Rapid and efficient responses during aircraft emergencies are critical, allowing your team to reach the scene and react quickly to reduce as much damage and loss of life as possible.
This is particularly important given the potential scale and severity of aircraft emergencies, both of which can escalate quickly.
Aircraft Emergency Systems (AES) can enhance your team’s response times and overall efficiency by automating processes, streamlining real-time alerts, and ensuring clear communication channels to keep your team informed even once they’re on the move.
This technology is lightyears ahead of traditional aircraft emergency response processes and tools, and in this post, we’ll explain the key benefits you can get from AES’s advanced features.
Key Takeaways:
- Advanced Aircraft Emergency Systems significantly reduce response times during aircraft emergencies through real-time alerts and automated processes
- Features like redundant alerting, clear communication channels, and battery backup enhance system reliability and effectiveness
- Implementing modern AES solutions addresses and overcomes common challenges in traditional emergency management, leading to improved safety outcomes
Challenges in Traditional Aircraft Emergency Response Systems
Before discussing AES more in-depth, it’s important to address the critical challenges that result from traditional aircraft emergency response systems.
These “legacy” systems— sometimes called the “red phone network”— are still used by a large number of airports and emergency response teams.
These systems rely on manual processes and often a single line of communication to convey critical emergency event details. They were also at high risk of potential failure. That said, many airports still utilize crash phones even after switching over to more modern systems, as they are still trusted for their reliability and familiarity.
AES helps to address the following three significant challenges for airports that only use the red phone network.
1. Communication Delays
Outdated legacy systems rely on a single line of communication, and often have little or no redundancy measures in place, which can make them prone to failure.
These factors can result in critical delays during both the initial dispatch and response updates. They can also result in miscommunications, or prevent the transfer of essential information during an emergency situation.
2. System Limitations
In addition to the high risk of failure and full dependence on potentially faulty technology, legacy systems have additional limitations that reduce their efficacy.
Many legacy systems today rely on satellite-based systems and VoIP solutions, but if the technology fails, there can be dropped calls, decreased call quality, and general reliability concerns.
3. Data Silos
A critical limitation is access to essential data. Dispatchers and response teams may find themselves scrambling to access key data that’s found in separate software or databases. This can slow down response times if they choose to search for the data, and can cause less effective and more risky responses if they are unable to find it.
If an incoming plane is expected to have a hot landing, for example, the response team will need to check weather and wind conditions to determine where the plane may land and whether factors like lightning could pose additional safety risks.
At the same time, someone needs to communicate with the pilot and inform them of the landing conditions.
Delays between these stations need to be minimized as much as possible so that aircrews get the most accurate and relevant information to avoid an emergency.
Time-Saving Measured Introduced by AES Software
Modern Aircraft Emergency Systems combats all the challenges caused by traditional legacy systems, providing swifter and more thorough response information when your teams need it most. Westnet’s Aircraft Emergency Systems, for example, offers three distinct time-saving measures:
- Instantaneous alerts
- Automated incident logging
- Simultaneous facility notification
Instantaneous Alerts
Aircraft Emergency Systems provide real-time alerts to all relevant parties.
Once triggered by Air Traffic Control, Westnet’s aircraft emergency response solution uses automated voice dispatch, voice and visual alerts, heart-friendly ramping tones, and email and text alerting to keep every responder up-to-date.
These instantaneous alerts allow ground crews to mobilize right away, improving response time and preparedness.
Automated Incident Logging
Advanced AES systems like Westnet’s automatically log essential incident information.
This reduces the administrative burden on your team during high-stakes situations while still tracking every incident detail.
Incident logging can be used for post-event analysis, which provides invaluable insights that can help improve training and safety calls. It may also be necessary for compliance purposes with regulatory requirements.
Simultaneous Facility Notification
Aircraft emergencies are often large in scale, requiring a coordinated response effort from multiple departments and agencies.
You’ll almost certainly need a specialized emergency response team, but you may also need assistance from EMS teams, firefighters, and police officers.
When this happens, you want each department and station to know as soon as possible, so they can mobilize quickly.
Modern AES software like Westnet uses simultaneous notifications, sending out emergency alerts to all pre-designated agencies and personnel.
The system integrates multiple emergency response units and their communication channels, creating a single platform for notification and collaboration as the incident response unfolds.
Advanced Features for Efficiency Gains
Just as AES software can offer time-saving measures, it also has multiple advanced features that can result in significant efficiency gains. These include:
- Redundant alerting systems
- Clear audio and visual communications
- Battery backup support
Redundant Alerting Systems
One of the riskier elements of legacy systems was the potential for notification or communication failure. Modern AES software eliminates this risk.
