increasing rapidly nowadays when people get more and more interested in seeing unique parts of the world . The frequency of flights is increasing in to meet the increasing demand for airplane trips and therefore many problems raise for servicing such a large number of flights . It has been known for the last years that airplanes are the safest transport to travel

by (in comparison with cars or buses for example ) but the threat of accidents still remains quite high . In to make sure airplane accidents occur as rare as possible and even if they do , most of the passengers survive , the efficient system of emergency planning in Australian airports is being developed . The well-developed Airport Emergency Plan is crucial for the passengers safety nowadays . The Airport Emergency Planning in Australia ' issued by the National Airport Emergency Planning Committee has been subject to many changes since 1993 when it was first adopted . The amendments are being included to the document on the regular basis in to provide maximum safety at Australian efforts . In to achieve maximum efficiency of the plan , joint efforts of Emergency Management Australia Airservices Australia , The Civil Aviation Safety Authority , Australian Defense Force , State Emergency Organizations , Australian Airports Association , Department of Transport Regional Services , Australian Transport Safety Bureau , International , Domestic and Regional Airlines and a range of airport owners and operators are being united together For example , The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB ) is Australia 's prime agency for the independent investigation of civil aviation accidents , incidents and safety deficiencies . The TSI Act contains a scheme for the mandatory reporting of occurrences that are classified as Immediately Reportable Matters (accidents serious incidents ) and Routine Reportable Matters (incidents . In addition to investigating accidents and incidents , the ATSB investigates safety deficiencies based on occurrence trends that could lead to a future accident . The ATSB also participates as an accredited representative on investigations of accidents and serious incidents involving Australian-registered aircraft overseas . The ATSB makes a significant contribution to the safety of the Australian aviation industry through investigation , analysis , open reporting and education on civil aviation safety matters free of any conflict of interest and without 'fear or favour ( HYPERLINK "http /www .atsb .gov .au " www .atsb .gov .au

It 's widely known that the results of emergencies at the airports can be destruction of ownership , death of people or their injuries . In to overcome various kinds of threats at the airport , the process of planning is necessary . There are many emergency services available at airports which include police , fire department and others . However , in to maintain their joint efforts , it 's necessary to have a well-balanced airport emergency plan . Experience shows that the most important part of emergency planning is the process of planning itself because it features all of the responsibilities of everybody taking part in the process . In to obtain a well-developed Airport Emergency Plan (AEP , it 's necessary for the Airport Emergency Committee to concentrate on the following essentials : a standard plan contents list and format (the framework ) and the standard terminology related principally to plan activation and facility names ( Airport Emergency Planning in Australia ,

.1 ) The standard features depicted in the document are necessary for many important reasons : first of all , they have to give Airport Emergency Committees all the necessary information about the planned emergency activities in the best readable form second , they have to be easy to access for such employees of the airport as pilots , airline managers and other people working at the airport who would like to learn about the main features of the plan . The most important features which have to be taken into consideration in the AEP include : deep consideration of all the responsibilities which employees of different positions bear emphasizing emergency activities providing emergency communication measures preparing a detailed written plan of activities . It 's very important in preparing an AEP to focus not only on the tasks which have to be set before the employees but also on the ways in which they have to be implemented . The emphasize on the practical side of airport emergency planning is a very important part of the process

The process of emergency planning at the airport has to include the following steps

Determining the authority to plan

Establishing the planning committee

Determining the plan context

Defining the problem

Setting planning objectives

Designing and applying a management structure

Determining roles and responsibilities

Analyzing resources (needed , available and shortfall or surplus

Developing emergency management arrangements and systems

Documenting the plan (commencing of the plan process with final agreed documents

Testing the plan

Reviewing the plan ( Airport Emergency Planning in Australia ,

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Nowadays , people involved in airport emergency planning have to cope with very hard assignments . Since the size of the aircraft becomes larger , it becomes more difficult to plan to prevent emergencies in such a new environment . It 's easier to cope with that problem for large airports . It 's very important for the people engaged in the emergency planning to adjust their plans according to the differences of local regional and state levels . All the actions taken for different levels have to be well-balanced according to the needs . For example , for airports serviced by jet aircraft it is recommended that provision of an Emergency Coordination Center (ECC ) be pre-planned . At many regional airports the same room used us the security ECC can be used as facility requirements are very similar . At the major capital city airports police or military requirements may differ and establishment of the ECC at police or military headquarters may be preferable . Consideration of an alternative ECC location should also be given as the nominated primary ECC may be unavailable owing to such things as evacuation of the building containing the ECC due to fire or threat of loss of communication facilities (Airport Emergency Planning in Australia br

.5

When creating an AEP , it 's necessary to pay lots of attention to all the emergency facilities which are available at the airport and check their status 'According to the CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 139 .772 Buildings and emergency facilities , an ARFFS provider for an aerodrome must ensure that the necessary buildings and facilities for the service , including the following , are at the aerodrome : a fire station communications facilities facilities for the maintenance of vehicles and equipment training facilities storage facilities if there is a body of water within 1 000 meters of a runway threshold- a boat ramp and boat launching facilities ' It 's very important for the ARFFS provider to provide that must ensure that those buildings and amenities fulfill any appropriate instructions . He also has to provide the water supply in case of fire appearance and emergency roads on the aerodrome which are mentioned in the Manual of Standards . The ARFFS provider also needs to ensure that there is a required place settled for the emergency vehicle , and it can be used at any time . All the employees in the emergency team must be appointed at different places where they will be able to provide maximum performance in case of emergency

