Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will host a professional education course to prepare transportation industry leaders for disaster asssistance and response this fall. Registration is open now.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In order to help guide managers and leaders through the preparation for and response to a transportation disaster involving the loss of a life, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety will host its inaugural course — "Disaster Assistance and Response" — later this year.
Set to run from Sept. 13-15, the course was developed by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) veterans Sharon Bryson and Paul Sledzik, who between them have managed the NTSB response to every major transportation accident in the United States since 1997. Participants will gain valuable insight on laws that require aviation operators to ensure that victims or crashes are provided support as part of a coordinated response. Focusing specifically on the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996 and associated legislation, the course will be relevant to workers throughout the transportation industry, including rail, pipeline, highway and marine workers.
"Setting this course apart is the true expertise that the instructors bring to the classroom," said the Honorable Robert L. Sumwalt III, former NTSB chair who now serves as distinguished fellow in aviation safety and executive director of Embry-Riddle's Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety. "No one has more combined experience in this field than Sharon and Paul, and Embry-Riddle is pleased to have them share their vast experience and expertise."
After serving 40 years in federal service, Bryson recently retired from the NTSB where, in 2019, she was selected as the first female managing director and oversaw hundreds of accident investigations. In addition, she is credited with managing decisions that kept the agency personnel safe and working during the early phases of the pandemic. Prior to joining the NTSB, she served more than 12 years as a civilian with the U.S. Air Force. In her role as the director at Dover Air Force Base, she was responsible for providing critical support to the Dover Port Mortuary.
While Bryson has had many accomplishments and received numerous awards including the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award, she will be the first to tell you that "the single greatest honor of my career has been building the family assistance program at the NTSB and watching it grow."
"This course will help participants plan prior to a crisis, know what to do during the response and equally as important, know how to recover and return to organizational functionality," she said. "Doing the right things for the right reasons supports your overall emergency response/preparedness plan. It is important for your organization, but for those directly impacted, it means everything!"
Sledzik served 35 years in federal government and, for the past 17 years, has held positions of increasing responsibility at the NTSB. His office directed the media communications, government affairs, safety advocacy and family assistance activities of several major accidents, including the sinking of the cargo ship El Faro in the Caribbean, an engine failure while airborne involving a Southwest Airlines flight, an attempted wrong runway landing in San Francisco, a New Jersey Transit commuter train derailment, school bus accidents in Baltimore and Chattanooga, and a gas explosion at an apartment complex in Silver Spring, Maryland. He also led the public communications efforts related to high-profile agency studies on motorcycle safety, pedestrian safety and speeding, which combined resulted in the issuance of 90 recommendations to federal agencies, safety organizations and states.
Trained as a forensic anthropologist, Sledzik has served as a consultant and advisor to several federal, international and non-governmental agencies on issues of human identification and disaster response. He has written extensively on the topic of mass fatality management for professional journals and textbooks. He participated in the victim identification and recovery efforts in over 30 mass fatality events and transportation accidents.
"Effective disaster response for transportation operators is the furthest extension of customer service. This course will help operators understand the often overlooked complexities of a mass casualty/fatality event," Sledzik said.
Learn more or register online: https://www.enrole.com/erau/jsp/course.jsp?categoryId=557914E8&courseId=TDAR.
Media Contact
Mike Cavaliere, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 3863385104, [email protected]
SOURCE Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
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