Emergency management

The highlight of the forum was keynote speaker Greg Hood, Chief Commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), who shared his thoughts on his first year in the role. Greg gave a fascinating insight into some of his first-hand experiences in dealing with recent tragic aviation accidents including Essendon Airport, as well as providing an overview of the challenges of dealing with high-profile investigations. Greg also noted the benefits of being directly involved in Brisbane Airport’s recent emergency planning exercise and how this exercise shaped future emergency management planning, processes and procedures.

It is critical as an industry that stakeholders increase their involvement in training exercises to develop and discover the best way to work effectively together in an emergency situation.

The opportunity to share and discuss past experience was an invaluable way for industry professionals to consider different methods to improve emergency management planning. The planning for extreme weather events is particularly important for airports and airlines in areas around Australia that are prone to cyclones and flooding.

There are a number of organisations involved in an emergency from emergency services to airports and airlines, through to government agencies, investigation bodies and the media. Effective emergency management planning processes involve the upskilling and training of staff on their particular role in an emergency. The documentation of each person’s actions and observations is vital and is used in the post event review of what worked and what learnings can be incorporated for the future.

Media management is an important aspect of emergency management, ensuring the media have appropriate access and the correct information as the media can be key to keeping the community informed. If the media is not closely monitored they could access restricted areas or compromise an investigation. The correct preservation of evidence is critical to assist emergency services and investigation bodies (such as the ATSB) in order to carry out a proper investigation.

Representatives of both Qantas and Virgin Australia shared some valuable insight into the evolving nature of the airline approach to emergency management and the importance of collaboration with airports. An existing collaborative project between Brisbane Airport and its stakeholders is its Care Team. This initiative involves the upskilling of existing staff to provide valuable assistance in prolonged emergency situations. This resource can be utilised by airlines, in addition to their own resources, to manage emergency situations and improve the support provided to family and friends through reception centres.

Emergency management plans need to be flexible so they can apply to a variety of situations including aeroplane crashes, lighting or pavement issues, passenger behaviour issues, and unfortunately terrorism related events. Emergency Management Forums offer the aviation industry an excellent opportunity for stakeholders to meet and collaborate on an issue that is critical to aviation safety and operations.

“Emergency management plans need to be flexible.”

The forum provides valuable learnings into past emergency management events and a chance to get involved in any future exercises that are being carried out by other airports. It is essential to strive for continuous improvement and best practice in emergency management planning for the aviation industry, as well as building a collaborative environment to achieve effective solutions for emergency management.