march2021 - 14

INDUSTRY EXPERT
COLUMN

A Plan for the Unexpected
An effective emergency response plan informs everyone of what to do
when disaster strikes at an FBO.

hen it comes to having an
emergency response plan
(ERP), we generally think
on a larger scale such as the
government, NASA, airlines, manufacturers,
etc. Our thoughts may not necessarily go to
a fixed base operation (FBO).
However, when it comes to an ERP, the
size of the organization does not dictate who
needs one. All organizations need an ERP,
including FBOs.
So, why do you need an ERP? A quote
by Steven Cyros answers that question,
" Remember: when disaster strikes, the time
to prepare has passed. " It is all about knowing ahead of time what to do should a disaster occur. You have a much better chance of
minimizing the effect of a disaster when you
prepare for it ahead of time.
I worked for an FBO at a local airport
many years ago. I performed several tasks
such as marshalling aircraft, towing aircraft
and fueling aircraft. We also provided aircraft maintenance and hangars for aircraft.

Photo courtesy of Baldwin Aviation

By Todd Thomas

14 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE

MARCH 2021

While all these functions come with their
own hazards and risks, probably the greatest potential for a disaster came from our
operation of a fuel farm and the fuel trucks.
As one would imagine, my training at
the FBO included the use of all the proper
safety features of the fuel farm itself, as well
as all the safety features of the fuel truck I
operated. It has been a while, so I do not
remember having access to an ERP - or if
one even existed. This, of course, is not good,
especially if I had a problem and did not
have a resource to consult to tell me what
to do.
This highlights the importance of not
only having an ERP, but ensuring your
frontline personnel have access to it.
If you do not have an ERP in place
already, I urge you to put one in place as
soon as possible. Make it a high priority.
Being prepared to the extent possible to handle emergencies must be an immediate goal.
An ERP should be developed to fit the
size of an organization. It needs to be reasonable and clearly laid out. I have joined
companies with existing ERPs that had
programs too large for their size. There was
simply no way that they could carry out all
the measures they had committed themselves to do due to a lack of infrastructure.
Luckily, we never had an incident that
required us to put it in to action. But, as
we all should know by now, luck will only
take you so far.
So, what goes in to developing a good
emergency response plan for your FBO?
First and foremost, do not reinvent the
wheel. I have found during my time in the
safety field that my fellow safety colleagues
are more than willing to share things they
have developed. Reach out to other FBOs
in your area and speak with the person in
charge of safety. Chances are if they have an
ERP, they will be willing to share information that will help you in the development
of yours.

march2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of march2021