Military Crash and Rescue - Research Paper Example

? Military Crash and Rescue Disaster preparedness became a household in America following the unprecedentedSeptember 11, 2001 coordinated suicide attacks. In reference to air emergency, the level of disaster preparedness – or lack thereof – became a serious concern in the United States, as the federal government failed to secure any of the four hijacked planes. This has since caused a reevaluation of disaster preparedness especially in situations involving air emergency. How fast does the emergency response team get to the scene? What is the capacity of the emergency response team to handle such situations effectively? How do they coordinate efforts with firefighters and local law enforcement? The key purpose of an emergency rescue mission is securing human life and mitigating the damage. This requires proper coordination of efforts. A review of federal requirements on emergency air response indicates that there is a requirement under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations that obliges all Part 139 certified airports to put in place a functioning airport emergency plan to help in hazard mitigation. Air Emergency Given the potential severity of an air disaster, the state of the emergency response in terms of disaster preparedness is of paramount importance. For any kind of air emergency situation, there are designated procedures that guide how the team ought to act. In cases of fire, for instance, there are procedures for evacuating people from the hazard area. In hostage situations, as well, there is a set of designated procedures on securing safety and retrieval of hostages. The State of Florida has put in place a comprehensive air emergency response regime. Florida’s Aviation Emergency Response Guidebook serves as an informational tool for guiding the response team in the event of an emergency (Lenahan, 1998). Sources retrieved from the annals of United States emergency response incidents such as September 11, 2001 indicate that the FAA is the key agency that deals with air emergencies as long as such emergency situations meet the criteria stipulated under 49 CFR 830 Notification and Reporting of Aircraft Accidents or Incidents and Overdue Aircraft, and Preservation of Aircraft Wreckage, Mail, Cargo, and Records. Further research illustrates that there is a round-the-clock aviation safety hotline - (800) 255?1111 - for reporting air emergencies (Barber, 2012). A review of federal requirements on emergence air response indicates that there is a requirement under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations that obliges all Part 139 certified airports to put in place a functioning airport emergency plan. Having a responsive emergency plan helps in hazard mitigation since aviation emergencies involve mass casualties. Speed and responsiveness is the most significant measure of suitability in air emergency plans. The goal is to minimize casualties and secure the aircraft (Gabriel, 1985). Mayday Mayday is the commonly accepted international code of distress for aviators and marines. Once an aircraft or passenger plane encounters a technical issue, the pilot notifies airport authorities by placing a call. The designated procedure requires the issuer of the distress to utter the word three times “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” (Thompson, 2011) to specify it is a distress call. The federal emergency code stipulates the procedure through which a civilian aircrafts relaying a mayday call in the United States airspace ought to follow. The designated protocol is “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday!” followed by the name of station addressed, aircraft type and call-sign, nature of the distress, present position (in case the aircraft is lost, the last known physical position and time could be useful) weather situation, pilot’s request, flight level/ altitude, remaining amount of fuel remaining, and number of passengers on the plane (Thompson, 2011). The communicator may also add any other useful information to assist in the rescue operation. While this is the designated protocol, Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations allows for omission or addition of any information as essential for expediency. In case it is not possible to transmit a distress call due to signal interference or any other technical difficulty, another aircraft can issue a mayday relay on behalf of the one in distress. Emergency Response Air-One Emergency Response Coalition is one of the agencies called in to supplement the effort of federal law enforcement in emergencies involving mass casualties. As a nonprofit agency {501(c) 3} identified through the AIR-ONE call sign, this agency offers 24-hour dispatch services. AIR-ONE has positioned itself to systematically offer timely and reliable service to any form of emergency request upon request. During the September 11 suicide attacks in the US, disaster preparedness was not sufficient enough to avert the crisis. Standing orders on 9/ 11 authorized the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to dispatch an escort aircraft to pursue a passenger plane that was confirmed hijacked. This was upon a request by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for assistance (Barber, 2012). In the event of plane hijackings, FAA used radar tracking along the flight paths of the four passenger planes in line with the emergency rescue protocol. The radar tracking used then was Air Route Surveillance Radar-4. The hijackers must have changed the codes or disabled the transponders upon taking control, which made it difficult for the FAA to track the planes on the radar. Protocol dictates that an escort aircraft be dispatched to pursue a hijacked plane in an attempt to observe, observe, and aid the emergency rescue. The 9/ 11 incident was untimely though; reports indicate that FAA failed to notify NORAD in time for their units to reach the four hijacked passenger planes. This compromised the state of emergency response. Poor communication caused by hysteria further