Response to Acts of Violence and Terrorism in the Aviation Industry

Length:                   from 15 minutes to a two-day workshop

Summary:
Since the early days of commercial aviation, airports and planes have been the targets of violence and terrorism. These events range from airport shootings and bombings (i.e., Los Angeles, 1974; New York, 1975; Rome and Vienna, 1985), to aircraft hijacking and blasting, to threats and the potential use of nuclear, biological, or chemical agents. These events were caused by suicidal, criminal[,] or terrorist individuals or groups.

Citing recent incidents, the presentation will illustrate authentic hazards and lessons learned. It will be demonstrated [that] calamities can be prevented or at least mitigated. The strategies and tactical considerations to meet the threats of aviation violence and terrorism are preplanning, comprehensive resource management, the use of advanced Incident Management and unified command structures, and well-orchestrated actions by security forces, ARFF/fire/rescue/EMS, specialized agencies, and the authorities in charge.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about recent disasters, from fires to train wrecks, the course of the incidents, and the challenges for emergency responders.
• Learn what safety rules, regulations, and standards should have been in place and could have mitigated the impact.
• Learn how to plan and prepare for, and to respond to fire and other disasters on a large scale.
• Learn the importance of comprehensive hazard analysis.
• Learn what resources are needed, and how their activities could be communicated, coordinated, and controlled in a major incident.
• Learn about the impact on people and the importance of a comprehensive emergency management program according to NFPA 1600.

Like A War Zone - Catastrophic Fireworks Explosion in The Netherlands

Length:                  from 30 minutes to a full-day workshop

Summary:
On May 13, 2000, on a sunny and peaceful Saturday afternoon, a warehouse full of fireworks went up in flames and explosions in the center of Enschede, a city of 150,000 residents in The Netherlands. Huge blasts from the detonation of at least 100 tons of fireworks ingredients and explosives destroyed an entire neighborhood of more than 400 homes and businesses in this community near the border with Germany.

Eighteen people died, including four firefighters, and approximately 1,000(!) people were injured. Thousands of residents fled from an area that looked like a war zone filled with debris, smoke, and more than 100 hundred(!) buildings ablaze. It was one of the worst explosions in western Europe in decades.

What policies allowed the storage of explosives in a residential area, and what caused the blaze? How were the response activities of different fire, police, and EMS departments from two countries coordinated? How did the fire service and the city react to the cataclysmic situation, and was there coordination to master the operational and logistical nightmare that involved hundreds of people unaccounted for, a terrified population, a portion of the city in ruins, hundreds of emergency workers, and the pressure of the international media?

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to plan and prepare for, and to respond to fires involving unexpected explosives and chemicals in a densely populated area.
• Learn the importance of comprehensive hazard mapping.
• Learn what resources are needed, and how to communicate and coordinate multi-agency/multi-national response operations.
• Learn that the "unthinkable" will always happen.

Earthquake and Fire - An Unholy Alliance

Length:                    20 minutes to a half-day workshop

Summary:
The greatest risk of a large earthquake in a major metropolitan area is that of uncontrolled fires. The description: "after the quake, fires could not be put out because the water mains were ruptured. A firestorm raced through the city - destroyed life, property, buildings, and infrastructure, including schools, churches, commercial structures and factories," fits the San Francisco tremor of 1906, the Tokyo earthquake of 1923, [the Kobe, Japan,] trembler of 1995, and countless other seismic events. Using these and the California earthquakes of 1989 (San Francisco) and 1994 (Los Angeles/Northridge) as examples, the presentation will illustrate the devastating threat of fires that often follow a major quake, the challenges for fire departments, and the crucial need for preplanning and mitigation.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to plan and prepare for earthquakes in an industrialized region.
• Learn how to mitigate the risk of uncontrolled fires following a major tremor.
• Learn what resources could be used if water is not available through hydrants.
• Learn the advantage of de-centralized and self-sufficient fire/rescue facilities.
• Learn how to prioritize operations and how to deploy fire/rescue/EMS unit in a large-scale earthquake situation.

