Creating Self-Directed Resiliency Plans for General Aviation Airports (2024)
Chapter: Tool K: Communications and Collaboration Guidelines
TOOL K
Communications and Collaboration Guidelines
This Communications and Collaboration Guidelines information is meant to aid in your methodology and approach to communicate and coordinate with internal and external stakeholders before, during, and after an incident. This tool is intended to be complementary to any communication and coordination plans already in place and is only meant to provide supplemental information you may be missing. It should in no way override any required standards or templates you currently have in place. Airports are encouraged to tailor these guidelines to their needs.
Introduction
Communication and coordination with stakeholders are central components of resilience for GA airports. To prepare for potential shocks and stressors, effectively and efficiently respond to their impacts, and strengthen response and recovery following those impacts, airports must be able to build and maintain relationships with internal stakeholders (e.g., airport staff and tenants) and external stakeholders (e.g., local emergency responders, nearby neighbors and communities, and government agencies). Effective communication and collaboration with relevant entities is the primary vehicle for establishing these relationships and ensuring a consistent and coordinated incident response.
This document provides best practices and resources for communicating and collaborating with stakeholders before, during, and after an incident and suggestions for documenting lessons learned after an incident. This advice is not comprehensive—it is intended to provide a foundation for building a detailed and holistic stakeholder outreach plan and is supplemented by the Emergency Communications Plan template found within the Resiliency Toolkit. Many GA airports have existing communication and coordination plans and procedures; this plan is intended to provide additional ideas and resources to supplement any existing guidelines. Airports can apply these suggestions generally to fit numerous types of shocks and stressors or adapt to fit a specific shock or stressor.
Types of Stakeholders
When creating a plan for communication and coordination, it is essential to identify the types of stakeholders who need to be involved during pre-incident planning and activities; incident response; and post-incident recovery, review, and documentation. Stakeholders should be
identified before an incident, during a steady-state or “blue skies” period. Creating and maintaining a database of external partners who are required for disaster response during pre-incident planning allows airport staff to respond to any given shock or stressor more efficiently and effectively. Understanding the internal and external entities who must communicate and collaborate before, during, and after an incident eliminates confusion, redundancy, and delays that could impact airport operations. This applies not only to external partners, such as first responders and local government officials, but to stakeholders impacted by the incident, such as tenants and on-field businesses. Airport staff must maintain a line of communication with airfield tenants and businesses and, when necessary, coordinate with those entities to mitigate the loss of life and damage to property or equipment.
Best Practices
Building and updating a physical database of stakeholders is an excellent tool for airport staff to establish communication and collaboration procedures before, during, and after an incident. In addition to simply listing out all stakeholders and their corresponding contact information, airports should consider adding an optimal communication and collaboration strategy for each entity in the database. This strategy should outline procedures for stakeholder outreach during steady-state or “blue skies” operations and during pre-incident preparations, incident response, and after-action recovery and review. Strategies can be specific to each shock or stressor or applicable to various shocks and stressors.
The following table provides an example framework that airport staff can use as a foundation for creating their stakeholder outreach strategy database. The table outlines the types of stakeholders and their respective communication and collaboration strategy for each phase of the incident life cycle. The types of stakeholders listed in the table do not comprise an exhaustive list and are merely a starting point for airports to use and adapt to fit their needs.
| Stakeholder | Communication and Collaboration Strategy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steady-State | Pre-Incident | Incident | Post-Incident | |
| Airport staff | ||||
| Airport tenants | ||||
| Local government entities | ||||
| State government entities | ||||
| First responders | ||||
| Private-sector partners | ||||
| Local community | ||||
Stakeholder Engagement
Effective stakeholder engagement is the cornerstone for building, maintaining, and strengthening communication and collaboration to improve incident preparedness and response. GA airports can use several strategies to maximize engagement with tenants, the local community, and private- and public-sector partners. This section provides best practices and resources for stakeholder outreach and relationship-building.
Best Practices
- Create and maintain a database of all tenants, on-site businesses, and vendors with corresponding contact information and procedures for communication and coordination through the incident life cycle.
- Create and maintain a database of all local government, first responders, and private-sector stakeholders with corresponding contact information and procedures for communication and coordination through the incident life cycle.
- Maintain an online profile, primarily through an airport website, that provides information on airport background, available services and operations, contact information, and airport events.
- Update this profile as frequently as possible.
- Use social media profiles as a secondary source of information.
- Conduct events and activities that are open to the local community, such as the following:
- Airport Open House offerings,
- Flyover days,
- Local tours, and
- Presentations at local schools.
