CHAPTER 24 AERODROME EMERGENCY PLANNING AND RESPONSE
24.01 Emergency committee
(1) Subsection (2) applies to an aerodrome that, in the course of a financial year, has:
(a) scheduled international air transport operations; or
(b) 350 000 or more air transport passenger movements.
(2) The aerodrome operator must have an aerodrome emergency committee:
(a) if paragraph (1) (a) applies — before scheduled international air transport operations commence; or
(b) if paragraph (1) (b) applies — not later than 3 months after the date of publication, by the Department, of the air transport passenger movement numbers for the aerodrome for the financial year.
(3) The emergency committee, in conjunction with the aerodrome operator, must do the following in accordance with this Chapter:
(a) prepare and maintain the aerodrome emergency plan for the aerodrome;
(b) plan the emergency response arrangements, including emergency preparation, testing and associated exercise activities;
(c) ensure an appropriate and commensurate response will occur in the event of a real emergency;
(d) review the plan:
(i) following a test, an exercise or a real activation of the aerodrome emergency plan for the aerodrome; and
(ii) if subparagraph (i) does not apply, at least annually.
Note See section 11.12 for the aerodrome manual requirements.
(4) Subject to section 24.02, if subsection (1) does not apply to an aerodrome, the aerodrome operator must:
(a) have appropriate emergency procedures; and
(b) ensure that the emergency procedures are part of the local emergency plan administered under the applicable emergency arrangements of the relevant State or Territory.
24.02 Aerodrome emergency plan
(1) Subsection (2) applies to an aerodrome that, in the course of a financial year, has:
(a) scheduled international air transport operations; or
(b) 50 000 or more air transport passenger movements; or
(c) 100 000 or more aircraft movements.
(2) The aerodrome operator must have an aerodrome emergency plan for the aerodrome:
(a) if paragraph (1) (a) applies — before scheduled international air transport operations commence; or
(b) if paragraph (1) (b) applies — not later than 6 months after the date of publication, by the Department, of the air transport passenger movement numbers for the aerodrome for the financial year; or
(c) if paragraph (1) (c) applies — not later than 6 months after the date the aerodrome operator becomes aware of information indicating that, for the first time under this MOS, there have been 100 000 or more aircraft movements at the aerodrome in the course of the financial year.
(3) The aerodrome emergency plan must describe the following:
(a) the composition of the aerodrome emergency committee (if established);
(b) the procedures for liaison with emergency response authorities established under the applicable State or Territory emergency management legislation;
(c) notification procedures to initiate an emergency response;
(d) the role and function of the aerodrome operator’s personnel during an emergency;
(e) the aerodrome’s emergency facilities and equipment, and the procedures for keeping them in readiness for an emergency;
(f) the aerodrome operator’s procedures for an operational response to an emergency, including procedures for the following:
(i) aerodrome access;
(ii) escorting people off the aerodrome;
(iii) emergency assembly;
(iv) establishing an emergency command post;
(v) setting up aerodrome emergency facilities, including reception facilities (as applicable);
(vi) establishing emergency communications systems (as applicable);
(vii) preserving the safety of the movement area during an emergency;
(viii) airside emergency response by aerodrome operator’s personnel;
(g) for a controlled aerodrome — the procedures for a local stand-by;
(h) the procedures to return the aerodrome to operational status after an emergency;
(i) the arrangements for periodic review of the aerodrome emergency plan.
Note: > Note
Note: See paragraph 24.01 (3) (d) for review requirements at aerodromes with an emergency committee.
(4) The aerodrome emergency plan must consider the following emergency scenarios:
(a) an aircraft crash;
(b) a full emergency;
(c) a disabled aircraft;
(d) a health or medical emergency involving a multiple casualty incident in an aircraft, as defined in the applicable State or Territory emergency management legislation;
(e) events involving hazardous materials on the movement area, including any spill whose volume or mass of hazardous material is likely to cause an adverse effect on the health or safety of any person, or the safety of any aircraft;
(f) an aircraft fire:
(i) within a location that would affect the safety of other aircraft, for example, aircraft docked to the terminal via an aerobridge; or
(ii) on the movement area;
(g) other emergencies likely to present a hazard to aircraft.
(5) If an aerodrome is one:
(a) mentioned in subsection (1); and
(b) whose boundary is a shoreline, or directly accesses an open body of water;
then the aerodrome emergency plan must include arrangements for water rescue.
Note Water rescue may be provided by the ARFFS if present at the aerodrome. If water rescue is exclusively provided by the ARFFS, a reference to the existence of their procedures is sufficient.
