WEBVTT 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:10.110 Well, Elle, thank you so much. This has been very insightful. 00:00:11.020 --> 00:00:15.960 What we thought might be really helpful for our audience is if we actually went to a scenario. Now, 00:00:16.020 --> 00:00:17.040 it's a notional scenario, 00:00:17.180 --> 00:00:22.920 but it' will help to provide a bit of a framework, a more real world framework, to contextualize 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:27.960 what we've just spoken about today and attach that to something that is realistic, that our operators will be 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:30.100 very familiar with. So, um, 00:00:30.620 --> 00:00:35.220 can we' run through that in a little bit of detail, and would you mind applying some of your lessons 00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:36.510 learned, best practices, 00:00:36.900 --> 00:00:38.960 and even some of the regulatory requirements if they 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:43.380 do indeed exist, and how those will be associated with. this p- with this scenario? 00:00:43.800 --> 00:00:45.940 Sure. So, we can walk through that, and as we walk 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:51.440 through that, I want, um, the operators listening or watching this, this video to really interrogate 00:00:51.800 --> 00:00:55.990 their own plans and procedures. Because- Yeah ... the scenario is great, but I really 00:00:56.080 --> 00:00:59.210 want you to be able to walk away from this presentation thinking, 00:00:59.680 --> 00:01:04.319 "If there's three things that I, when I get back to my desk, I can go and check or update," 00:01:04.580 --> 00:01:05.980 then I think our job hasn't 00:01:06.060 --> 00:01:10.580 really been done yet. So as we walk through this scenario and, um, John, you talk us through it, I 00:01:10.740 --> 00:01:17.080 want, um, the listeners to, uh, think about you've got to know the challenges- Yeah ... that you're gonna be 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:22.220 faced with. You know what needs to be done. Um, you know who is going to do it in your 00:01:22.260 --> 00:01:25.060 team. Um, and you know how they are going to do 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:29.360 it. So it's, it's who's doing it. If they're not available, who's their deputy, 00:01:29.800 --> 00:01:33.980 and how are they going to do it? Do I have a checklist that sets out? And we, you 00:01:34.020 --> 00:01:39.120 mentioned earlier, you can't really do this for every eventuality. Yeah. But you can do it for the most likely 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:42.860 scenarios. So let's dive into our scenario, John. 00:01:43.080 --> 00:01:45.060 Absolutely. All right. I think the audience, 00:01:45.580 --> 00:01:50.460 many will be familiar with this type of a scenario. In fact, they've probably even flown this route. So 00:01:50.500 --> 00:01:52.080 today we'll be talking about a Gulfstream 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:57.280 GC, G650ER, um, operating at a Part 91. They'll be flying from Teterboro 00:01:57.660 --> 00:02:00.850 in the United States, ultimately landing in Le Bourget 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:06.840 in France. So you can see here, we've got a number of passengers on board to including the CEO and 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:07.000 some 00:02:07.060 --> 00:02:11.100 of his guests, and three crew members, two pilots and a flight attendant. 00:02:11.180 --> 00:02:12.160 So the purpose 00:02:12.220 --> 00:02:18.940 of this trip, as with quite a few corporate travel itineraries, is to go to a high-profile industry conference in 00:02:18.980 --> 00:02:25.060 Paris. So here are some conditions, something to think about. Probably many operators have seen something 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:28.260 similar to this, right? Changing weather environments, different times 00:02:28.300 --> 00:02:34.120 of day, different challenges that are presented to you as an operator when you're flying into even locations that you've 00:02:34.140 --> 00:02:36.960 probably flown into multiple times that you're 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:37.860 well familiar with. 00:02:38.260 --> 00:02:41.989 But nonetheless, this will all be part of that pre-flight planning process. You'll know this 00:02:42.020 --> 00:02:48.360 in advance, but it's always so good to understand how that might affect what ultimately could or could not happen 00:02:48.420 --> 00:02:48.980 that leads up 00:02:49.020 --> 00:02:53.080 to an incident. Is it maybe also worth mentioning here, sorry, I'm de- derailing- 00:02:53.100 --> 00:02:57.800 Yeah, no, no, that's all right ... your scenario, is I think it's worth mentioning under the Contingency 360 service 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:01.860 that you guys do, uh, flight following too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:04.150 Um, so with MedAire's, 00:03:04.480 --> 00:03:10.210 with MedAire's Contingency 360 program that will be, um, offered to our clients, 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:15.000 some of the things that you'll be able to do, and hopefully develop better situational awareness 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:21.570 around, is being able to better flight follow your aircraft from point of departure to point of arrival, monitor potential 00:03:21.600 --> 00:03:27.740 deviations, and hopefully gain