- Ensure that all communications and messaging are accessible to all stakeholders and community members.
- Translate communications, signage, and social media/online content into local languages as needed.
- Provide accessible versions of communications, signage, and social media/online content (e.g., screen reader-friendly content, alternate text for images, braille lettering on signs).
- Reach out to local first responders to conduct joint training and, as resources allow, tabletop or full-scale response exercises to establish and strengthen coordination before, during, and after an incident.
- Some first-responder departments may conduct exercises independently—it may be possible to discuss allowing airport personnel to participate in some exercises.
Resources
- ACRP 02-92 resiliency case studies, found in the Resiliency Toolkit:
- St. Charles County Smartt Airport
- Pine Bluff Regional Airport
- Arlington Municipal Airport
- Alaska Division of Statewide Aviation
- ACRP Synthesis 73: Emergency Communications Planning for Airports (Smith et al. 2016)
- FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Handbook (2023b)
- ACRP Research Report 201: Airport Emergency Communications for People with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs (IEM 2019)
Before a Shock or Stressor
This section provides best practices and resources for pre-incident communications.
Best Practices
- Send updates on potential or impending incidents that may disrupt airport operations to all relevant authorities and airport tenants, as well as any businesses, vendors, or contractors with on-field infrastructure or equipment.
- Communicate any anticipated requests or needs for governmental assistance (e.g., surge staff) before the impending incident, if possible.
- Communicate any emergency response needs to local or on-site first responders before the impending incident, if possible.
- Coordinate with local or on-site first responders as well as tenants and on-site businesses to evacuate people, property, or equipment if necessary.
- Coordinate with all external partners on rendezvous points, paths of entry and exit, and safety hazards on-site.
- Keep a reference sheet correlating the severity of the incident with the level and frequency of communication and coordination necessary for each relevant stakeholder.
- Create and maintain a step-by-step plan for staff to follow during airport incidents for communication and coordination.
Resources
- Database of all airfield tenants and on-site businesses
- Database of local first responders, relevant government entities, and private-sector partners (e.g., contractors needed for repairing damaged buildings)
- Emergency Communications Plan template, found in the Resiliency Toolkit
During a Shock or Stressor
This section provides best practices and resources for communications during an incident.
Best Practices
- Keep a physical reference sheet or card with relevant current emergency contact information in the event of a power outage or damage to digital files and update it at regular intervals.
- Maintain a constant line of communication with staff, tenants, and other external stakeholders regarding changes or disruptions to airport operations, damages to infrastructure and property, and potential relocation or movement of aircraft and equipment.
- Ensure that all partners working with airport staff are made aware of changes or updates to pre-existing plans to coordinate the response, evacuation, and other procedures.
- As necessary, coordinate with other GA airports in the region to temporarily house aircraft that must be evacuated or to accept redirected flights, or both.
- Keep communication cards that provide the airport with telephone priority access during an emergency, when phone lines may be clogged or overwhelmed.
- Maintain control over news media presence by controlling access points to the airport and keeping an SOP for media communications.
Resources
- Airport Emergency Plan template, found in the Resiliency Toolkit
- FEMA Incident Command System
- National Incident Management System (FEMA 2017a)
- FEMA IS-242.C: Effective Communication (FEMA 2021b)
- ACRP Synthesis 73: Emergency Communications Planning for Airports (Smith et al. 2016)
- ACRP Report 160: Addressing Significant Weather Impacts on Airports: Quick Start Guide and Toolkit (ICF International et al. 2016)
After a Shock or Stressor
This section provides best practices and resources for communications following an incident.
Best Practices
- Conduct an after-action review of the incident response with airport staff, as well as external responders, if possible.
- Create an AAR that includes lessons learned and best practices for emergency communications to strengthen communications strategies moving forward.
- Maintain communication and coordination with tenants and on-site businesses regarding resumption of airport operations, post-incident cleanup and repairs, and movement of aircraft and equipment.
- Coordinate with all relevant partners, such as state and local government entities, to conduct long-term recovery operations.
- These operations may include major structural repairs and updates to existing infrastructure.
- As necessary, coordinate with other GA airports in the region to redirect flights back to the airfield once operations are resumed.
- Trigger existing contracts for airfield cleanup and reconstruction, if applicable.
- Confirm and update tenant and external stakeholder contact information if necessary.
Resources
- ACRP Synthesis 73: Emergency Communications Planning for Airports (Smith et al. 2016)
- FEMA National Disaster Recovery Framework
- FEMA Case Study Library
- Local, Regional, and State Emergency Management Agencies
- Local, Regional, and State DOT Agencies
