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Issue link: https://groundsupportworldwide.epubxp.com/i/763587
24 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017 SAFETY practice, personally identifiable information (PII), confidential oper- ational information and other critical data need to be protected and stored in secure failover systems, especially when essential details must be revealed on very short notice and to specifically targeted populations. Using Networked Crisis Communication to Address Interoperability Needs Internal alerts through multiple systems and devices are becoming more prevalent as many airports develop stronger communication pro- grams to alert their employees. The ability to communicate with other organizations, however, is still a critical need, and must be achieved just as quickly to protect the airport ecosystem. The first requirement is to develop the Airport Emergency Plan and protective measures that can either execute – or prevent – a mass, uncontrolled movement of travelers, or make shelter available to those who may be stranded. Next, a community approach would suggest a phased response that includes the organizations and people located closest to the incident, followed by a reinforced response with those farther away. Mutual aid relationships must be nurtured, practiced and maintained at local and regional levels. Typical interoperable communication scenarios encompass: • Emergency events that require stakeholder notification (work- force, customers and partners). • Public alerting, 911 reverse dialing and enhanced 911 (if available). • Business operations notifications, such as workforce man- agement roll call or mustering, callouts, severe weather and important meeting reminders. • Context-based alerting triggered by a process or event, such as a flight delay, work availability options by locale or incoming injured patients. • Potential public alerting and emergency warnings of an impend- ing emergency by local, regional or national authorities. At the forefront, two-way interactive alerting is an essential element to begin responding to any incident. Targeted recipients who receive alerts can respond with their status. They can, in turn, equip their own decision-makers with the information necessary to protect people and facilities, and then focus on arranging assistance for those impacted. Next, airport operations need to reliably and rapidly send an alert that can reach all of its personnel across all personal and mass com- munication devices to ensure both visual and audio alerts are received within the ecosystem. As the situation unfolds, airport responders need to notify on-site tenants, as well as the extended community and political authorities about the event and its level of emergency. A true state-of-the-art solution empowers each subscribing organization to create a unique, customized network of people and groups, so that the quality and fidelity of the information remains high and actionable as it is dis- seminated by member organizations, while maintaining their own operational protocols. Finally, given that most commercial and certificated airports are owned or operated by local, state and national jurisdictions, emergency response requires expanding networks of shared information and intelligence to include federal, state and regional agencies. Networked crisis communication should support collaboration among different functions, so responders can neutralize the event, while maintaining situational awareness among all responding entities. The system should also have a sophisticated reporting capability to capture all the system and personnel activities for post-event assess- ment and compliance requirements. Outcome: Secure, Interoperable Airport Crisis Communication Network Airports are hubs for more than aircraft. They offer a centralized point of interaction for people, organizations, technology and com- munities. Airports are also an integral part of our national security. Given the unique position of an airport within its geographic and economic surroundings, it is critically important for aviation facilities to deploy secure crisis communications systems that deliver essential information, situational awareness and real-time alerts and warnings during emergency situations. Internal communications within airport perimeters have histor- AviationPros.com/10017637