Safety 1 Jan18.qxp_Finance 21/02/2018 09:13 Page 1
OPERATING T SAFETY
How to Prepare an Emergency Response Plan What does it take to ensure a thorough Emergency Response Plan (ERP) is in place within your Flight Department? Mario Pierobon offers advice…
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lthough the overall aim of safety management is to avoid emergency situations from occurring, Flight Departments are expected to perform at their very best even when such circumstances do occur. Thus, corporate Flight Departments have an obligation to arrange Emergency Response Plans (ERP) as part of their Safety Management System (SMS). Planning is about anticipating the possible scenarios and developing operating procedures that can be easily and clearly followed under those scenarios. The aim is to minimize the opportunity for additional damage and seamlessly return the department to normal operations. Emergency management complements what pilots already do as they learn to handle abnormal and emergency procedures. While the immediate aspects of an emergency are managed by the line operatives closest to the event (by means of emergency operating procedures), the wider organizational aspects are covered by the Emergency Response Plan.
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AVBUYER MAGAZINE – March 2018
These may include items such as: Ensuring operational continuity Recovering employees from ‘places of distress’ Offering accommodation or care to any injured party (or their relatives) • Helping employees handle the emotions stemming from an emergency, and • Dealing with the media • • •
ERP Best Practices
When developing an ERP there are a few bestpractices that corporate Flight Departments should consider and embed in the plans themselves. The first is to plan well in advance. The ERP is a living document; it is not to be authored and filed away until needed. It should be periodically updated, based on any applicable learning experience stemming from the line environment. The ERP should feature all foreseeable scenarios that may need to be handled during an emergency situation, ideally in sequential fashion. It should
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Aircraft Index see Page 145