HAI has announced that
beginning at HELI-EXPO 2006, it will offer a comprehensive crisis
management program to its member companies as a part of the
association’s popular Professional Education Series. The HAI
Board of Directors also has given its approval for the program to
be presented regionally as well.
“This is an exciting new development in the HAI
Professional Education Series,” said HAI President Matt
Zuccaro. “While fatal accidents are rare in the helicopter
industry, when a catastrophic accident occurs it’s all hands
on deck; everybody in the company needs to spring into action. It
may not be the most pleasant topic for operators, but understanding
how to deal with a crisis of this magnitude is as important as
having adequate insurance coverage. It is an essential part of
business contingency planning,” Zuccaro continued.
HAI’s new crisis management program was developed by The
Communications Workshop, LLC of North Laurel, Maryland. The
program, titled Coping With Crisis 101 – Managing an Aviation
Disaster, took more than three years to design and is taught by
longtime aviation professional Steve Bassett who is president and
CEO of The Communications Workshop, LLC.
Steve is an
instrument-rated pilot with more than 30 years of aviation and
communications experience. He holds National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) training certificates in areas including
transportation disaster response and assistance, accident
investigations, on-scene family assistance operations, forensic
operations, and personal effects recovery.
Coping With Crisis 101 – Managing An Aviation Disaster
covers the significant areas of aviation crisis management, from
developing an effective crisis management plan, to disaster
response, to handling the news media in crisis situations. It
focuses on four main areas – prevention, preparation,
response and recovery – and covers topics including
contingency planning, crisis response and containment, corporate
recovery planning, federal regulations, working with the FAA and
NTSB, disaster family assistance, crisis public relations,
political fallout, managing the news media, and much more. Coping
With Crisis 101 – Managing an Aviation Disaster is a full-day
of very intensive training. At the end of the day operators will
know how to handle a crisis and will have the framework of a crisis
management plan of their own in place.
HAI offers a number of educational courses designed specifically
for helicopter professionals. These courses are conducted by
seasoned educators with substantial credentials in the industry.
The association’s educational programs cover safety,
maintenance, management, flight instruction, regulatory compliance,
and crisis management. The programs are offered as a part of
HAI’s continuing education series the week prior to the HAI
annual convention, HELI-EXPO.
HAI is currently evaluating the best locations and times for the
regional training seminars and will make an announcement regarding
the first regional seminar in the near future.