a bit more situational awareness in the lead up to a potential incident or even a 00:03:27.780 --> 00:03:34.220 mishap. So this will help give you, as an operator, a bit more visibility of how you might need to 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:36.140 start marshaling those resources 00:03:36.300 --> 00:03:42.160 as an accident or a mishap has occurred. So you could perhaps see that, that the, the aircraft has deviated 00:03:42.320 --> 00:03:43.980 or has gotten into dis- some, 00:03:44.020 --> 00:03:44.860 you know, difficulty, 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:48.900 dropped in altitude- Yeah ... or whatever that A- absolutely, and MedAire for, you know, 00:03:49.040 --> 00:03:53.260 40 years, part of our, our flagship service has always been the in-flight medical 00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:59.180 service, known as MedLink, and oftentimes if the scenario is significant enough medically 00:03:59.300 --> 00:04:03.240 speaking, we have made recommendations for diversion. So it could be something like a medical 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:11.060 diversion, maybe it's a mechanical diversion, or perhaps there's something that has resulted in ano- another deviation unknown as of 00:04:11.140 --> 00:04:11.380 yet 00:04:11.440 --> 00:04:18.048 to the home base operator. But the program may allow for some additional insight into- Okay ... uh, to 00:04:18.100 --> 00:04:21.160 what's occurring. All right. Thank you, John. Sorry I've interrupted- No ... your scenario. 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:21.959 No, that's 00:04:22.019 --> 00:04:28.110 all right. Um, so here are some of the sequence of events. So you can see as you work through 00:04:28.200 --> 00:04:30.980 this, we're essentially setting up the notional incident 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:35.000 here. What ultimately ends up happening is the aircraft continues into 00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:38.310 Le Bourget. Fundamentally, there's a bit of a hard landing, 00:04:38.840 --> 00:04:46.060 gear collapses, and then upon collapse there's a post-crash fire. That fire unfortunately then, well, the impact plus the 00:04:46.100 --> 00:04:51.080 fire results unfortunately in a few fatalities as part of this incident, and some injuries 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:53.520 to, um, the crew and the passengers. 00:04:55.220 --> 00:04:57.000 And you can see what that tally 00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:03.010 is here. We've got two fatalities immediately following the incident. We have three passengers with serious injuries, 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:05.060 and then we have another passenger with 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:10.360 fatal in- injuries that transpire after that individual has been transported to a medical facility. 00:05:12.092 --> 00:05:17.952 All right. So, El, do you wanna talk through a few of the things that our audience should consider 00:05:18.132 --> 00:05:25.192 as the response process begins? Okay. So let's, let's look at how it, it could potentially unfold. So zero 00:05:25.232 --> 00:05:31.152 to one hours, um, your immediate activation. I want you to think about how is your plan set up to, 00:05:31.192 --> 00:05:36.952 to activate your emergency response plan. Yeah. So of course there's the notification of the accident, confirming the accident 00:05:37.012 --> 00:05:40.762 through air traffic control and French authorities in this scenario. Um, 00:05:41.032 --> 00:05:43.932 and then how, how does that call-out tree work? How do 00:05:44.072 --> 00:05:48.212 you get notified of the accident and then follow and activate your emergency response 00:05:48.272 --> 00:05:55.432 plan? Um, one of the first things, of course, is to, um, uh, notify the, the authorities. If you're originated 00:05:55.452 --> 00:05:57.192 from the US, it's the National Transportation 00:05:57.292 --> 00:05:57.952 Safety Board. 00:05:58.572 --> 00:05:59.032 Um, in 00:05:59.092 --> 00:06:01.201 this scenario, uh, or in this checklist 00:06:01.252 --> 00:06:03.352 it says, "Contact the CEO or the board," 00:06:03.852 --> 00:06:07.032 um, but in our scenario, the CEO- Yeah ... was on board the aircraft. So 00:06:07.472 --> 00:06:11.092 think about if your CEO is either on board or out of reach, 00:06:11.512 --> 00:06:13.112 um, you know, what is the contingency 00:06:13.132 --> 00:06:15.052 built in for that? Absolutely. Because 00:06:15.172 --> 00:06:19.352 if, if the CEO is on charge, obviously... or on board, obviously 00:06:20.092 --> 00:06:24.332 that individual can't be part of the response and the recovery process. Absolutely. So is there a deputy 00:06:24.392 --> 00:06:28.992 or is there somebody else who's already been spelled out in advance as part of that process to make 00:06:29.032 --> 00:06:32.192 sure that there's some sort of continuity of leadership and direction? Exactly. 00:06:32.252 --> 00:06:36.402 Okay. Yes. Um, and I also, my test is always if something happens 00:06:36.432 --> 00:06:42.102 tonight- Indeed ... um, and think about the 3:00 AM phone call. Because if you test that, think about 00:06:42.132 --> 00:06:46.982 what's going to happen at 3:00 AM tonight with your organization, um, and, and sort of use that as 00:06:47.012 --> 00:06:50.702 a bit of a, a quick litmus test about where you are in your response capabilities. 