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Embry-Riddle's Savannah Center Offers Course on Aircraft Emergency Management


Savannah, Ga., March 12, 2003 -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Savannah Center will offer a wide-ranging course titled Aircraft Crash and Emergency Management, March 18 through May 18.

The course provides a comprehensive overview of the responsibilities of airport management, local community first responders and support groups, and the federal government for aircraft emergency planning and response.

"Critical for the post-Sept. 11 world, this course will examine the regulations governing airport and aircraft security to prevent hijacking, sabotage, or terrorist activities," said Nicole Tibbs Weaver, director of the Savannah Center. "This is an opportunity to discover how well prepared local airport personnel and responders are for an aircraft accident."

Students will learn about the role of aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel, the techniques they use, their equipment, and their duties in securing an aircraft accident site and preserving evidence. They will also have the opportunity to observe the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport Fire Department conduct a live fire pit drill. In addition, emphasis will be placed on the rescue, triage, and medical evacuation of the crash victims and the compassionate handling of the next of kin of the victims and survivors. The students then apply this knowledge to an aircraft crash scenario and the creation of an airport emergency plan.

Jon Peterson, former director of public safety at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, will instruct the class. The course text is Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, by the International Fire Service Training Association.

For more information and to register, contact the Savannah Center at (912) 355-0644 or savannah.center@erau.edu. The center is located at Hunter Army Airfield.

Embry-Riddle, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, meets the needs of students and industry through its educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates more than 25,000 students annually through the master's level at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., at more than 150 teaching centers in the United States and Europe, and through distance learning.