ASE Challenger Incident Fil Meraz, Airport Operations Coordinator Kirk Schoenthaler, Airport Operations Officer Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting Working Group Galveston, TX October 1, 2014
Presentation Objectives – Case Study • Aspen/Pitkin County Airport Orientation • Previous Incidents and Preparation • January 5 th • Response • Future Preparedness
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) • 1 Runway Airport • 99% land on Runway 15 • 99% take off of Runway 33 • Entire Airport Staff is 25 full time • 11 Employees are ARFF Certified • Rely on Mutual Aid for Emergency Responses
Previous Incidents & Preparation • March 29 th , 2001 – Gulfstream Incident • 18 fatalities • High profile international event • Unprepared for Recovery aspects of incident • High media demand • Significant family assistance • Impact on response/recovery personnel • Lacked depth of bench strength for incident management skills
Previous Incidents & Preparation • 2006 Airport Operations Center (ARFF Station) • June 7 th , 2012 - Learjet Incident • September 8 th , 2012 - Triennual Drill
January 5th • Weather • Cold • Variable Winds • Morning Snow Storm • Busy Day – 297 operations on Jan. 3rd
ARFF Response • ARFF was enroute to scene in less than 30 seconds • On scene in less than 90 seconds
Initial Mutual Aid Response • Mutual Aid responders • Pitkin County Sheriff • Aspen Ambulance • Aspen Fire • Snowmass Wildcat Fire • Snowmass Police • Aspen Police • Basalt Fire & Rescue • Quick response – ARFF transferred Command per protocol • Incident Commander called in Mass Casualty • Transported the 2 survivors to the Hospital Limited number of ARFF Personnel/aircraft familiarization ARFF working on suppression Mutual conducting extrication Hot Zone and PPE Staging
Response to Recovery Transition • NTSB contacted • Transition from Response – Airport Closed to Recovery • Chartered a helicopter Moving Aircraft – Decided to Stand-up Pitkin – Removed Deceased County Type IV Incident Management Team 6PM Briefing Meeting
Recovery • Operational meeting on • All debris logged & removed Monday at 0800 with all • By midnight the aircraft was interested parties removed from Safety Area • Outlined Goals and • Reopened at 0700 on Tuesday, Expectations January 7 th • NTSB and FAA conducted • Airport closed for 42 Hours preliminary Investigation 55 Minutes
Terminal Incident • All personnel were • 100 People in ticketing focused on the aircraft • 60 people on aircraft crash waiting to take off Terminal Incident was an • Secure hold room was afterthought cleared in 15 minutes • 300 People in the secure • The Airport access road hold room was closed in 1 hour
Incident Command Structure and the Terminal Incident Command Structure Unified Command • Scalability of ICS Terminal Information Officer
Communications • General • Social Media • Traditional Media • Person-to-Person
Communications - General • When will the Airport Re-Open? • All of the Information is not enough Information • Rapid Regular Releases – Get out some Information or Reporters will create the Story Public Information Officer (Assistant) in Terminal Crisis Communication Plan
Communications – Social Media • Just started Social Media • Celebrities – LeAnn Rimes – Kevin Nealon • Airport’s First Tweet was within 12 minutes • Continuous updates throughout the Event
Communications – Traditional Media • Know and expect the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” Questions • Interviews – Multiple PIO interviews starting within an hour of the crash – Airport Interviews that evening • Initial Press Release was 4:45pm • Press Conferences – Next day 10am and 3pm • Press Coverage – Open Records Request –
Communications – Person-to- Person • Unexpected Volume of Phone Calls and Visits – >100 per hour Information release – Guest Services – Tenants
Future Preparedness ICS Training • Relationships • Triennial Drill • Airport Emergency Plan • Plans (SOPs) • After Action Report • Crisis Communications Plan • Fail to Prepare = Prepare to Fail • Benjamin Franklin –
Thank You! Contact Information • Fil Meraz, Airport Operations Coordinator • Fil.Meraz@aspenairport.com • 970-429-1881 • Kirk Schoenthaler, Airport Operations Officer • Kirk.Schoenthaler@aspenairport.com • 970-429-1885
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