00:06:51.372 --> 00:06:51.422 Um, 00:06:51.792 --> 00:06:52.042 and then 00:06:52.492 --> 00:06:58.052 the step next to that is to think about freezing your internal records, crew maintenance, um, flight data, things like 00:06:58.112 --> 00:06:58.332 that. 00:06:58.742 --> 00:07:01.972 Yeah. Um, and that's where I always go, "One of your first phone calls is, you know, your legal 00:07:02.012 --> 00:07:04.052 team. They need to help and guide you through 00:07:04.092 --> 00:07:08.992 what you need to do." Um, and then a big decision, is this a fleet issue? Is this an individual 00:07:09.092 --> 00:07:10.802 issue? Is this something that, um, 00:07:11.012 --> 00:07:13.012 you need to make a, a decision around, 00:07:13.232 --> 00:07:13.372 um, 00:07:13.912 --> 00:07:19.092 uh, you know, a precautionary stand down or, um, suspension of any other flying? Yeah, absolutely. And let me revert 00:07:19.132 --> 00:07:24.052 back to the legal question. Um, because I would imagine this is probably critical as part of that 00:07:24.112 --> 00:07:31.672 process when you're designing and implementing the ERP, is to make sure that legal is involved in the beginning. Because 00:07:31.732 --> 00:07:37.052 legal counsel, depending on the size of your organization, they may not have much knowledge around aviation. So it's 00:07:37.072 --> 00:07:41.252 probably important to be able to speak to them about the particulars of an aviation operation, 00:07:41.612 --> 00:07:44.052 nomenclature, the regulatory environment, how 00:07:44.092 --> 00:07:50.052 that works, so that they can help guide you during this process rather than learning while they're going through the 00:07:50.092 --> 00:07:55.192 process. 100%. These relationships before something goes wrong is absolutely- 00:07:55.282 --> 00:08:00.012 Yeah ... vital. You don't want to scramble and call, um, a lawyer at the time. 00:08:00.372 --> 00:08:01.112 You want to work 00:08:01.152 --> 00:08:06.792 with your lawyer. Um, and I'll give a quick plug to Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild, because he, um, we 00:08:06.892 --> 00:08:10.012 work with him. He's also on, you know, on, on our board. Um, 00:08:10.312 --> 00:08:13.132 uh, you know, he's the kind of guy, he always says, "I don't wanna meet 00:08:13.232 --> 00:08:13.352 you, 00:08:13.792 --> 00:08:15.032 um, on the day." 00:08:15.332 --> 00:08:15.462 Indeed. 00:08:15.552 --> 00:08:18.112 Um, to, to have them, to have a relationship, 00:08:18.552 --> 00:08:24.072 um, to retain them, to involve them in your exercises is so important because you don't want 00:08:24.112 --> 00:08:27.592 to be caught on the back foot on the day. You need to be able to know exactly who you're 00:08:27.632 --> 00:08:33.072 gonna call, and you would have ha- practiced some of these scenarios beforehand, um, and knowing how they're gonna 00:08:33.082 --> 00:08:35.032 Yeah ... So whether it's outside counsel or inside 00:08:35.072 --> 00:08:40.371 counsel- Yes. Yeah, exactly ... the same, the same idea applies. Yeah, exactly. Um, all right. One to three hours, 00:08:40.511 --> 00:08:47.912 um, it says verify your passenger manifest. Um, this is an interesting one because smaller operators will usually say, "We 00:08:47.932 --> 00:08:55.032 know exactly who's on board our aircraft." Yeah. Um, but we've responded to an accident, uh, about two, three years 00:08:55.072 --> 00:09:01.472 ago. It was, uh, a helicopter. It had, um, three people on board, the pilot and two VIPs. 00:09:02.092 --> 00:09:04.012 Um, one of them was, uh, uh, a 00:09:04.092 --> 00:09:12.172 billionaire. And, um, a- another situation where the brand, um, of the person was overtaking and overshadowing and, and really 00:09:12.212 --> 00:09:13.352 getting the media attention. 00:09:13.832 --> 00:09:16.162 Um, but with that came, um, conspiracy 00:09:16.492 --> 00:09:16.972 theories. 00:09:17.552 --> 00:09:18.162 Um, and 00:09:18.392 --> 00:09:22.272 we really thought there was three people on board, and only several hours after 00:09:22.812 --> 00:09:24.032 did the operator 00:09:24.212 --> 00:09:27.032 manage to, to confirm that the third person never 00:09:27.092 --> 00:09:27.852 boarded. Wow. 00:09:28.352 --> 00:09:32.312 So don't assume that that's some information that you'll be able to get quickly. 00:09:32.852 --> 00:09:36.032 Um, so but make sure that that is a process, that you know how you're 00:09:36.052 --> 00:09:39.972 gonna do it, um, because the authorities will want to know who was on board that 00:09:40.052 --> 00:09:44.132 aircraft, date of birth, nationality, passport numbers, things like that. That's a great 00:09:44.212 --> 00:09:50.612 point. Um, identify next of kin contact. Um, from what we spoke about earlier, that's probably one of the most 00:09:50.652 --> 00:09:51.072 important 00:09:51.112 --> 00:09:54.152 things that we wanna do, is to as quickly as 00:09:54.172 --> 00:09:55.992 possible reach out to the 00:09:56.012 --> 00:10:01.072 loved ones, um, of people on, you know, uh, involved in an incident or accident to start providing 00:10:01.092 --> 00:10:03.212 them with the information and the care that they deserve. 00:10:04.212 --> 00:10:06.012 Um, coordinate with authorities. We spoke 00:10:06.052 --> 00:10:11.032 about that earlier. Um, you need, as a responder, I've always said you really need to 00:10:11.072 --> 00:10:11.232 be, 00:10:11.812 --> 00:10:11.972 um, 00:10:12.392 --> 00:10:13.572 a diplomat, 00:10:14.092 --> 00:10:14.252 um, 00:10:15.032 --> 00:10:20.372 before anything else, because you may have to arrive on site where you don't have the relationship with authorities. 