LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LAUNCHES GROUNDBREAKING PARTNERSHIP TO TRAIN AIRPORT SERVICE WORKERS IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Airport officials announced today a groundbreaking partnership with Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW) to train hundreds of airport service workers contracted by the airlines, concessionaires, and other tenants to respond effectively during emergencies at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Service workers perform a wide range of assignments for airport tenants, including wheelchair and baggage handling, interior aircraft cleaning, airline security, aircraft fueling, cargo and dangerous goods handling, aeronautical maintenance, and custodial services.
“It takes the entire airport community to respond effectively to a serious airport emergency,” said Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners President Sean Burton, “LAX staff has made significant changes to ensure airport safety through improved response coordination, increased emergency management staff resources, new equipment, extensive training, and establishing mutual-aid agreements with outside organizations, such as the American Red Cross. Training airport service workers to assist passengers during critical times complements the overall emergency-response effort.”
SEIU-USWW and its award-winning training fund called the Building Skills Partnership, airline services provider G2 Secure Staff, American Airlines, and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) began developing the curriculum and pilot training program in February 2016. The pilot program will launch in the next few weeks for a group of workers who provide services directly to passengers in Terminal 4. The pilot program will be evaluated, refined as needed, and then tailored to address the unique characteristics of each terminal, other airport locations, work-group classifications, terminal-specific emergency procedures, and chain of command. Core principles and elements of the training will be consistent throughout the airport, focusing on emergency observation skills, stakeholder communications, evacuation procedures, notification protocols, basic understanding of the Incident Command System, and identifying emergency responders of partner agencies.
The new training program parallels the emergency-response management method advocated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called the “Whole Community Approach.” This approach recognizes that private-sector individuals and organizations can play important roles during emergencies. The approach is based on three principles: understanding the needs of the community, engaging and empowering all parts of the community, and strengthening what works on a daily basis.
The training program also helps service providers comply with requirements of their Certified Service Provider Program (CSPP) License Agreement that allows them to operate and conduct business at LAX. The CSPP establishes m inimum standards that include emergency preparedness, LAX rules and regulations, compliance officer, training requirements and minimum staffing, customer service, equipment and motor vehicles, administrative requirements, labor harmony language, and applicable contractor responsibility program requirements.
“The airlines and other tenants at LAX contract thousands of workers to provide passenger and aircraft services. They are valued members of the LAX community,” said LAWA Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint. “Training these workers provides them with skills to keep themselves safe during an airport emergency, to directly assist passengers, and to contribute to the overall emergency response and recovery.”
“In times of crisis, airport workers are on the front lines,” said David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union-United Workers West. “We saw that during the shooting incident in 2013, when our members provided vital assistance to travelers. Not only was a passenger-service agent the first to call and alert Airport Police about the incident, many workers guided passengers to safety, helped evacuate passengers with disabilities, and provided comfort during the wait. Training will help make our members more effective in this critical role, which is why we are pleased to partner with the airport authority and employers to develop this program.”
About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LAX is the seventh busiest airport in the world and third in the United States. LAX served more than 74.9 million passengers in 2015. LAX offers 742 daily nonstop flights to 101 cities in the U.S. and 1,273 weekly nonstop flights to 76 cities in 41 countries on 64 commercial air carriers. LAX ranks 14th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.1 million tons of air cargo valued at over $101.4 billion. LAX handled 655,564 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2015.
An economic study based on 2014 operations reported LAX generated 620,610 jobs in Southern California with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital-improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion, $966 million in state and local taxes, and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.
LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International and Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.
For more information about LAX, follow on Twitter @flyLAXAirport, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport , and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/laxairport1 . Information about LAX’s ongoing multi-billion-dollar LAX Modernization Program, as well as tips and shortcuts to help navigate LAX during construction
As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.