Emergency
Planning: preparing
for failure
Whilst we all hope that our actions will prevent a disaster occurring, equally we must
prepare ourselves for every eventuality. Larry Wansley, former Manager Security
for American Airlines, shares his experience, and points us in the right direction to
professionally manage a tragedy should our best safety and security efforts fail.
P
ractically every professional more tragic because, after assessments, it
operating in the international is widely believed that many lives could have
business community is familiar been saved by a rapid and well coordinated
with the Boy Scouts of America motto, emergency response effort. The numbers
“BE PREPARED”. It is a frequently used are still being verified; however, it appears
expression; however, is there much that hundreds or perhaps thousands lost
follow through? We will discuss the their lives. Many thousands more were
reasons for preparation and emergency displaced, some to far off locales. Most,
planning and how it can be an important just like tsunami victims who survived, lost
and beneficial process. everything. Their hopes and dreams of a
Take a look back and reflect on how normal life are clouded at best. Emergency
the world has been stunned by terrorist planning and execution could have made a
events such as the 9/11 hijackings, bomb- lifelong difference.
ings in Bali, Madrid, London, at embassies, These and other recent events have
consulates, numerous government facilities acutely highlighted the need for disaster
and commercial establishments around the and emergency planning. There is a related
globe. The loss of life has reached massive need for companies to stay in business and
levels. continue operating while working through
We live and work in a state of constant the response and recovery process. There
threat of one type or another. Combine is a much better chance of success if
the multitude of criminal and terrorist acts advanced planning has taken place. The
and the natural disasters that have recently “Wake Up” call has been given at a national
struck the world and you will see that the and international level.
results are staggering. Tragedies such as As we move into yet another hurricane
the South Asian tsunami of 2004 which season in the Caribbean and Gulf Coast
killed tens of thousands of people and regions, there is a grave concern that the
hurricanes in the US gulf coast region that city, state and federal response assistance
were particularly devastating to the City of will once again be challenged to effectively
New Orleans, Louisiana. meet the needs of the population. It is
The city, state and federal response in New hoped that lessons learned will help raise
Orleans was significantly less that appropri- efficiency levels but that remains to be
ate. The result was scandalous and even seen. Therefore, levels of preparedness
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www�asi-mag�com April 2006 Aviationsecurityinternational
0407 asi v12n2 v1.indd 22 6/4/06 9:12:10 pm
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