00:10:20.792 --> 00:10:24.992 You need to get a seat at the table. You need to share information and gather information from 00:10:25.032 --> 00:10:28.072 them. So to get there quickly and establish those relationships, 00:10:28.572 --> 00:10:28.732 um, 00:10:29.152 --> 00:10:31.132 uh, is quite important to your response. 00:10:31.752 --> 00:10:33.052 Um, it mentions here your holding 00:10:33.152 --> 00:10:39.012 statement. Um, I would generally bump that up a little bit earlier. If you've got your crisis communications 00:10:39.392 --> 00:10:43.992 plan ready to be able to issue a holding statement to say, "We are aware of reports that 00:10:44.052 --> 00:10:46.352 one of our aircraft might have been involved in an incident," 00:10:46.752 --> 00:10:52.472 that is really a way that you can establish yourself very early on as a credible source of information, 00:10:52.952 --> 00:10:53.952 um, to the media and 00:10:54.032 --> 00:10:59.032 the families. So issue that pretty quickly. Yeah, absolutely. And it's probably important to make sure that this is 00:10:59.052 --> 00:11:04.152 all done in advance and coordinated if there is indeed a corporate function where- 00:11:04.796 --> 00:11:08.996 PR might want to be the centralized point of contact for that type of holding 00:11:09.096 --> 00:11:12.036 statement- Yes ... because it may not necessarily come from the flight department, correct? 00:11:12.336 --> 00:11:17.216 No, absolutely. So your comms team will be heavily involved. Yeah. And that's another bit that I would say, 00:11:17.636 --> 00:11:22.156 as part of your ERP, you need to have a, a, a crisis communications plan as well, 00:11:22.516 --> 00:11:23.016 and they need 00:11:23.056 --> 00:11:27.776 to talk to each other. Um, and it's really important to practice that all together at the same time because 00:11:27.836 --> 00:11:32.276 you have, um, we always say, "Say what you do and do what you say." So we've had incidents 00:11:32.296 --> 00:11:34.276 and accidents and crises around the world 00:11:34.776 --> 00:11:35.236 where, 00:11:35.296 --> 00:11:36.336 um, PR, 00:11:36.796 --> 00:11:40.176 um, or the comms team have got really beautiful messages that they send 00:11:40.356 --> 00:11:45.976 out, but it doesn't necessarily correspond with what's happening on the ground. Indeed. Or the e- the, the statements get 00:11:46.036 --> 00:11:46.996 issued before people 00:11:47.036 --> 00:11:49.116 on the ground, um, uh, understand 00:11:49.136 --> 00:11:52.236 what's being said, so then they are faced with families asking 00:11:52.276 --> 00:11:58.136 questions that was in the media that your responders on the ground didn't know about. So you want to really, 00:11:58.236 --> 00:12:02.216 really coordinate the messaging, um, within your organization, 00:12:02.776 --> 00:12:04.316 um, and have them ready and approved 00:12:04.356 --> 00:12:11.756 beforehand. Yeah. And I would imagine having that harmonization back to, um, corporate headquarters or the larger part of the 00:12:11.796 --> 00:12:17.636 organizational structure is gonna be immensely important as well- Mm ... to make sure that, to your point, you know 00:12:17.696 --> 00:12:19.296 who's doing what, what that message 00:12:19.396 --> 00:12:24.036 says, and how this is coordinated across the board. So doing that well in advance is absolutely 00:12:24.076 --> 00:12:26.486 critical. And as we've, as we've highlighted, 00:12:26.856 --> 00:12:32.146 um, the ERP, it might be exclusive to just the flight department, but it's absolutely important to tie that 00:12:32.196 --> 00:12:34.166 into potentially other crisis plans, 00:12:34.556 --> 00:12:39.036 business continuity plans- Yes ... and make sure that that whole process is aligned. Yes, 00:12:39.116 --> 00:12:43.086 exactly, especially in the b- in the business world. Yeah. You may have your flight operation 00:12:43.116 --> 00:12:46.136 have their plans, but it forms very, you know, part 00:12:46.176 --> 00:12:48.376 of a bigger, um, corporate crisis 00:12:48.496 --> 00:12:51.696 plan. So it's really aligning all of those is important. 00:12:52.276 --> 00:12:52.396 Um, 00:12:52.696 --> 00:12:57.936 the next, uh, uh, uh, point there is decision to sending leadership to site. So base practice is really 00:12:58.036 --> 00:13:02.016 visible leadership- Mm-hmm ... in terms of a big incident or accident. 00:13:02.396 --> 00:13:03.996 So you want to think about sending 00:13:04.056 --> 00:13:05.956 someone out. In this case, it's in 00:13:06.096 --> 00:13:09.956 France. Um, so the... And I'm not a lawyer, so I'll come- I'll, I'll sort of 00:13:10.216 --> 00:13:10.976 say this with a bit of a 00:13:11.036 --> 00:13:17.436 caveat. Um, but there is, um, in France, I believe there'll be a criminal investigation that is alongside the technical 00:13:17.496 --> 00:13:23.025 investigation. So you need to understand the legal world that, that you're going to enter. Um, are you sending 00:13:23.036 --> 00:13:26.056 your leadership? Who are you sending, or are you sending a representative 00:13:26.176 --> 00:13:31.336 only? Um, you know, what does that look like? And if you are sending your CEO, who's gonna help 00:13:31.396 --> 00:13:36.486 you run the, the, the rest of your organization? Absolutely. Or in this case, where the CEO is one of 00:13:36.536 --> 00:13:39.076 the victims- Of course ... who is that proxy or who is 00:13:39.116 --> 00:13:42.796 that- Exactly ... individual that's been i- Yeah ... identified to pick up the reins? Exactly, 00:13:43.096 --> 00:13:48.116 yeah. Um, so the next three to six hours, um, family first. 