Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433)

Airport Emergency Plan

General

• 302.202 (1) After consultation with a representative sample of the air operators that use the airport and with organizations that may be of assistance during emergency operations at the airport or in its vicinity, the operator of an airport shall have and maintain an emergency plan for the purpose of identifying

  • (a) the emergencies that are likely to occur at the airport or in its vicinity and that could be a threat to the safety of persons or the operation of the airport;

  • (b) the measures to activate the emergency plan for each type of emergency;

  • (c) the organizations capable of providing assistance in an emergency; and

  • (d) any additional resources available at the airport and in the surrounding area.

• (2) The operator of an airport shall have and maintain a system of supervision and control that allows the operator to be able to manage the size and complexity of the emergencies referred to in paragraph (1)(a).

• (3) The operator of an airport shall

  • (a) keep at the airport, in the format of a manual, a copy of an updated version of the emergency plan; and

  • (b) provide a copy to the Minister on request.

• (4) The operator of an airport shall

  • (a) review the emergency plan at least once a year after consultation with a representative sample of the air operators that use the airport and the organizations identified in the emergency plan; and

  • (b) update the emergency plan as necessary to ensure its effectiveness in emergency operations.

Content

• 302.203 (1) In an emergency plan, the operator of an airport shall, at a minimum,

  • (a) identify the potential emergencies, including

    • (i) an aircraft accident or incident

      • (A) within the airport boundaries, and

      • (B) within a critical rescue and fire-fighting access area that extends 1000 m beyond the ends of a runway and 150 m at 90° outwards from the centreline of the runway, including any part of that area outside the airport boundaries,

    • (ii) an aircraft emergency declared by either air traffic services or a pilot,

    • (iii) a fuel spill that spreads at least 1.5 m in any direction or exceeds 12 mm in depth,

    • (iv) a medical emergency,

    • (v) a fire in which airport operations or passenger safety is threatened,

    • (vi) an emergency that is related to a special aviation event and that might have an impact on airport operations,

    • (vii) a natural disaster, and

    • (viii) any other emergency that is a threat or is likely to be a threat to the safety of persons or to the operation of the airport;

  • (b) identify the organizations capable of providing assistance during an emergency at an airport or in its vicinity, provide the telephone numbers and other contact information for each organization and describe the type of assistance each can provide;

  • (c) identify the other resources available at the airport and in the surrounding communities for use during emergency response or recovery operations and provide their telephone numbers and other contact information;

  • (d) describe for emergency situations the lines of authority and the relationships between the organizations identified in the emergency plan and describe how actions will be coordinated among all and within each of the organizations;

  • (e) identify for emergency situations the supervisors and describe the responsibilities of each;

  • (f) specify the positions occupied by the airport personnel who will respond to an emergency and describe the specific emergency response duties of each;

  • (g) identify the on-scene controller and describe the controller’s emergency response duties;

  • (h) provide authorization for a person to act as an on-scene controller or a supervisor if they are not airport personnel;

  • (i) set out the criteria to be used for positioning the on-scene controller within visual range of an emergency scene;

  • (j) set out the measures to be taken to make the on-scene controller easily identifiable and reachable at all times by all persons responding to an emergency;

  • (k) if initial on-scene control has been assumed by a person from a responding organization, describe the procedure for transferring control to the on-scene controller;

  • (l) describe any training and qualifications required for the on-scene controller and the airport personnel identified in the emergency plan;

  • (m) describe the method for recording any training provided to the on-scene controller and airport personnel;

  • (n) describe the communication procedures and specify the radio frequencies to be used to link the operator of the airport with

    • (i) the on-scene controller, and

    • (ii) the providers of ground traffic control services and air traffic control services at the airport;

  • (o) describe the communication procedures allowing the on-scene controller to communicate with the organizations identified in the emergency plan;

  • (p) identify the alerting procedures that

    • (i) activate the emergency plan,

    • (ii) establish the necessary level of response,

    • (iii) allow immediate communication with the organizations identified in the emergency plan in accordance with the required level of response,

    • (iv) if applicable, confirm the dispatch of each responding organization,

    • (v) establish the use of standard terminology in communications, and

    • (vi) establish the use of the appropriate radio frequencies as set out in the emergency plan;

  • (q) specify

    • (i) the airport communication equipment testing procedures,

    • (ii) a schedule for the testing, and

    • (iii) the method of keeping records of the tests;