Aircraft Emergency Systems like Westnet’s offer redundant communication channels with a backup VoIP system, ensuring a consistent stream of information even if there’s an outage in the primary digital system.
All facilities will still receive notifications, allowing for faster mobilization even in widespread digital failure.
Clear Audio and Visual Communications
Clear communication channels are needed to provide essential incident response information and prevent miscommunication.
To keep all teams on the same page and to help them fully grasp all details of an emergency situation, Westnet leverages both clear audio and visual communications.
These include visual and verbal alerts and an easy-to-use dashboard for quick review, which can improve clarity and drastically reduce misunderstandings during a chaotic crisis.
These aren't locked down to a single terminal or device, either. That way, ground crews, pilots, emergency responders, and tower personnel all have access to up-to-date information that they need most.
Battery Backup Support
Modern AES systems address the dangerous risk of failed communication due to system failure, and it’s not just technology failure that needs to be considered.
These systems should also offer full battery backup support with redundant alerting systems, ensuring full functionality during both digital and power outages to guarantee uninterrupted operations.
For redundancy, many airports continue to use their crash phones as an alternate means of communication.
Doing so prioritizes efficiency and consistent responses regardless of potential real-world conditions.
Implementing AES Software in Airport Operations
If you’re still using a legacy system and are ready to switch to advanced AES software, we can help. Let’s discuss the process of implementing AES software in your airport operational processes.
Assessment of Current Systems
Before you choose or implement new technology, evaluate your existing emergency management setups. This includes:
- Reviewing what tools and software you’re already using, and what needs you still have
- How your team manages key functions like dispatch, alerting, and live updates throughout incident response
- Which features are essential for regulatory compliance, including incident response logging
- Key challenges with your existing solutions
- Which departments you need to coordinate with in the event of an aircraft emergency
This information will help you determine which software and processes you need to update to resolve existing obstacles and improve overall mobilization efficiency.
Steps to Integration
When integrating your new Aircraft Emergency System into your current operations, make sure you take these steps:
- System testing: After first implementing your new system, run a scheduled test at a slow time to ensure that all teams and stations are receiving alerts as planned
- Train your team: All team members will need training to understand how to use the new software, how to customize alerts, and how to respond to specific alerts if you’re changing any internal processes
- Monitor for potential bottlenecks: Watch for potential errors or inefficiencies in your internal processes; you can also ask for feedback from your responders to assess potential changes in process that may be needed
- Create a written process for teams to follow
Overcoming Potential Challenges
Any new implementation may have bumps while you iron out the details. Actively monitoring for potential challenges and collecting feedback from your team will help identify problems early for faster resolution.
Common obstacles may include:
- Internal resistance to new systems. Some team members dislike change, and may be resistant to learning new technology; remind them of how the new system will facilitate better responses and saved lives and require all team members to complete training
- Unoptimized alerting settings: Modern AES systems allow for customized alerting, and when implementing new processes, it may take some time to get it right; if you’re alerting too many people or not enough, review your department’s alert settings and adjust as needed
- Workflow adaptations: Your previous workflows may need to change with the new software; you won’t need to log incidents manually anymore, for example, but you will want to customize alerting settings for your team, so review process changes that need to happen upfront
Improve response times and outcomes with modern Aircraft Emergency Systems
Aircraft Emergency Systems plays a critical role in modernizing aircraft emergency responses across all participating departments and stations. Offering redundant, customizable alerts can improve efficiency and reduce miscommunication during stressful and urgent incidents.
While you may be reluctant to undergo the implementation process and costs of upgrading to advanced systems, they can directly impact overall incident outcomes.
When seconds can make a difference in the number of lives you save, you can increase safety, speed, and preparedness simultaneously to better protect both civilians and your first responders alike.
Ready to mobilize your team faster for safer and more reliable aircraft emergency responses? Learn more about Westnet’s AES.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the key features to look for in Aircraft Emergency Management Software?
Essential features include real-time alerting, automated incident logging, redundant communication channels, and integration capabilities with existing airport systems.
How do Aircraft Emergency Systems improve communication during an aircraft emergency?
Aircraft Emergency Systems streamline communication by providing clear audio and visual alerts, ensuring all relevant parties receive timely and accurate information simultaneously.
What steps are involved in integrating Aircraft Emergency Systems into current airport operations?
Integration involves assessing current systems, selecting compatible AES solutions, conducting staff training, and performing thorough system testing to ensure seamless operation during emergencies.