00:13:48.456 --> 00:13:52.976 Always, always affected people. Yeah. Whatever you do, um, keep them in the forefront of 00:13:53.016 --> 00:13:56.516 your mind. Um, so here, direct next of kin notification. 00:13:56.976 --> 00:13:57.116 Um, 00:13:57.476 --> 00:14:02.076 I want to mention here that, um, it is really known that the person who gives 00:14:02.176 --> 00:14:07.976 you, um, the bad news, the deliverer of the bad news, their voice will forever resonate. I'm 00:14:08.036 --> 00:14:14.396 sure. So it may be worth thinking about, you know, some businesses I know, these are our people. 00:14:14.896 --> 00:14:17.076 I know the wife. We know sh- some of... 00:14:17.476 --> 00:14:18.056 We've had, um, 00:14:18.476 --> 00:14:20.156 operators where the wife works 00:14:20.236 --> 00:14:25.816 in the, you know, works in the flight department and has for many, many years. So those type of notifications, 00:14:25.896 --> 00:14:31.436 you may really, really wanna do that in-house. Um, but it may be really worth in your training program, 00:14:31.876 --> 00:14:35.096 those people who are going to make those notifications to have the training to do 00:14:35.156 --> 00:14:38.176 so. And then if they do it, do it perhaps alongside 00:14:38.236 --> 00:14:43.736 a professional and give them the mental health support afterwards because it's a very difficult phone call to make. Yeah. 00:14:43.936 --> 00:14:44.086 That's 00:14:44.156 --> 00:14:49.056 excellent. Um, but we do need to, to notify them. And when I say notification, I'm 00:14:49.096 --> 00:14:52.016 very careful. It is notification of involvement. 00:14:52.416 --> 00:14:54.016 It is not notification of, 00:14:54.496 --> 00:14:54.676 um, 00:14:54.996 --> 00:14:57.096 uh, uh, whether they, you know, the status of the, 00:14:57.456 --> 00:14:58.976 um- I see ... of the person. That's an important 00:14:59.016 --> 00:15:01.016 distinction. Yes. Yeah, very much so. 00:15:02.116 --> 00:15:07.036 Um, then you've gotta think about everything that needs to be arranged, um, logistics of flying the families in, 00:15:07.116 --> 00:15:10.036 securing, um, travel and accommodation, perhaps 00:15:10.096 --> 00:15:15.236 visas, um, medical liaison, uh, liaison with the, um, uh, with the injured, 00:15:15.716 --> 00:15:17.456 um, trauma counseling services. 00:15:17.756 --> 00:15:21.976 You know, all of the logistics of getting the families in and out of the country to, 00:15:22.095 --> 00:15:22.996 and, and how long they're gonna 00:15:23.056 --> 00:15:24.996 be there for is, um, what you need 00:15:25.036 --> 00:15:25.775 to think about. 00:15:26.416 --> 00:15:29.916 Um, and then prepare for your internal employee communications. You know, 00:15:30.116 --> 00:15:31.086 I have really 00:15:31.216 --> 00:15:33.156 seen, um, two sides 00:15:33.396 --> 00:15:33.696 of, 00:15:34.056 --> 00:15:41.006 uh, an, uh, an incident where your employees can be the biggest advocates for your organization, 00:15:41.536 --> 00:15:42.416 um, in times 00:15:42.556 --> 00:15:48.196 of, uh, incident or accident or crisis, whatever that may be. I know we're talking here specifically about an accident. 00:15:48.756 --> 00:15:52.216 Um, but they can be your advocates. They fly the flag for your organization. 00:15:52.676 --> 00:15:54.976 Um, and it can also be the opposite. So if you had 00:15:55.036 --> 00:16:01.076 a culture which is quite toxic or, you know, that gets exposed in, um, in bad times. 00:16:01.416 --> 00:16:01.956 So if you've got a 00:16:02.016 --> 00:16:07.096 wonderful, healthy, um, uh, collaborative culture in your organization, it really serves you well. 00:16:07.636 --> 00:16:11.956 Um, but one of the key things is to communicate with your staff, keep them up to 00:16:12.036 --> 00:16:16.656 date, keep them in the loop. Um, this is their work family. This is their brand. This is, you know, 00:16:16.716 --> 00:16:17.936 you, you think about how much time you 00:16:18.016 --> 00:16:23.766 spend at work, um, they really need to also know- Yeah ... what's going on. That's an excellent point. And 00:16:23.836 --> 00:16:26.996 I think you've mentioned this, uh, but I think it's worth touching on 00:16:27.036 --> 00:16:34.976 again. You highlighted that sometimes the brand of the individual, and in this instance perhaps it's a CEO that's well-known 00:16:35.016 --> 00:16:36.116 in one capacity or the other, 00:16:36.956 --> 00:16:43.436 that starts to overshadow even the incident itself. So it's probably even more important to make sure that that spokesperson, 00:16:43.716 --> 00:16:44.476 the statements, 00:16:44.956 --> 00:16:51.016 all of this is aligned to make sure that you can communicate effectively here and ensure that everybody's 00:16:51.156 --> 00:16:53.056 being taken care of the way they should be, 00:16:53.616 --> 00:16:56.316 despite how that individual might, 00:16:57.446 --> 00:16:59.976 that, de- despite how that individual might actually 00:17:00.016 --> 00:17:04.165 be, um, categorized in the press in comparison to what's happened 00:17:04.236 --> 00:17:10.856 here actually- Um, from an accident standpoint. Exactly. And when you, when we talk about spokesperson, um, we talk about 00:17:10.876 --> 00:17:16.116 the spokesperson who will be briefing the families, and it might not always be the same person, 00:17:16.675 --> 00:17:22.346 um, versus the spokesperson who will be addressing the media. I see. Um, and it's also very important that 00:17:22.376 --> 00:17:24.996 the, the message of, um, of the 00:17:25.056 --> 00:17:28.996 operator is, "Our concern lies with the people on board and the affected people 00:17:29.016 --> 00:17:31.986 and their loved ones. Um, this is how to reach us. This