  • (r) for airports designated under Subpart 3, specify the location of the emergency coordination centre used to provide support to the on-scene controller;

  • (s) describe the measures for dealing with adverse climatic conditions and darkness for each potential emergency set out in paragraph (a);

  • (t) describe the procedures to assist persons who have been evacuated if their safety is threatened or airside operations are affected;

  • (u) describe the procedures respecting the review and confirmation of the following to permit the return of the airport to operational status after an emergency situation:

    • (i) emergency status reports,

    • (ii) coordination with the coroner and the investigator designated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada regarding the accident site conditions,

    • (iii) disabled aircraft removal,

    • (iv) airside inspection results,

    • (v) accident or incident site conditions, and

    • (vi) air traffic services and NOTAM coordination;

  • (v) describe the procedures for controlling vehicular flow during an emergency to ensure the safety of vehicles, aircraft and persons;

  • (w) specify the procedures for issuing a NOTAM in the event of

    • (i) an emergency affecting the critical category for fire fighting required under section 303.07, or

    • (ii) changes or restrictions in facilities or services at the airport during and after an emergency;

  • (x) describe the procedures for preserving evidence as it relates to the removal of an aircraft or part of an aircraft;

  • (y) describe the procedures to be followed, after any exercise set out in section 302.208 or the activation of the plan for an emergency that requires a full emergency standby, in the following cases:

    • (i) a post-emergency debriefing session with all participating organizations,

    • (ii) the recording of the minutes of the debriefing session,

    • (iii) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the emergency plan to identify deficiencies,

    • (iv) changes, if any, to be made in the emergency plan, and

    • (v) partial testing subsequent to the modification of an emergency plan;

  • (z) describe

    • (i) the process for an annual review and update of the emergency plan, and

    • (ii) the administrative procedure for the distribution of copies of an updated version of the emergency plan to the airport personnel who require them and to the organizations identified in the plan; and

  • (z.1) describe the procedures to assist in locating an aircraft when the airport receives notification that an ELT has been activated.

• (2) The operator of an airport shall include a copy of the following documents in the emergency plan:

  • (a) the signed agreements, if any, between the airport operator and the resources referred to in paragraph (1)(c); and

  • (b) an airport grid map.

On-scene Controller

302.204 The on-scene controller shall be at the emergency site and shall not have other duties during an emergency, unless the life of a person is in danger nearby and the on-scene controller is alone and has the ability to assist the person.

302.205 [Repealed, SOR/2022-267, s. 7]

Aircraft Crash Charts and Airport Grid Maps

• 302.206 (1) For aircraft operating in a passenger or cargo configuration, the operator of an airport shall make available to the emergency coordination centre aircraft crash charts specific to the aircraft used by the air operators that use the airport, and shall provide copies of the charts to

  • (a) the organizations responsible for fire-fighting services that are identified in the emergency plan; and

  • (b) the on-scene controller.

• (2) In the case of aircraft that have or may have a seating configuration of not more than nine passenger seats, the operator of an airport may use, instead of the aircraft crash charts referred to in subsection (1), other documents containing equivalent information.

• (3) The operator of an airport shall have in their possession and review and update annually, if necessary, an airport grid map that includes a minimum of

  • (a) an area covering at least one kilometre around each runway;

  • (b) the airport access roads and gates; and

  • (c) the location of rendezvous points to which persons and vehicles that are responding to an emergency situation proceed in order to receive instructions.

• (4) The operator of an airport shall provide copies of the airport grid map to the airport personnel who must have one and the organizations identified in the emergency plan.

Personnel and Training

• 302.207 (1) The operator of an airport shall assign specific emergency response duties, other than those of an on-scene controller or a supervisor, only to those airport personnel who are identified in the emergency plan and who

  • (a) are knowledgeable of their duties as described in the plan; and

  • (b) have the skills to carry out their duties.

• (2) The operator of an airport shall assign to act as an on-scene controller or a supervisor only those airport personnel, or other persons authorized by the operator in the emergency plan, who are

  • (a) knowledgeable about the procedures for the overall coordination of emergency operations at an emergency site; and

  • (b) trained for the particular role that they perform.

  • (c) [Repealed, SOR/2022-267, s. 8]

• (3) The operator of an airport shall

  • (a) keep records of the training that was received by persons to meet the requirements of subsections (1) and (2);

  • (b) maintain the training records for three years after the day on which the training was received; and

  • (c) submit a copy of the training records to the Minister on request.