JAA TO presents at the Seminar in Cyprus: “Crisis Management Plans in Aviation”

JAA TO, 17 October 2018, The Netherlands

The JAA Training Organisation (JAA TO) presented at the regional seminar "Crisis Management Plans in Aviation", which took place in Cyprus, last Friday, 12 October 2018. The event was organised by the Flight Safety Foundation- Mediterranean (FSF-MED) and HERMES AIRPORTS with the objective of highlighting the importance of having detailed Emergency and Contingency Response Plans in Aviation.

With more than 120 participants from several organisations in the fields of Aviation and Tourism, the seminar addressed possible emergency scenarios, such as natural disasters, which can potentially have a negative impact on Aviation and on other related activities, including tourism.

JAA TO was invited to the seminar and contributed with the presentation “Training on designing and testing emergency and contingency response plans”. JAA TO’s Business Developer & Strategist, Eric Schoonderwoerd, had the privilege to present on behalf of JAA TO.

 

JAA TO’s Business Developer & Strategist, Eric Schoonderwoerd

“Emergency Response Planning, frequently abbreviated as ERP, is a framework to initiate and guide actions in an emergency scenario. It provides the basis for a systematic approach to managing the organisations’ affairs during and in the aftermath of a significant unplanned event – in the worst case, a major accident”, explained Schoonderwoerd.

An ERP outlines in writing what should be done after an accident and who is responsible for each of these actions. The objective is to reduce the effects of an emergency wherever possible. The ERP should be integrated into the Safety Management System (SMS) and reflect the size, nature and complexity of the activities performed by the organisation.

An immediate and correct response after an emergency is critical. “Failure to do so can lead to confusion, panic, loss of lives, financial or business losses, property damage and long-term consequences”, continues Schoonderwoerd.

In a major event, different agencies are involved in an Emergency Management Process. The participants agreed that the procedures for coordinating responses of the different agencies should be carefully planned. Managing an emergency will require flexibility, innovation and the ability to make rapid decisions.  

“An Effective Emergency and Contingency Plan requires advanced preparation in accordance with certain fundamentals: clarity of role-players, initial communication of the situation, updates on the changes, and communication of resolution of the operations”, concluded the Seminar Chairman, Christos Petrou, Executive Director FSF-MED.

“For this reason, high-quality training and system refinement is required to ensure readiness of response, when crisis occurs”, reminded Schoonderwoerd. “Good training on how to develop and use an ERP should include the design and application of a management structure, determining roles and responsibilities, analyzing resources, testing the plan, and training the staff” he highlights.   

JAA TO has a 2-day workshop on Emergency Response Planning, which introduces delegates to the scope of crisis management planning, review specific requirements of agency response planning, risk mitigation, and further. Learn more at https://jaato.com/courses/59/