Establishing a Coordinated Local Family Assistance Program for Airports (2017)

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119 A p p e n d i x 2 Accident: Accident is a legal and regulatory term with specific requirements for reporting and investigation: “Any occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft that takes place between the time a person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and the time such person has disembarked, in which a person suffers death or serious injury as a result of the occurrence or in which the aircraft, including cargo aircraft, receives substantial damage” (49 CFR Part 830). Although it has a legal definition, accident is frequently used interchangeably with crash by airport operators, air carriers, and other responding organizations. Air Carrier: For purposes of this guidebook, air carrier refers to U.S. air carriers that have been issued certificates of public convenience and necessity, and foreign air carriers hold- ing a U.S. DOT economic certificate to provide foreign air transportation. See Legislated Air Carrier. Aircraft Operator: For purposes of this guidebook, any organization providing air transpor- tation but not holding a certificate of public convenience and necessity or a U.S. DOT economic certificate. This may include operators of business jets, charter flight operators, flight school operators, flight-seeing operators, helicopter operators, and operators of private aircraft. Airline: A company providing commercial passenger air service. Used interchangeably with air carrier. Alliance: An agreement between multiple air carriers to cooperate on a substantial level on scheduling, loyalty programs, and other operational and marketing concerns to create a global air service network. There are three main air carrier alliances: oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alli- ance. As with codeshare partners, air carriers may arrange for an alliance partner to respond to an aviation disaster on their behalf, particularly if the operating carrier has limited presence in cities where families are gathered or the aviation disaster occurs. American Red Cross: A nongovernmental, nonprofit humanitarian organization designated to fulfill specific family assistance responsibilities in legislated aviation disasters. The ARC can also support non-legislated aviation disasters with disaster response services such as mass care, disaster mental health care, and spiritual care. Assurances: Commitments by legislated air carriers that they will fulfill the minimum legal requirements for aviation disaster family assistance. Family assistance legislation requires that air carrier plans include assurances that the air carrier will fulfill 18 specific family assistance responsibilities. Aviation Disaster: An aircraft event involving serious injury of loss of life or where there is presumed injury or loss of life (i.e., a missing aircraft believed to have crashed) and is sufficiently serious to activate a family assistance response. Key Terms and Definitions

120 establishing a Coordinated Local Family Assistance program for Airports Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996: Family assistance law applying to a U.S. air carrier holding a certificate of public convenience and necessity, when aviation disasters occur in U.S. territory and involve major loss of life. CARE Team: See Special Assistance Team. Certificated Air Carrier: A United States–based air carrier that has been issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity. Codeshare: An aviation business arrangement where two or more air carriers market and sell tickets on a single flight under their own air carrier designator and flight number. The flight is operated by the operating carrier, but codeshare carriers will sell tickets under their own brand. For instance, Colgan Air (Airline Code 9L) was the operator of Flight 3407, abbre- viated 9L 3407, then was marketed and sold by Continental Airlines as Continental Connec- tion Flight 3407, abbreviated CO 3407. Codesharing has two key ramifications for family assistance: • Passengers, families, and friends who have purchased a codeshare ticket may not know the operating carrier of the flight; in the event of an aviation disaster, they may look to the code- share carrier for information and assistance. • Operating carriers may arrange for a codeshare partner to respond to an aviation disaster on their behalf, particularly if the operating carrier has limited presence in cities where families are gathered or the aviation disaster occurs. Crew Reception Area: A location designated by the affected air carrier or airport to sequester uninjured surviving crew members after an aviation disaster. There is no requirement to have a CRA; however, it is standard practice with many air carriers and airports to do so. Crew members are transitioned to the CRA after they have fulfilled their duty of care to surviving passengers. The CRA affords crew members privacy to make phone calls to their family members, their company, and union officials; receive basic first aid and personal care; arrange for drug and alcohol testing; and so forth. Emergency Operations Center: The central command and control facility responsible for supporting the response to an aviation disaster or other emergency and staffed by key function leaders and stakeholders. The EOC is typically responsible for strategic overview and making operational decisions rather than performing response tasks. For purposes of this guidebook, “EOC” refers specifically to the airport EOC or, for small airports, to the local government EOC responsible for leading the emergency response. Airports may call this location an airport opera- tions center or department operations center. Family Assistance: The provision of information, resources, and services to support avia- tion disaster survivors and the families and friends of those on board the aircraft. Effective support for families includes monitoring and addressing their four fundamental concerns: initial notification of involvement, victim accounting, access to resources and information, and recovery of personal effects. Effective support for survivors addresses their basic physical needs (medical care, safety, food and water, dry clothing, etc.), emotional/social needs (com- munication or reunification with loved ones and access to disaster mental health care and spiritual care), and practical needs (recovery of personal effects, overnight accommodations, continuing travel, etc.). Family Assistance Center: The FAC is a secure meeting place for accident survivors and families to receive information regarding the aviation disaster investigation, victim identifica- tion process, management of personal effects, and the provision of disaster crisis counseling services. The FAC is typically located in a hotel, conference center, or similar off-airport setting. In legislated events, the FAC is established by the air carrier and managed by the NTSB TDA