is 00:17:32.016 --> 00:17:37.756 what we are doing. Um, and of course, we are invest- we are supporting the investigation." Yeah. Um, but it's 00:17:37.796 --> 00:17:42.176 very, very, um, hard, like we say, the... if the, if the brand of the person 00:17:42.216 --> 00:17:45.956 is bigger, um, than the accident, that all media attention can go 00:17:46.236 --> 00:17:47.096 to, um, 00:17:47.416 --> 00:17:53.096 to that- They do ... um, as opposed to we need to really focus here on everybody that was involved 00:17:53.136 --> 00:17:57.976 and all the families that have been affected. Yeah, so the situation compounds. Exactly. We, we do have to 00:17:58.016 --> 00:18:03.696 make sure that of course we, um, we, we know that in the case of VIPs, there's, uh, there's perhaps 00:18:03.756 --> 00:18:04.016 extra 00:18:04.056 --> 00:18:06.176 complexities, but we mustn't seem 00:18:06.336 --> 00:18:13.206 to be given any prefer- preferential care for the, the families, irrespective of, of who, who they are. Absolutely. 00:18:13.226 --> 00:18:14.296 It's an important facet. 00:18:14.316 --> 00:18:20.146 Exactly, yeah. Um, oh, there's a me- a point at the end, um, prepare for an influx of media inquiries. 00:18:20.196 --> 00:18:21.396 We spoke about that earlier. 00:18:21.956 --> 00:18:25.316 Um, but, uh, I've seen, um, the communications person 00:18:25.736 --> 00:18:28.976 of an organization say, "Yes, we'll just, you know, give my t- my mobile 00:18:29.056 --> 00:18:32.636 number out, um, to the media," and I really wanna, 00:18:33.056 --> 00:18:38.336 uh, whenever I hear that, just say, please just think about this very, very carefully, because you may be 00:18:38.456 --> 00:18:38.946 absolutely 00:18:39.016 --> 00:18:45.816 inundated. Issue a media number that is specific for media inquiries. Have a little team that finds out who's the 00:18:45.836 --> 00:18:48.016 person calling, who do they represent, what's their deadline, 00:18:48.036 --> 00:18:50.136 what's their questions, and then as a team, 00:18:50.596 --> 00:18:56.136 um, with your comms specialists, um, decide, are we going to just issue our standard statement? Are we going 00:18:56.176 --> 00:19:02.076 to address this specific, um, inquiry? Are we going to meet with this, um, media for an interview? Absolutely. 00:19:02.096 --> 00:19:07.206 And is that something that GoCrisis can help with? 'Cause I would imagine some operators may not have the internal 00:19:07.296 --> 00:19:13.535 capacity to set up and sustain a function like that. So is that something where GoCrisis can help with media 00:19:13.595 --> 00:19:20.076 communications, establishing a call center, that single point of contact? Absolutely. Absolutely. And I, I say this also 00:19:20.136 --> 00:19:27.196 with, um, with caution because we always say to our clients, "It is your accident. It is your aircraft. It's 00:19:27.316 --> 00:19:29.136 your passengers. It's your crew. It's 00:19:29.236 --> 00:19:33.096 your brand." They have to own and manage and be in 00:19:33.156 --> 00:19:39.736 control of that. Um, but we come with all the advice, all the experience, and all the resources to help 00:19:39.776 --> 00:19:42.116 you navigate that, including the media. 00:19:42.696 --> 00:19:45.276 Um, what we would always try and steer away 00:19:45.356 --> 00:19:51.036 from is, um, is speaking for you on your behalf. I understand. You really need to own that. 00:19:51.136 --> 00:19:53.855 We can brief you, we can guide you, we can 00:19:54.016 --> 00:19:57.056 do, uh, the moderation at the time, and we can set 00:19:57.116 --> 00:20:00.936 up the media, uh, um, uh, conferences for you. We can do everything. We can 00:20:01.016 --> 00:20:01.696 gather the media, 00:20:02.176 --> 00:20:06.116 um, uh, you know, the, the influx of media inquiries. We can do 00:20:06.196 --> 00:20:08.996 everything that involves the search capacity that you 00:20:09.036 --> 00:20:14.866 need to have, but ultimately, you need to stand there as, as the leadership of your organization and represent your 00:20:14.896 --> 00:20:15.916 brand. Absolutely. 00:20:18.456 --> 00:20:19.936 Um, six to 24 00:20:20.036 --> 00:20:26.116 hours, um, CEO message to the employees. So in this scenario, let's imagine the CEO, 00:20:26.596 --> 00:20:28.086 um, he, he survived and 00:20:28.156 --> 00:20:33.396 he- He did ... in our, in our scenario. But, but we can assume potentially incapacitated or something that would 00:20:33.436 --> 00:20:38.976 preclude the individual from actually being able to issue- Yes ... the message. So whether it is the CEO, let's 00:20:39.056 --> 00:20:40.976 say if we have a, a situation where 00:20:41.036 --> 00:20:47.076 he is, you know, speaking from his hospital bed, that could be an incredible message that goes out. Um, 00:20:47.136 --> 00:20:48.076 or if he doesn't, who 00:20:48.116 --> 00:20:53.996 is his deputy? Um, but that, um, message to employees from the CEO, um, if it could be, you know, 00:20:54.196 --> 00:20:54.996 a, a, 00:20:55.176 --> 00:21:00.816 a letter that is signed, um, by whoever the person is to thank them for their support and to encourage 00:21:00.856 --> 00:21:06.736 them, because often employees may not wanna operate the aircraft or they are severely affected, and we do wanna support 00:21:06.776 --> 00:21:09.976 them, but we also wanna encourage them to help us continue our 00:21:10.016 --> 00:21:14.076 operations. Um, activate, um, Paris on-site response 00:21:14.176 --> 00:21:17.885 teams. So, um, by six to 12 hours, I would expect that 00:21:18.056 --> 00:21:23.096 a go team, um, that consists of humanitarian teams, and we can support with that if, if you don't 00:21:23.156 --> 00:21:25.136 have that in-house, um, which we call 00:21:25.176 --> 00:21:29.316 our care team, your legal team, insurance, the investigat- uh, the investigations 00:21:29.456 --> 00:21:31.116 teams, uh, or the engineer. 