# Presentation: 168180

## AFTER ACTION REPORT

**AIRPORT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS**
**FOR DISASTER RELIEF**

## COMMAND, CONTROL AND COMMUNICATIONS:

- In general, the airport experiencing an emergency is fully occupied with the “here and now” and available resources are fully engaged reacting to events as they occur (crisis management).  The more serious the emergency, the less time and manpower is available to conduct detailed assessments of damage and needs.
- The designated “Emergency Response Airport” or “Airport Consortium” would immediately deploy a “go-team” to assess the needs of the airport as soon as it is relatively safe to do so.
- The composition and size of the go-team would depend on the nature of the emergency, but should as a minimum, consist of “Subject Matter Experts” including :
- Electricians
- System Technicians
- Physical Plant Maintenance Mechanics
- Automotive Mechanics
- Airfield and Grounds (AOA maintenance)
- Security/Operations
- Management Representatives

## On site, the team would coordinate with airport personnel and then assess:

- Condition of the runways and taxiways.
- Operability of AOA and Navigational Lighting.
- AOA obstructions.
- Terminal capabilities.
- Refueling.
- Emergency services and equipment, especially ARFF.
- Security including fencing and access control.
- Communication needs.
- The immediate needs of essential airport tenants such as TSA, FAA etc. (coordinate with FAA to determine status of tower, control, and navigation issues).
- Operations and management support needs.
- Electrical, system, and maintenance requirements.
- The team would make support and priority recommendations to the airport’s management

- COMMAND, CONTROL AND COMMUNICATIONS CONTINUED

## The team should group the affected airport’s needs and requirements into three categories:

- Life-Safety
- Part 139 related and security
- All others
- Concurrently with the go team deployment, the designated “external coordinator” will be identified and they will activate a remote command and control center and begin coordinating requirements with the afflicted airport.
- The “go team” will forward their report to the “coordinator” which will include personnel, equipment and supply needs and requests.
- The “coordinator” will assist in locating the afflicted airport’s needs and requirements, and arranges delivery.
- As other needs are determined, the requests are forwarded to the “coordinator” for procurement.

- COMMAND, CONTROL AND COMMUNICATIONS CONTINUED

## DEPLOYMENT:

- A “reaction team” will be formed based on the requirements and deployed to facilitate delivery of the support and to assist airport management as requested or required.  Assistance could include:
- Personnel, supplies, support and equipment.
- Coordinating with relief and emergency response teams.
- Identification of additional needs and requirements.
- Report situation status (teleconference, coordination with the “external coordinator, etc.).
- The reaction team must be prepared to respond to a dynamic and constantly changing environment.  A rule of thumb is making decisions on the site as if it were your airport.
- The priority in most cases, in addition to immediate life-safety, is to get the airport operational as soon as possible to facilitate evacuation, recovery and other emergency operations.

## In preparation for deployment, the team should assume on site support for them may be extremely limited or even non-existent, especially during the first several days after an emergency.  Expect to be totally self contained and sufficient:

Creature comforts such as cots, sleeping pads, linins, bedding, food, water, etc.
Special personal needs such as medications.
Fuel and maintenance.
Communications.

- Creature comforts such as cots, sleeping pads, linins, bedding, food, water, etc.
- Special personal needs such as medications.
- Fuel and maintenance.
- Communications.

- DEPLOYMENT CONTINUED

## PLANNING:

- Define regions throughout the United States.
- Establish specific airports or airport groups in each region as responders and coordinators.
- Identify every airport within each region capable of providing support:
- Participating airports provide and update deployable equipment lists to their region.
- Identify subject matter experts and provide names to their region
- Establish a communication network to alert and deploy teams and other support.
- Develop a communication structure to communicate will all participating airports and agencies, e.g. teleconferencing.

## OTHER ISSUES AND OBSERVATIONS: 

- The personnel and equipment at the airport when the emergency occurs will probably become the total sum of resources available for several hours or even days.
- Resources soon become strained, especially human resources (fatigue and stress).
- Protect essential equipment and assets.