Key Terms and definitions 121 Division. In non-legislated events, the air carrier or aircraft operator may establish and operate the FAC. The FAC is an intermediate-term facility that typically remains operational during the on-site phase of the NTSB’s investigation; average duration may be 1 to 14 days, depending on the complexity of the event. Family or Family Member: People of biological, legal, or emotional significance to the affected individual. Unlike next of kin, which is a specific legal term, family encompasses any number of relationships: a parent, a child, a sibling, a spouse, a partner or significant other, a stepchild, a fiancé, an ex-spouse, or even a best friend. As it applies to airport family assistance programs, family is used broadly. Federal Plan: The NTSB’s Federal Family Assistance Plan for Aviation Disasters. Fixed-Base Operator: An FBO is a commercial business operating on airport property and providing aviation services such as fueling, hangaring, parking, aircraft rental, aircraft mainte- nance, and flight instruction. Foreign Air Carrier Support Act: Family assistance law applying to foreign air carriers holding U.S. DOT economic certificates and applying when aviation disasters occur in U.S. territory and involve major loss of life. Friends and Relatives Center: The FRC is a secure location where family members and friends who believe their loved ones were involved in an aviation disaster can gather to gain initial infor- mation about the disaster and status of their loved ones. Passenger/crew status may not actually be known during the FRC period of operation. There may be multiple FRCs (origin, destination, and connecting cities), depending on where families and friends gather. FRCs should be located at or very near the airport. The FRC is a short-term facility designed to provide information and assistance until an FAC is established, typically for no more than 12 hours. Go-Team: A generic term for specialized response teams deployed to respond to an aviation disaster. In legislated events, the NTSB go-team will include both accident investigators and a TDA Division representative or representatives; the air carrier’s go-team will typically include accident investigation team members, a management team, and special assistance team members. In non-legislated events, family assistance go-teams may be deployed. Ground Handling Agent: A business contracted by an air carrier or aircraft owner to provide airport operational services. These may include ramp and cargo services (below wing), ticket counter and gate services (above wing), management services, and other functions. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act: HIPAA is the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The primary goals of the law are to make it easier for people to keep health insurance, protect the confidentiality and security of healthcare information, and help the healthcare industry control administrative costs. Joint Family Support Operations Center: In legislated aviation disasters, the JFSOC is estab- lished in a facility secured by the air carrier and serves as the nerve center where participating organi- zations are brought together to monitor, plan, coordinate, and execute a family assistance response operation. It is typically colocated with the FAC and is established after the arrival of the air carrier’s headquarters’ go-team. It becomes operational as the FRC and PGA are concluding operations. The JFSOC may include an airport representative who can act as a liaison with the airport EOC. A JFSOC may be established for non-legislated aviation disasters if there is aircraft operator involvement or the NTSB TDA Division responds to the event. Joint Information Center: A central location (physical or virtual) for responding organiza- tions to coordinate all incident-related public information activities, including media relations. It is the central point of contact at the aviation disaster location for all news media.