00:21:31.236 --> 00:21:32.996 You know, they are on the aircraft 00:21:33.056 --> 00:21:35.856 on the way, um, uh, en route by this time, 00:21:36.096 --> 00:21:40.896 I would think. Um, or if, if it is us supporting the client, then we probably have boots on the 00:21:40.956 --> 00:21:43.096 ground, um, as quickly as we possibly can. 00:21:43.736 --> 00:21:47.056 Um, secure your crew training records. We touched on, on all of those 00:21:47.116 --> 00:21:51.096 things. Um, and then prepare for the, um, the judicial 00:21:51.156 --> 00:21:55.456 inquiry, um, and, uh, potential site access limitation. 00:21:55.556 --> 00:22:04.376 Absolutely. And Elmire, in this scenario where the operator is likely an American-registered aircraft, 00:22:04.856 --> 00:22:05.256 American 00:22:05.296 --> 00:22:09.086 company, in an American-manufactured aircraft, the incident's 00:22:09.116 --> 00:22:15.346 occurred in France. Who else can we expect that might be a party to this technical investigation or other elements 00:22:15.416 --> 00:22:18.596 of this incident? So you can be sure that the NTSB- 00:22:18.856 --> 00:22:23.916 Ah, okay ... and the manufacturer will be involved. Um, if it is a, um, it's usually the, the site 00:22:23.936 --> 00:22:23.996 of 00:22:24.036 --> 00:22:26.096 occurrence. I see. Um, then the st- 00:22:26.106 --> 00:22:27.086 the, where the aircraft is 00:22:27.096 --> 00:22:32.916 registered, um, and also the manufacturer that is involved, and of course the NTSB will be involved here. Um, which 00:22:32.956 --> 00:22:34.106 is very reassuring in, 00:22:34.106 --> 00:22:39.086 in, um, in situations when I hear that they're involved, that there's an elemant- element of, of reassurance 00:22:39.086 --> 00:22:39.805 for me always. 00:22:40.436 --> 00:22:40.996 Um, but 00:22:41.036 --> 00:22:45.396 yes, uh, the, uh, they require, um, a lot of information from you, 00:22:45.496 --> 00:22:52.056 um, so, uh, be ready to, to know what information to provide and your rights also as an operator. Absolutely. 00:22:52.136 --> 00:22:55.056 So all the more important to make sure that in that ERP you 00:22:55.096 --> 00:22:57.116 understand whatever your 00:22:57.176 --> 00:23:02.016 country of registration, there may be an element, even if you've experienced an incident or a 00:23:02.076 --> 00:23:07.936 mishap in another jurisdiction, there might be a reachback component. So you need to probably spell that out and make 00:23:07.956 --> 00:23:11.676 sure that you have the ability to bring all of that information, documentation, 00:23:12.036 --> 00:23:15.176 and be able to work in a multi-jurisdictional format. Yes, 00:23:15.316 --> 00:23:19.196 exactly. And, and litigation may unfold in, in different countries 00:23:19.206 --> 00:23:24.064 as well. Um, the last point there is, uh, access limitations to the site has actually, um, 00:23:24.464 --> 00:23:27.124 reminded me of something to, uh, to talk 00:23:27.184 --> 00:23:33.444 about, um, is, uh, we've had an accident, um, where we assumed, um, 00:23:33.504 --> 00:23:37.914 that another lesson... We learn lessons all the time. We assumed that the police were securing the 00:23:38.044 --> 00:23:42.964 site, and, um, they left the site unsecure overnight. It was a crash in a, 00:23:43.004 --> 00:23:50.984 in a hillside, um, somewhere in Europe. And the, um, the police didn't secure the site. The pilot's wife walked, 00:23:51.224 --> 00:23:53.124 she climbed up the hill, she walked onto 00:23:53.184 --> 00:23:56.204 the crash site, and she picked up her husband's watch. Wow. 00:23:57.364 --> 00:24:02.964 So one of the things that we really establish early on is securing that site. Is 00:24:03.004 --> 00:24:06.064 it secure? Who is doing it? And to make sure that from the operator's 00:24:06.084 --> 00:24:11.224 perspective, um, that, that if, if it's not done by authorities, that we need to think about that. 00:24:11.284 --> 00:24:16.094 Yeah. Um, because, uh, obviously not only for, you know, for the investigation, 00:24:16.604 --> 00:24:18.434 um, but also for the personal effects 00:24:18.764 --> 00:24:20.174 which we need to go gather, 00:24:20.664 --> 00:24:26.114 um, and hand back to the families. Absolutely. And I would imagine in some jurisdictions it's even more important because 00:24:26.144 --> 00:24:27.074 if that sec- if that 00:24:27.104 --> 00:24:30.224 site is not secure, could compromise the investigation. 00:24:30.624 --> 00:24:31.844 You could have, 00:24:31.984 --> 00:24:39.984 um, outside curious individuals potentially even going into that site and retrieving wreckage or other personal effects that, 00:24:40.094 --> 00:24:40.944 um, that obviously 00:24:41.004 --> 00:24:46.744 you would wanna make sure are either still part of the investigation or returned to the family eventually. Yeah. Exactly. 00:24:46.784 --> 00:24:51.084 And in, in many parts of the world we have seen looting of the crash site. Yeah. So we, we 00:24:51.144 --> 00:24:54.124 really need to make sure that we, um, take care of that. 00:24:54.164 --> 00:25:01.144 That's a great point. Uh, 12 to 24 hours, um, families may arrive in 00:25:01.184 --> 00:25:06.154 Paris. Um, and we have to think about, you know, how are they flying? Um, are we meeting 00:25:06.204 --> 00:25:11.364 them at the departing station or as they arrive in Paris? Do we have someone that can help them navigate 00:25:11.424 --> 00:25:13.064 locally, the language and, you know, 00:25:13.104 --> 00:25:14.424 the, the environment 00:25:14.484 --> 00:25:17.264 there? Um, establishing a family assistance center. 