(6) Records of reviews, exercises and emergencies conducted under the aerodrome emergency plan must be:
(a) maintained for at least 3 years after their creation; and
(b) made available to CASA on written request during that time.
24.03 Other emergency response arrangements
(1) An aerodrome to which section 24.02 does not apply must be clearly identified within the applicable local or state emergency response plan and emergency response arrangements.
(2) The aerodrome must have emergency response arrangements containing:
(a) procedures for liaison with emergency response authorities established under the applicable State or Territory emergency management legislation; and
(b) notification procedures for the emergency responders; and
(c) aerodrome access locations and access procedures; and
(d) procedures for the escorting of external vehicles and personnel (if applicable); and
Note External vehicles may include the vehicles of other emergency services.
(e) procedures for the setting up of aerodrome emergency facilities including communications systems (if available); and
(f) airside emergency response procedures to be followed by aerodrome personnel (if applicable); and
(g) procedures for preservation of movement area integrity during an emergency; and
(h) procedures to return the aerodrome to operational status after an emergency.
24.04 Aerodrome location details or maps for emergency agencies
(1) An aerodrome operator must make available to emergency agencies location details or maps of the aerodrome and its immediate vicinity.
(2) For subsection (1), the location details or maps must include:
(a) primary and secondary access points; and
(b) emergency assembly areas (if applicable); and
(c) if escorts for external vehicles are not provided by the aerodrome operator — details of any aerodrome hazards that are present.
Note Hazard information might include, for example, drainage infrastructure, open excavations, critical or sensitive areas for navigation and communication equipment, obscured foundations or footings.
24.05 Emergency preparedness — operators to whom section 24.02 applies
(1) An aerodrome operator to whom section 24.02 applies must test the aerodrome emergency plan:
(a) in the following exercises:
(i) a full-scale aerodrome emergency exercise conducted at intervals not exceeding 2 years;
(ii) in each intervening year — partial emergency exercises, for example, a tabletop exercise, to ensure that any deficiencies found during the full-scale aerodrome emergency exercise have been corrected; or
(b) in a series of modular tests in which:
(i) all modules are tested within 3 years; and
(ii) the interval between the test of any module and its previous test is not greater than 3 years; and
(iii) there is a full-scale aerodrome emergency exercise, but not sooner than 3 months before the expiry of the 3 years.
(2) An aerodrome operator to whom section 24.02 applies must complete a review of the aerodrome emergency plan not later than 30 days after any of the following:
(a) the conclusion of an emergency at the aerodrome;
(b) an exercise conducted in accordance with subsection (1);
for the purpose of correcting any deficiency found during the emergency or exercise.
(3) The procedures under the aerodrome emergency plan mentioned in subsection (2) must be reviewed with local emergency responders at least annually.
Note A tabletop exercise conducted between the aerodrome operator and their local emergency responders at least once every 24 months is also recommended to formally evaluate emergency response arrangements.
(4) Compliance with the timing requirements of subparagraphs (1) (a) (i), (1) (b) (iii), or subsection (3) may be deferred, in whole or part, for a maximum period of 24 months, with the approval in writing by CASA (subject to safety conditions, if any), if:
(a) the aerodrome emergency plan is activated during an actual emergency event which tested the functioning of the whole plan (the relevant emergency); and
(b) the aerodrome operator applies in writing for the deferral, and gives CASA written details of the following:
(i) the date, time and nature of the immediately previous emergency exercise or modular tests;
(ii) the date, time and nature of the relevant emergency on which the request for deferral is based;
(iii) all lead and support agencies that participated in the relevant emergency;
(iv) details of how the relevant emergency tested the functioning of the plan;
(v) details of any actions taken to correct any deficiencies found in the aerodrome emergency plan during the relevant emergency.
24.06 Emergency preparedness — operators to whom section 24.02 does not apply
(1) An aerodrome to which section 24.02 does not apply must have procedures for emergency preparedness which ensure that local emergency responders:
(a) are shown the location and operation of any applicable:
(i) aerodrome access points; and
(ii) aerodrome assembly areas; and
(iii) aerodrome emergency facilities and equipment; and
(b) are made aware of any hazardous storage facilities at the aerodrome, including fuel; and
(c) are made aware of any aerodrome or aviation-specific emergency procedures to be followed.
(2) The procedures under subsection (1) must be reviewed with local emergency responders at least once every 2 years.
Note A table-top exercise conducted between the aerodrome operator and their local emergency responders at least once every 24 months is also recommended to formally evaluate emergency response arrangements.