Drill Conducted At Annual Conference In San Diego

Safety and preparedness was front and center Thursday at the National Business Aviation Association's (NBAA's) Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2015), when attendees took part in a first-ever live emergency response preparedness drill featuring a scenario involving an aircraft crash.

Ten volunteers role-played on stage at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center for 90 minutes to ensure that flight operations personnel, including schedulers and dispatchers, can have "a realistic experience of what to expect in the event of a worst-case situation," said Jo Damato, NBAA's director of educational development and strategy.
 
The goal is to further advance the understanding among these front-line business aviation flight operations professionals about the importance of their "command center" responsibilities in an emergency, and the value of taking part in advanced simulations and training in best practices.
 
Break-out sessions followed the live-action drill will explore issues covered in the exercise, including tools and strategies to aid in the identification and response to an aircraft accident, how schedulers and dispatchers can ensure they are prepared and a family assistance workshop.
 
During the emergency response drill, members of NBAA's Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee played the parts of veterans and rookies, with representatives from the FAA and U.S. Air Force also playing roles in air traffic control  and other positions.
 
Don Chupp, president of Fireside Partners LLC, guided audience members through the simulated event, pausing at key points in the action to evaluate decisions being made on stage, and how flight department personnel interact with company leadership, the news media and family members.
 
"Our goal with this dramatic live drill is to underscore that everyone in aviation has an important role to play in emergency preparedness and response, and to ensure that training and discussion opportunities like the one we're providing are a regular part of our professional development resources," said Damato.

FMI: www.nbaa.org/events/sdc/2015/