Emergency Management at Canada's Largest Airport

The author explores the emergency management program at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Under the leadership of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA), emergency management is part of GTAA’s Airport Development Program. Airport participation in emergency management improvement adopts the aims of the Canadian Standard Association in consolidating best practice codes with private and public industry. The impacts of world events having significant life safety, environmental, and cross-jurisdictional components (i.e., the avian flu pandemic, major air crashes) have been incorporated into the airport’s emergency management planning. One example the author cites is based on the increased needs and expectation of passengers for customer service, safety and security. Planners now routinely include all victims of air crashes (including the affected families), especially in the aftermath of high profile air crashes and resulting legislation enacted in the United States that obligates both the government and air carriers flying in U.S. airspace. Also discussed is the role of Toronto-based non-traditional airport support services (unique to the airport) that work as special teams complementing more traditional emergency response services. The teams profiled include the GTAA GO Team, Pearson Crisis Support Team, and Pearson Family Support Team. The annual exercise program is another aspect of emergency response that is unique to the Pearson Airport Emergency Response Program. It includes a schedule of one full scale, 10 partial deployments, and six tabletop exercises. Considered to be aggressive, the exercise program is an annual requirement mandated by the Board of Directors that involves commitment throughout the year from the airport, along with the emergency response and emergency management agencies of the surrounding communities.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/37505394
• Authors:
  • Johanis, Deana
• Publication Date: 2006

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: pp 85-88
• Serial:
  • International Airport Review
  • Volume: 10
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Russell Publishing Limited
  • ISSN: 1366-6339
  • Serial URL: http://www.russellpublishing.com/pages/airport/airport1.html

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation crashes; Aircraft crash victims; Airlines; Airports; Airspace (Aeronautics); Annual; Best practices; Communities; Customer service; Disasters and emergency operations; Emergencies; Emergency management; Emergency training; Environmental impacts; Families; Federal government; Impacts; Industries; Laws and legislation; Passengers; Planning; Private enterprise; Safety and security; Teams
• Identifier Terms: Canadian Standards Association; Greater Toronto Airports Authority; Toronto Pearson International Airport
• Uncontrolled Terms: Avian flu; Support services
• Geographic Terms: Canada; Toronto (Canada); United States
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Environment; Law; Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Society; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01045276
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 11 2007 2:59PM