In the AEP it 's necessary to maintain the work of firefighters because their functions are crucial in many emergency situations . The people employed as firefighters must meet the medical standard for firefighters set out in the Manual of Standards . There must be a system of continuing medical checks for the people employed as firefighters that ensures that the ARFFS provider knows whether or not those people continue to meet that standard (CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 139 .840 Medical standard of firefighters . The people employed as firefighters must already be trained to at least AFC Certificate 2 standard , or , if for a particular position the Manual of Standards specifies a higher standard , that higher standard . The people employed as firefighters must receive appropriate training to familiarize them with local conditions If a significant proportion of aircraft movements at the aerodrome take place over water , swamp or another difficult environment , the firefighters must be appropriately trained to carry out their functions in that environment ' CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 139 .845 Qualifications and training of firefighters

Training is necessary not only for firefighters but many other employees engaged in the emergency panning process . Stakeholders of the airport also need to have some basic knowledge about what kinds of emergencies can arise and how they are going to damage their property . The training for employees is important for other reasons . The specification of relevant training have to be mentioned in the AEP very carefully because in many emergency situations skills obtained by employees during training play a major role is rescuing people 's life . Therefore emergency training process has to be planned very carefully . An ATS training provider must have , and put into effect , a training plan for the training relating to air traffic services covered by its approval that is in accordance with the standards and requirements set out in the Manual of Standards ' - Part 65 . CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 143 .060 Training plan . If an ATS training provider , for any reason at any time after its approval as an ATS training provider , loses its status as a Registered Training Organization , it must , within 7 days , tell CASA in writing accordingly ' CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 143 .105 Status as a Registered Training Organization

One more important part of the emergency planning in the airport is technical check of facilities available . Oftentimes , hazards result from undetected technical problems , therefore close monitoring of all the technical issues has to be done frequently . It 's impossible to predict what accidents can happen due to forces of nature but it 's possible for the emergency planners to predict accidents caused by technical problems in aircrafts . The inspection must include the following : an instrument survey of the approach , take-off and transitional surfaces an inspection and testing of the aerodrome lighting and electrical reticulation systems , including the visual approach slope indicator an electrical testing of any earthing points at the aerodrome an inspection and assessment of the movement area pavements and drainage an inspection of signs on the movement area an inspection of facilities at the aerodrome used for certain purposes (aerodrome emergencies the handling of hazardous materials bird and animal hazard management stand-by and emergency aerodrome lighting an inspection of airside vehicle control arrangements a check of the currency and accuracy of aerodrome information published in AIP and aerodrome operating procedures specified in the aerodrome manual for the aerodrome (CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 139 .230 Aerodrome technical inspections

Careful airport emergency planning requires policy meetings in to fix the dates when certain activities have to take place and what actions have to be taken . The discussions at the policy meetings mostly focus on the following issues

Type nature and scope of exercise

Aim and objectives

Duration

Policy directives

Organizations involved

Key appointments

Budget considerations

Location

Timings

Coordination

Logistics

Industrial implications

Planning meetings

Method of evaluation

Exercise planning committee nominations

Occupational health and safety ( Airport Emergency Planning in Australia ,

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In to give an example of careful airport emergency planning , it 's necessary to investigate Sydney Airport Activities . For example , as the media release states , on 12 May , 2004 Sydney Airport was testing its emergency plans . In this event a very large number of employees of all levels took part- they numbered around 300 . The activity was a simulation called Exercise Ibis IV in which all the main parts of the AEP were exercised in to check whether the plan was well-done . As Sydney Airport Chairman CEP Max Moore-Wilton stated , The exercise was designed to practice a full emergency and crash on the airport under simulated conditions and gave all the relevant agencies hands-on experience of a large-scale incident

Airport emergency planning is a very important part of airport activity nowadays . Very close attention has to be devoted to the plans because when the accident occurs , only joint efforts of the airport 's emergency services can rescue people . It 's important to provide all the necessary training for employees engaged in the airport emergency system so that they have the highest skills in their particular field . It 's necessary to weight all the activities marked in the airport emergency plan very carefully and check them during simulated conditions in to ensure the plan is very efficient

Bibliography

Airport Emergency Planning in Australia ' issued by the National Airport Emergency Planning Committee . June 2001 , Issue 4

CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 139 .772 Buildings and emergency facilities

CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 139 .835 Number of operating personnel

CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 139 .230 Aerodrome technical inspections

CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 143 .105 Status as a Registered Training Organization

Part 65 . CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 143 .060 Training plan

CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 139 .845 Qualifications and training of firefighters

CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS 1998 - REG 139 .840 Medical standard of firefighters

HYPERLINK "http /www .dotars .gov .au /airspacereform /index .htm www .dotars .gov .au /airspacereform /index .htm

HYPERLINK "http /www .atsb .gov .au " www .atsb .gov .au

HYPERLINK "http /www .ema .gov .au " www .ema .gov .au

HYPERLINK "http /www .casa .gov .au " www .casa .gov .au

HYPERLINK "http /www .sydneyairportmedia .com /upload /Exercise_Ibis_IV-Media_Release br http /www .sydneyairportmedia .com /upload /Exercise_Ibis_IV-Media_Release

HYPERLINK "http /www .airservices .gov .au /library /fac .pdf http /www .airservices .gov .au /library /fac .pdf ...