Major Aviation Disasters - Strategies to Save Lives and Control the Incident

Length:                    20 minutes to a three-day workshop

Summary:
Billions of people and millions of tons of cargo are carried by thousands of commercial airplanes, which are becoming larger and wider. The tremendous growth of air traffic - which is expected to double within the next 15 years - increases the worldwide risk of calamities. Aviation incidents are complex occurrences, involving many jurisdictions and agencies; they can even cause international implications.

Many airplane accidents are initially survivable. When a passenger jet crashes, either at an airport or miles away into a municipality, the final decision of life or death for its occupants is made by fast and skilled response. Because fire and emergency services will only have minutes to start successful life-saving operations, it is crucial that even local departments are prepared for plane wrecks.

Using recent aviation disasters, the presentation will demonstrate Comprehensive Emergency Management, Airport-Community Disaster Planning, Working TogetherÔ, Resource Management, Decision Making and Priority Setting, Safe Response and Recovery Operations. Common challenges, specific hazards, laws and regulations (i.e., Family Assistance Act), and the Rules and Responsibilities of distinct parties (i.e., Civilian and Military Search and Rescue, Local Fire and Emergency Management, Airport Operations, Air Carrier, Air Manufacturer, American Red Cross, Coroner, NTSB, FBI, FAA, Police) will be explained.

Learning objectives:

• Learn how to plan and prepare for an airplane crash in your jurisdiction.
• Learn what resources are needed, and what priorities and operations will lead to successful life-saving performances.
• Learn what hazards (i.e., fuel, biohazards, metal and composite debris, fumes, unknown freight) and impacts (i.e., emotional) are specifically related to an aircraft accident.
• Learn about the extent of recovery operations and the logistics needed.
• Learn what specific rules and regulations apply, and what the responsibilities distinct private and governmental agencies have.

"Disaster Management" - The New US Standard

Length:                  15 minutes to a one-week workshop

Railway Crash at 120 mph - The New Risk of High-Speed Trains

Length:                  30 minutes to a half day workshop

Summary:
On June 3, 1998, a high-speed ICE train derailed and collided with a highway overpass in Eschede, northern Germany. The catastrophe occurred at a speed of 120mph and claimed the lives of 101 people. Another 108 people were injured, most critically, and only 5 survived unhurt.

In the first hours, 1899 emergency workers with 400 vehicles and 39 helicopters responded to the accident site in the remote town of 6,000 residents. The body recovery and salvage operations took nearly a week. The presence of national and international media and visits of national leaders put extreme pressure on incident personnel and the affected municipality.

What caused this very first high-speed train crash? How were more than 1,000 fire/EMS and other emergency workers dispatched, brought to the scene, and coordinated in their rescue and recovery efforts?

The presentation will analyze the accident sequence and illustrate the lessons learned. The impacts, challenges, and demands on responders, the town administration, the county government, etc., will be described. Steps to develop a comprehensive emergency management program for major railway disasters will be introduced.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about the specifics of the railway systems, train design, and the impact potential of a bullet train.
• Learn how to plan and prepare for railway accidents, particularly in rough terrain and rural areas.
• Learn what resources are needed to deal with all aspects of a derailment including salvage and recovery.
• Learn the importance of interagency and multi-agency communication and coordination.
• Learn that the "unexpected" will always happen.

Duesseldorf Airport Fire - A Different Perspective

Length:                   15 minutes to a half-day workshop

During the Airport Terminal Fire in Duesseldorf, Germany, in April of 1996, 17 people died, 70 others were injured, and hundreds were trapped in toxic smoke. With millions of dollars of damage, this was one of the worst airport catastrophes worldwide.

The presentation describes the course of the fire, the challenges, and the lessons learned. It illustrates the lack of fire detection and prevention systems, the initial flaws that led to a significant delay in alerting the city fire department, and the shortage of command staff and communication means, when more than 700 fire/rescue personnel from 20 different agencies and 200 pieces of apparatus had to be coordinated.