kenjenkins

With regards to an aviation disaster, one of the most important things the public (and the media) can do is to respect the privacy of the survivors and the family members.

Thankfully there are not many accidents to have to respond to. The day to day work is ER planning. Coordinating with other departments, exercising our plans etc. It can take months to successfully prepare for a full scale exercise. In addition, with in the airline industry we are prepared to respond to airline partners etc.... The amount of coordination, training and preparation is extensive.

Thank you for your kind words. It is hard at times. For the most part, we are able to compartmentalize the response from our everyday life. However, I have found over the years the importance of critical incident stress debriefs, defusing's etc are of great benefit.

Overall, there is a moderator/facilitator for the group and they ask questions regarding the response and how we are doing. Each participant has the opportunity to share or just listen. For me, it is very therapeutic as we can share how we are feeling in a safe, caring environment. We also hear how others are doing and many times find, we are all experiencing similar emotions.

Depends on the accident. For example, AA Flight 77 that was flown in to the Pentagon. There was a conspiracy theory that a missile hit the Pentagon not an actual plane. I take it very personally because our team worked with many of the families in the aftermath of that terrorist event. While I get upset, I believe it is more hurtful to the family members that are left behind. That more than anything is what makes me upset. The families have already lost a loved one. Now they have to hear the conspiracy theories.