scope:

The purpose of the emergency plan document is to set out in manual form the responsibilities and required actions/roles of the various personnel/agencies involved in dealing with emergencies affecting the airport.

"During the emergency" considerations depend on the exact nature and/or location of the accident. The location will dictate the agency responsible for management of the emergency. As the nature of the accident changes from emergency operations to the investigation phase, the appropriate accident investigation authority will assume command and responsibility for the accident scene. All agencies responding to the accident must know, in advance, their respective roles, responsi- bilities, and to whom they report and who reports to them.

"After the emergency'' considerations also must be given considerable attention. Transition of authority and other legal factors need to be discussed and preplanned. Consideration needs to be given to the restoration of protective services in order to permit continuation of normal airport/aircraft operations and to public protection that may have been disrupted by the emergency.

The recommendations contained in this document are based on the requirement that survival of aircraft occupants and other related accident victims is the primary operational objective. Effective operations require a great deal of preplanning and regular exercises that provide opportunity for realistic training of personnel from all agencies which will be involved in the emergency.

It is crucial that planning details by the response agencies consider local weather conditions and night operations. For example, low temperatures may freeze medical solutions or tubing during protracted extrication operations. Severe weather conditions may also negatively affect fire fighting foam solution.

Precautions must be taken, where necessary, to mitigate weather-induced physical problems such as hypothermia and dehydration. Such considerations apply to emergency personnel as well as to victims of the accident.

The scope of the emergency plan document should include command, communication and co- ordination functions for executing the plan.

An outline of an airport emergency plan is contained in Appendix 2.