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46 The actions of an airport that requires aid are best viewed in the following time phases: preparedness, pre-disaster, and post-disaster. A checklist for these activities can be found in Appendix H. Incident Preparedness Activities for All Airports The following procedures and considerations apply for all airports, not just those that require aid or those already involved in an airport-to-airport mutual aid program. Awareness of Available Assistance Airports should become aware of the support available through airport-to-airport mutual aid programs, preferably by being active as members or participants of such programs. Senior managers of the airport should reach out to make themselves aware of the program and com- municate top-down support for the concept within their airport. Relationships with Local and State EOCs The airport should build a sound working relationship with the local emergency operations center (EOC) and, through it, the state EOC. Not only will this benefit the airportâs emergency management capabilities in local and regional disasters, it will also acquaint the EOCs with the existence of the airport-to-airport mutual aid program and its potential use and accompanying need for an EMAC/FEMA mission number. Designation of Mutual Aid Coordinator(s) at an Airport The airport general manager, CEO, or aviation director should appoint one or more manag- ers to handle interactions with the airport-to-airport mutual aid program. This has been done by both SEADOG and WESTDOG and has proven to increase efficiency of communications. Documentation of Airport and Access Points Mutual aid will be facilitated if an airport has easy-to-access documentation, preferably elec- tronic, of its as-built structures and systems, as well as maps of normal and emergency access points. Ideally, such documentation will be in packets that can be sent ahead to an incoming aid team or be available to the team on arrival, depending on security restrictions. No practical need C h a p t e r 7 Procedures and Considerations for an Airport Requiring Aid
procedures and Considerations for an airport requiring aid 47 exists for a national database of such information, at least not for airport-to-airport mutual aid program purposes. Catalog of Specific Types of Equipment Used at an Airport An airport should maintain a detailed catalog of the specific types of equipment, replacement parts, and repair parts that are used. This catalog will facilitate the rapid and accurate formula- tion of assistance requests, both for the expertise of people and for emergency loans of equip- ment or parts. Security Access Procedures for Aid Teams An airport should work with its FSD to develop and institutionalize access procedures for mutual aid teams responding to a disaster. There are many different ways in which access can be permitted and controlled, but they all depend on cooperation and agreement between the airport manager or security manager and the FSD. The range of security access procedures dis- covered during the interview portion of this research is provided in Appendix J. Failure to resolve access issues can negate the usefulness of mutual aid teams. Drilling and Exercising Airports should build airport-to-airport mutual aid programs into drills and exercises. This will enhance preparedness and offer a chance for airport managers to become familiar with other airports. Legalities Approval for Participation Receiving aid is not as likely to trigger legal concerns as sending aid; however, an airport should keep its counsel and its ownerâs counsel aware of a potential or developing need to receive mutual aid. This process can be accommodated by the airportâs participation in the airport-to- airport mutual aid program in advance of any need. Authorization or Delegation Letters Although transferring control of an airport away from the airportâs manager is never wise, some airport functions may need or require a formal delegation of authority for certain incom- ing aid team members. This will enable the incoming personnel to make decisions and allocate resources without taking away any accountability from the receiving airportâs managers. The need to delegate authority will typically only occur when incoming aid team members will be needed by the receiving airport to take on managerial or supervisory duties. The extent of the use of such letters of delegation will depend on how dependent the receiving airport will be on manag- ers or decision-makers who are part of an incoming mutual aid program team. For example, if operational tempo is going to increase greatly during response and recovery, mutual aid program personnel may need to work as managers or supervisors. Appendix K presents a sample advance letter of delegation. If a member of an incoming mutual aid team is going to work in a position that requires temporary local authorization, a letter similar to this should be initiated by the airport in need and it should specify the positions, duties, and conditions or restrictions that pertain. An airport should have this letter reviewed by its legal staff and customized as necessary
48 airport-to-airport Mutual aid programs to comply with laws and regulations. Similarly, airports sending teams will want to review any letter of delegation received for one of its people. Reimbursement Contracts Airports should have pre-written reimbursement contracts for cases in which mutual aid expenses are not reimbursable through EMAC/FEMA, a statewide mutual aid compact, or an international treaty. Contracts will normally be one-on-one between pairs of airports. Pre-Disaster Activities The highest priority of an airport facing a disaster of a type that can be forecast (e.g., a hur- ricane) is to prepare itself and assist with tenant and community preparations (e.g., aircraft withdrawals and human evacuations). Such preparations will reduce the amount of mutual aid needed and make the aid that is received more effective. The airport should track the potential disaster, and the following tools can be useful in doing so: ⢠The airportâs own intelligence system(s), ⢠FAA systems, ⢠Local government EOCs, and ⢠Alerts from the airport-to-airport mutual aid program. In addition, the airport should review the contact lists and procedures for requesting mutual aid. The airport might make initial contact with the airport-to-airport mutual aid program coordinator at this time, or the coordinator might contact the airport. Post-Disaster Activities Whom to Contact The airportâs designated coordinator should contact the coordinator or assistant coordinator of the airport-to-airport mutual aid program. A list of coordinators for 2011â2013 can be found in Appendix A. How to Request Aid Aid should be requested by the means and in the format specified by the airport-to-airport mutual aid program; however, a telephone call or e-mail to the program coordinator will always suffice to start the process. Airport-to-airport mutual aid programs exist to help, not to make people jump through bureaucratic hoops during a time of need. Some airport-to-airport mutual aid programs have dedicated websites that include aid request forms. The following are two fundamental aspects to remember: ⢠Ask the right person. ⢠Be as specific as possible in the aid request. Specificity is important because airport-to-airport mutual aid resources come from the oper- ational and maintenance staff of the sending airport. Requests that result in superfluous or unneeded aid should be avoided. Specificity also allows needed aid of the right type to be mobi- lized and delivered at the earliest possible time. An assistance request form based on that used by WESTDOG can be found in Appendix L; the original WESTDOG form appears in Appendix B to this Guidebook.
procedures and Considerations for an airport requiring aid 49 Types of Aid that Can Reasonably Be Requested Equipment, repair parts, and skilled airport workers are types of aid that can reasonably be requested. The exact nature of resources will depend on the nature of a particular airport-to- airport mutual aid program. Only aviation-related aid should be requested through the airport- to-airport mutual aid program; all other types of aid should be sought through other local, state, commercial, or federal agencies. Matching of Needs to Aid Throughout the process, aid requests need to be matched to needs as accurately as possible. This requires as precise a determination of needs for equipment, parts, and people as is possible under the circumstances. Both circumstances and needs will evolve during a disaster and its aftermath. A NIMS/ICS-based emergency response at the airport will track this evolution and can generate and update well-matched aid requests. After-Action Review and Lessons Learned The airport should participate actively in an after-action review and development of lessons learned even if the airport-to-airport mutual aid program takes the lead. The AEP and ASP may benefit from the application of lessons learned during the use of mutual aid in a disaster.
