Experience of Emergencies
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On stand evacuation
Hansard,
many thanks for your contribution. Part of what i want to explore is that maybe we haven't really established a full set of contingencies and, therefore an adequate set of training requirements.
From and ERP perspective, we train AFRS personnel but, as in your example, we haven't thought about other agencies that will be in the vicinity.
Rgds,
TC
many thanks for your contribution. Part of what i want to explore is that maybe we haven't really established a full set of contingencies and, therefore an adequate set of training requirements.
From and ERP perspective, we train AFRS personnel but, as in your example, we haven't thought about other agencies that will be in the vicinity.
Rgds,
TC
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TC
In the on stand evacuation example I quoted, a further complicating factor was that we had no cabin crew, the pilots fulfilled that function. In my opinion, the incident also served to highlight deficiencies in flight crew training in these circumstances. We were lucky that we could evacuate via the pax door but if the opposite engine had been involved, we would have been using the emergency exits (windows).
It's interesting to observe how the military do it. They seem to regard departure from/arrival on stand as a critical phase of flight and it's obvious that the ground crew have a safety role in addition to marshalling, receiving/escorting non-military personnel, etc.
In the on stand evacuation example I quoted, a further complicating factor was that we had no cabin crew, the pilots fulfilled that function. In my opinion, the incident also served to highlight deficiencies in flight crew training in these circumstances. We were lucky that we could evacuate via the pax door but if the opposite engine had been involved, we would have been using the emergency exits (windows).
It's interesting to observe how the military do it. They seem to regard departure from/arrival on stand as a critical phase of flight and it's obvious that the ground crew have a safety role in addition to marshalling, receiving/escorting non-military personnel, etc.
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I work in the oil and gas industry, and was in an emergency evacuation down the aircraft slides. Knowing what 200 te of kerosene could do, I ran until I dropped, as did several others. When we got our breath back, and started to chat, it turned out we were ALL from the oil and gas industry: some drillers from Shell, a few engineers from BP, and a mate and I. Incidentally, I realised afterwards (as we have been taught) we had run upwind.
All the others (including the CC) were milling around the bottom of the slides, some taking pictures on their mobiles of granny coming down and others on the phone to mum.
The evacuation was flawless, but once it was complete the crew did nothing to encourage the passengers to move away from the plane. I suggest they should have done. Just because there isn't a fireball doesn't mean there won't be one.
All the others (including the CC) were milling around the bottom of the slides, some taking pictures on their mobiles of granny coming down and others on the phone to mum.
The evacuation was flawless, but once it was complete the crew did nothing to encourage the passengers to move away from the plane. I suggest they should have done. Just because there isn't a fireball doesn't mean there won't be one.
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I find Hanson's point in regard to critical phases of flight in the military very pertinent.
I was cabin crew for a national carrier and had a very 'near squeak' operating a 747 service around 5 years ago. We were around 10 minutes into boarding when a very curt call from the flight deck requested that boarding stop immediately. A second call for the F/O to report to the flight deck followed a few seconds later. The third and final 'alert call' ( the formal declaration of an emergency) came about a minute later.
I was at door 1R, opposite the boarding door and was well aware that this was either a bomb, fire, or serious fume event and that the likelihood would be a controlled evacuation using the airbridge, (although if the situation escalated a full evacuation was on the cards.)
While waiting for the next command I checked for outside hazzards and saw a number of baggage trucks and ground crew wandering around directly in line with where my slide would deploy.
The space needed for the slide was very difficult to judge and I knew that if I miscalculated I could risk injuring/killing people. If, as in the military, ground crews were aware that this was a critical phase then baggage trucks and personnel would have been kept clear of the slide paths.
As it transpired we didn't evacuate. A baggage truck had caught fire on the left side of the A/C but the fire services had dealt quickly with it.
As far as my training went I think it fully prepared me for the day. Apart from the initital 'oh bugger - hope my number not up' my mind snapped straight into procedure. I was quite alarmed with some of the comments here regarding crew ambling around the bottom of slides once an evacuation is completed. I can assure you that I and my adrenal gland was very well aware of what 700 hundred tons of jet A1 can do!
I think it might be more to do with the calibre of cabin crew than training alone. However with the move towards bargain basement wages I believe that those who do have the aptitude are far more likely to move towards the better paid, and more respected fields, of police/paramedic/military etc.
I was cabin crew for a national carrier and had a very 'near squeak' operating a 747 service around 5 years ago. We were around 10 minutes into boarding when a very curt call from the flight deck requested that boarding stop immediately. A second call for the F/O to report to the flight deck followed a few seconds later. The third and final 'alert call' ( the formal declaration of an emergency) came about a minute later.