00:25:17.744 --> 00:25:19.044 Some families may not want to 00:25:19.644 --> 00:25:23.254 f- uh, fly to the center. So when I say family assistance center, I don't wanna assume people know exactly 00:25:23.284 --> 00:25:29.024 what that is. But it is usually a hotel, um, that we, um, set up and it's got functional 00:25:29.124 --> 00:25:29.564 areas. 00:25:29.604 --> 00:25:32.304 So areas for the police to meet with the families, 00:25:32.724 --> 00:25:36.104 um, areas for childcare, areas to provide briefing 00:25:36.144 --> 00:25:39.944 for the families. Um, because remember, there could be quite a number of people flying 00:25:40.024 --> 00:25:45.834 in. Um, so we set up the family assistance center where we, um, we provide all these different services and 00:25:45.864 --> 00:25:51.284 support. But families might choose not to travel, and then they have to have access to the same information 00:25:51.304 --> 00:25:53.104 and the same support in their own 00:25:53.144 --> 00:25:58.444 communities. Um, so we need to set that up and, and make sure that everything's there and that it's secure 00:25:58.454 --> 00:26:00.944 and that there's security also. Um, we need to know 00:26:01.004 --> 00:26:07.144 who's there, um, and, uh, what information we are giving them. Um, con- uh, confirm insurance advance payments 00:26:07.164 --> 00:26:10.774 for families. So remember earlier on I said one of the first calls that you would make- Yeah ... is 00:26:10.844 --> 00:26:12.084 to your lawyer and your insurer. 00:26:12.684 --> 00:26:16.124 Um, and, uh, in this instance that, you know, they start the process 00:26:16.164 --> 00:26:18.414 of those, um, interim payments to families. 00:26:19.044 --> 00:26:23.024 Um, and then the legal team prepares for US litigation exposure, 'cause remember 00:26:23.084 --> 00:26:26.024 I said it doesn't matter where the accident happens. Absolutely. Litigation unfolds in different 00:26:26.044 --> 00:26:30.164 parts. Um, and then your French civil or criminali- uh, criminal procedures. 00:26:32.624 --> 00:26:34.024 And that brings us to the end. All right. Well, 00:26:34.124 --> 00:26:40.464 thank you. And, uh, really, really appreciate this, Ann Marie. Really great information. I think quite a lot for our 00:26:40.524 --> 00:26:47.024 audience to think through here. And I think also important to realize that the Go Crisis MedAir partnership and 00:26:47.104 --> 00:26:52.144 some of the new programs that we are going to begin to offer, especially in the realm of Contingency 00:26:52.324 --> 00:26:59.444 360, will really help operators of any size hopefully do a better job of being able to bring together 00:26:59.564 --> 00:27:02.094 all of these complexities. Again, as we've talked 00:27:02.144 --> 00:27:05.504 about, the eventualities that are out there are probably 00:27:07.064 --> 00:27:07.684 multiple. 00:27:07.704 --> 00:27:11.064 Mm-hmm. How do you account for everything? You probably can't. Yeah. The contingencies are 00:27:11.124 --> 00:27:17.364 just too great. But you can do a lot to think through in advance what are some of the areas 00:27:17.424 --> 00:27:20.024 where, from lessons learned, we can bring in those 00:27:20.064 --> 00:27:26.744 best practices, create a better ERP, create a better system in advance for when and if we have to end 00:27:26.804 --> 00:27:34.544 up activating our ERP to help make sure that we are taking care of not only the individuals directly affected 00:27:34.644 --> 00:27:34.954 in that 00:27:35.004 --> 00:27:37.104 incident, but all of those 00:27:37.484 --> 00:27:39.044 affected in some adjacent manner 00:27:39.104 --> 00:27:42.164 as well. Exactly. Exactly. And I think that if you have a good ERP 00:27:42.284 --> 00:27:47.374 program, um, that involves your plans, your checklists, your roles, your structure, 00:27:47.844 --> 00:27:51.974 your culture, um, you know, how you train, how you exercise, all of that 00:27:52.024 --> 00:27:56.864 is in place, um, you will still meet a point, uh, where you are damned if you do and you 00:27:56.884 --> 00:27:57.024 are 00:27:57.044 --> 00:28:02.004 damned if you don't. Um, and what we always use as, um, as our 00:28:02.044 --> 00:28:02.914 guiding light, 00:28:03.424 --> 00:28:07.154 um, is, uh, if this was my family, what would they need? 00:28:07.804 --> 00:28:13.064 Um, so if you think about the people most affected, um, what would they want your CEO to say 00:28:13.104 --> 00:28:16.024 in the next media briefing? Who would they want to, um, 00:28:16.364 --> 00:28:20.004 plan their flights? Who would they want to meet and greet them? What language would they want that 00:28:20.044 --> 00:28:20.344 person 00:28:20.384 --> 00:28:23.124 to speak? Um, what culture would they want that person 00:28:23.164 --> 00:28:24.104 to be? Um, 00:28:24.304 --> 00:28:28.914 you know, everything that you do, if you just think, "If this was my mom or dad, what would they 00:28:28.984 --> 00:28:31.004 need?" you can be sure you will be doing 00:28:31.044 --> 00:28:34.724 the right thing, and you'll be automatically taking care of your organization 00:28:34.764 --> 00:28:34.924 too. 00:28:35.234 --> 00:28:39.974 Yeah. Absolutely. Thank you again, Ann Marie. Thank you. I love working with you, John, and MedAir. Yeah. So thanks 00:28:40.024 --> 00:28:40.984 for having me. Appreciate 00:28:41.004 --> 00:28:41.124 it.