122 establishing a Coordinated Local Family Assistance program for Airports Legislated Accident: An aviation disaster involving a legislated air carrier that occurs in U.S. territory and involves major loss of life. Legislated events will be supported by agencies and organizations tasked with responsibilities under family assistance laws and the Federal Plan. Legislated Air Carrier: A United States–based air carrier holding a certificate of public conve- nience and necessity or a foreign air carrier holding a U.S. DOT economic certificate. National Transportation Safety Board: The NTSB is the federal agency responsible for investi- gating and determining the probable cause of transportation disasters, promoting transportation safety, and assisting victims of transportation disasters and their families. Next of Kin: A legal term for an individual’s closest relative. Next of kin has a narrow definition and application and is not a synonym for family. Non-Legislated Accident: An aviation disaster involving a non-legislated aircraft operator; or an aviation disaster involving a legislated air carrier that does not result in major loss of life, occurs outside of U.S. territory, or both. Non-Legislated Aircraft Operator: A United States–based aircraft operator that does not hold a certificate of convenience and public necessity, or a foreign aircraft operator that does not hold a U.S. DOT economic certificate. Notification of Involvement: Initial confirmation given to a family member that a loved one’s name appeared on a preliminary or verified passenger manifest of a flight involved in an aviation disaster. In legislated aviation disasters, the air carrier is required to make notification of involve- ment to all passengers’ families. This may be done by telephone or in person at the airport. Passenger Gathering Area: The PGA is a secure location where uninjured survivors of an aviation disaster can be taken for secondary triage, for additional assistance, and to gather infor- mation relevant to the victim accounting process. Passenger Manifest: The list of individuals on board an aircraft. A manifest may be unveri- fied (preliminary) or verified. The unverified manifest includes names of all passengers holding reservations for the flight; the verified manifest includes only the names of those who boarded the flight. Personal Effects: Personal belongings of individuals on board an aircraft. Associated personal effects are those that can be definitively associated with a specific individual (e.g., an item worn by an individual and recovered with his or her remains, or an item such as tagged luggage or documents that clearly indicate the individual’s name). Unassociated personal effects are those that cannot be definitively associated with a specific individual (e.g., do not include a passenger’s or crew member’s name and are not recovered with the remains of deceased). Reunification Location: A private and secure location designated by the airport or air carrier where uninjured passengers (from the PGA) may be reunited with waiting families and friends (from the FRC). Service Provider: An organization contracted by an air carrier or aircraft operator to provide specific family assistance services in response to an aviation disaster. Service providers may fulfill some or all of these responsibilities. The most commonly outsourced services are the telephone enquiry center, SATs, family FAC operations, personal effects handling, and return of remains. Special Assistance Team: A group of trained responders who provide short-term, compas- sionate, practical assistance to survivors and family members on behalf of the affected air carrier or aircraft operator. Functioning as company liaisons, team members assist families through the first weeks of the post-crash process, helping them access the information and services they need. The SAT is often staffed by employee volunteers, but the function may also be outsourced

Key Terms and definitions 123 to a service provider. Different air carriers and operators may have company-specific names for their teams (e.g., CARE team, HEART team). Survivor: A passenger or crew member who survives an aviation disaster. Uninjured survivors or those with very minimal injuries (sometimes referred to as “walking wounded”) are trans- ported to a PGA at the airport; injured survivors are transported to medical treatment facilities for care. Telephone Enquiry Center: A call center activated by an air carrier to respond to calls from families and friends who believe loved ones were involved in an aviation disaster. Legislated air carriers are required to publish a toll-free number for families; the TEC receives the calls to that number. The TEC may be operated by the air carrier or a codeshare partner or may be outsourced to a service provider. Transportation Disaster Assistance Division: A division of the NTSB, the TDA Division coordinates the disaster response resources of federal, state, and local agencies; air carriers; and the ARC in response to legislated events, working closely with these agencies and the transporta- tion carrier to meet the needs of victims and their families. For both legislated and non-legislated events, the TDA Division serves as the primary resource for information for family members and survivors as the investigation proceeds. Vendor: See Service Provider. Victim: An individual killed in an aviation disaster. The term is sometimes used more broadly to describe any individual on the affected aircraft, including a survivor. Victim Accounting: The process of determining the location and condition (uninjured, injured, deceased) of all individuals on board an aircraft involved in an aviation disaster. Victim accounting is accomplished through the cooperative efforts of first responders, hospitals and medical treatment facilities, the ARC, the air carrier or aircraft operator, and the airport. It is one of the fundamental and most immediate concerns of family members after an aviation disaster. Victim Support Tasks: Guidance on specific duties for air carriers, the NTSB, other federal agen- cies, and the ARC to support families following an aviation disaster. These are found in the Federal Family Assistance Plan for Aviation Disasters (National Transportation Safety Board, 2008).