I was at door 1R, opposite the boarding door and was well aware that this was either a bomb, fire, or serious fume event and that the likelihood would be a controlled evacuation using the airbridge, (although if the situation escalated a full evacuation was on the cards.)
While waiting for the next command I checked for outside hazzards and saw a number of baggage trucks and ground crew wandering around directly in line with where my slide would deploy.
The space needed for the slide was very difficult to judge and I knew that if I miscalculated I could risk injuring/killing people. If, as in the military, ground crews were aware that this was a critical phase then baggage trucks and personnel would have been kept clear of the slide paths.
As it transpired we didn't evacuate. A baggage truck had caught fire on the left side of the A/C but the fire services had dealt quickly with it.
As far as my training went I think it fully prepared me for the day. Apart from the initital 'oh bugger - hope my number not up' my mind snapped straight into procedure. I was quite alarmed with some of the comments here regarding crew ambling around the bottom of slides once an evacuation is completed. I can assure you that I and my adrenal gland was very well aware of what 700 hundred tons of jet A1 can do!
I think it might be more to do with the calibre of cabin crew than training alone. However with the move towards bargain basement wages I believe that those who do have the aptitude are far more likely to move towards the better paid, and more respected fields, of police/paramedic/military etc.
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Have a quick read of the following articles;
TWA Flight 843 (long standing experienced crew)
Ryanair cabin crew struggles to open doors on burning plane - Times Online (new inadequately trained crew)
The first article have a read about, it contains detailed descriptions of how the passengers reacted and how the crew had to deal with some challenging situations both inside and outside the cabin.
Personally i don't think there is enough training on the actual evacuation process its self.
Yes we all know the processes of an evacuation, but there is very little time spent on using real life examples such as the above, which show in great detail the challenges that actually happen.
Manuals are literally black and white, crew are left fairly much to their own devices to colour the rest in should they need it.
TWA Flight 843 (long standing experienced crew)
Ryanair cabin crew struggles to open doors on burning plane - Times Online (new inadequately trained crew)
The first article have a read about, it contains detailed descriptions of how the passengers reacted and how the crew had to deal with some challenging situations both inside and outside the cabin.
Personally i don't think there is enough training on the actual evacuation process its self.
Yes we all know the processes of an evacuation, but there is very little time spent on using real life examples such as the above, which show in great detail the challenges that actually happen.
Manuals are literally black and white, crew are left fairly much to their own devices to colour the rest in should they need it.
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As jet set lady said my door was still in manual because we'd only just had the alert call.
Looking at the botched ryanair evac it does seem that their training falls very far short. Not being aware that a door may be far heavier in an evac should be adressed in SEP day 1! Its interesting to note that ryanair pilot sops's don't ask them to add on further information (if they have it) when ordering an evac ie: fire/smoke on left hand side etc - which they would with us. This may have made some difference to this incident although with inexperienced, badly trained crew perhaps not.
I also think in some airlines there is a real rigidity to training and the crew are not encouraged to make decisions themselves. In my incident the sops stated that I should be at my alert station awaiting the NITS or Evac command, but I was also taking the time to clear the area and check outside which, although sensible, was not written down in black and white.
I've heard that some crew have to memorise the emergency announcement (I'd like to see ayone try to recite that from memory in a smoking cabin with 150 screaming pax) and CM's/CSD's etc not being encouraged to to make notes on nits briefings.
It was always underlined to us that an incident would never play out as it did in training and to make use of anything to help. But then all this was underpinned by lots of sim work, videos/discussions about past incidents etc.
I feel that with the way the market is going airlines will increasingly do the very minimum training to make an operation legal. This allied with a high turnover of crew, less able candidates etc etc will just make the situation worse.
Looking at the botched ryanair evac it does seem that their training falls very far short. Not being aware that a door may be far heavier in an evac should be adressed in SEP day 1! Its interesting to note that ryanair pilot sops's don't ask them to add on further information (if they have it) when ordering an evac ie: fire/smoke on left hand side etc - which they would with us. This may have made some difference to this incident although with inexperienced, badly trained crew perhaps not.
I also think in some airlines there is a real rigidity to training and the crew are not encouraged to make decisions themselves. In my incident the sops stated that I should be at my alert station awaiting the NITS or Evac command, but I was also taking the time to clear the area and check outside which, although sensible, was not written down in black and white.
I've heard that some crew have to memorise the emergency announcement (I'd like to see ayone try to recite that from memory in a smoking cabin with 150 screaming pax) and CM's/CSD's etc not being encouraged to to make notes on nits briefings.
It was always underlined to us that an incident would never play out as it did in training and to make use of anything to help. But then all this was underpinned by lots of sim work, videos/discussions about past incidents etc.
I feel that with the way the market is going airlines will increasingly do the very minimum training to make an operation legal. This allied with a high turnover of crew, less able candidates etc etc will just make the situation worse.