compromised the ability to reach the scene on time. During emergency rescue operations, the FAA reserves the mandate to decide the appropriate course of action depending on the nature of emergency. For instance, once they receive a distress call on bad weather, FAA may decide whether to direct the pilot on emergency landing or take a diversion. If the FAA decides that a detour would help solve the weather problem, they are free to make that call after due consultations with the airlines to avoid taking a runway that is already occupied. Likewise, in case of fuel discharge or any other air emergency, there is a designated protocol for hazard mitigation. If the weather is too harsh for the plane to survive, the FAA can decide to guide the pilot on the best means of crash landing. Crash landing is a form of emergency landing that involves getting the plane on the ground in a way that involves little or no casualties. Pilots often conduct simulated forced landing in case of engine failure, which is a common form of technical issue. In liaison with the FAA and NORAD, the pilot selects a landing area for the plane to land at the most bearable gliding speed (Barber, 2012). Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting In case of fire emergencies, there is a designated protocol for firefighters. First, they have to wear fire proximity suits, which is a silver coated protective ensemble. The silver helps reflect the heat away from the bodies. Along with the fire proximity suit, it is mandatory for firefighters to wear a breathing apparatus that provides them with fresh air to enable them breathe in the presence of carbon monoxide emanating from the fire. This way they can make their way inside a burning aircraft cabin. The rationale of any rescue operation is hazard mitigation. This is to say that any emergency response plan has to be effective in mitigating the potential damage. With the biggest concern being to safeguard human life, aircraft rescue operations are required, under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations, to give precedence to the safe evacuation of passengers, especially those ambulatory passengers who cannot get out on their own. As part of the emergency rescue operation, the provision of medical attention through first aid is mandatory; the federal code provides that there ought to be a designated medical team to offer first aid services. The very nature of fire as a mass casualty incident makes emergency rescue a labor-intensive procedure. Once the emergency comes under control, aircraft rescue and firefighting mission reverts to establishing a perimeter within which they contain evolving hazards while securing the scene for forensic investigations. Investigation is usually the mandate of the Federal Aviation Administration unless there were mass casualties in which case the National Transportation Safety Board does the investigation assisted by an FAA contingent (Barber, 2012). Collaboration with Local Police and Fire Departments Even after all measures have been taken to avoid a plane crash, sometimes such measures are not fully productive. Whenever a plane crashes, there is a set of protocol that guides the rescue operation. Most importantly, rescuers must liaise with fire department and local law enforcement to help contain the situation. Most of the time, many have argued, protocol deters progress. In emergency situations, there is often an atmosphere of confusion and hysteria. The emergency scene becomes messy with medical experts, firefighters, and those looking to offer humanitarian assistant scrambling for space (Thompson, 2011). Likewise, injured victims may be in shock. With such a messy situation, role designation becomes the fundamental starting point of an operation. Law enforcement assumes the role of making the emergency scene orderly. This makes it easier for medical experts to offer first aid services. Police also makes way for the firefighters to try and contain the fire and minimize damage (Greenhill, 2013). Federal law enforcement is also charged with the duty of establishing a perimeter that defines the scene of the accident. The ultimate goal, once again, is to safeguard human life to begin with. Secondly, to make sure all injured parties receive the necessary treatment. Conclusion As discussed above, the federal emergency code stipulates the procedure through which a civilian aircrafts relaying a mayday call in the United States airspace ought to follow. The designated protocol involves uttering the distress code “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday!” followed by the name of station addressed, aircraft type and call-sign, nature of the distress, present position (in case the aircraft is lost, the last known physical position and time could be useful) weather situation, pilot’s request, flight level/ altitude, remaining amount of fuel remaining, and number of passengers on the plane. Given the potential severity of an air disaster, the state of the emergency response in terms of disaster preparedness is of paramount importance. For any kind of air emergency situation, there are designated procedures that guide how the team ought to act. Sources retrieved from the annals of United States emergency response incidents such as September 11, 2001 indicate that the FAA is the key agency that deals with air emergencies as long as such emergency situations meet the criteria stipulated under 49 CFR 830 Notification and Reporting of Aircraft Accidents or Incidents and Overdue Aircraft, and Preservation of Aircraft Wreckage, Mail, Cargo, and Records. References Barber, B. (2012). "Military looking for more tech-savvy recruits." Springfield News-Sun Gabriel, A. (1985). Military Incompetence: Why the American Military Doesn't Win. Hill and Wang Greenhill, J. (2013). "Casey: National Guard's Future Not in Strategic Reserve." National Guard Bureau Lenahan, R. (1998). Crippled Eagle: A Historical Perspective Of U.S. Special Operations 1976–1996. Narwhal Press Thompson, M. (2011) "On Guard: A Seventh Member for the Joint Chiefs?" Time Magazine Read More