PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - "Cabin Crew of Burning Jet not trained to open doors"
Old 2nd Aug 2004, 23:41
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Skybloke
 
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These recommendations (as always with hindsight) all look fine in themselves but to show how valuable they could be please consider the following:

Safety Recommendations
Safety Recommendation 2004-50

ATC including wind direction in their transmission can only be of significance if the aircraft is actually moving and then only at sufficient speed so that it could change direction to keep the fire downwind of the fuselage. On the runway the wind has already been passed once during the take off clearance. The wind around the ramp areas can be very different than the wind on the runway or the wind through the anemometer on the tower. In the worst case you could actually aggrevate the situation. If the aircraft has already stopped with the possible intention of evacuating then it is pointless.

Safety Recommendation 2004-51

In an evacuation due to fire the pax will probably be evacuating (hopefully) by the time the fire boys arrive. Once the command to evacuate is given every suitable and available door should be used. Issuing instructions along the line of "use starboard side only etc" with that order can cause possible confusion in the cabin, also restrict the number of doors and severely hamper the evacuation. The decision as to which doors to use should be taken by the person looking through the actual door not the captain who probably cannot see the fire and therefore not make that assessment. Once the evacuation is underway a call from the fire service as to not use a particular exit etc will go precisely no-where! The important thing is to start the evacuation quickly and use all suitable doors.

With all this sort of stuff it's important to try and think what it would be like to actually be the capt issuing the command and the cabin crew operating the doors. Also the sheer panic and terror of the pax climbing over each other etc. Tests and previous fire accidents suggest that you don't delay and use whatever exits you can. You do not have long!
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