Aviation Emergency Response Training Explained – SM4 Safety News from…

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are woven into the structure of many aviation companies and serve as the guideline for executing daily operations. Your employees likely know them by heart because they are used consistently and across a broad variety of contexts.

Emergency Response Plans (ERPs), however, are much more infrequently used in most organizations. When an abnormal situation disrupts your operation, is your team versed in their roles? Are they prepared to handle the emergency? Do they know what their responsibilities are?

There is a misconception that having a plan alone is sufficient to guide you through an emergency. Although having a carefully developed plan is a good start, it is not enough. Additional actions required for mastery are described below.

Education

In addition to having a response plan, it is essential to educate your team on what their roles are, and how to accomplish them. Coordination of Emergency Response Planning is covered in 14 CFR Part 5 – Safety Management Systems, 5.27, which states that a plan must include both delegation of emergency authority and assignment of employee responsibilities. Before your organization undertakes a full-scale drill, it is crucial that your team members first know what tasks they are expected to complete, what the goals are, and where decision-making lies.

Education must take place before an active emergency. If an employee’s first exposure to the procedures in the ERP is during an accident, they will not be effective in their role. Additionally, attempting to educate on the ERP during an active drill tends to create confusion and add stress rather than build competence.

Deliberate Practice

Psychologists Gobet and Campitelli highlight that rote repetition is not the same as “deliberate practice.” Rote repetition (simply repeating a task) will not by itself improve performance. Deliberate practice consists of activities purposely designed to improve performance. They involve attention,…