Pro Team goes down in Plane crash..

[BucsBoy02]

I knew it was one of them.

Anyway, would it matter if it was pro team that went down or any other bloke in the street? the fact the plane went down and killed people is a disaster in itself i mean, it doesnt mean who it is, its still not good.

It really wouldn't matter who it was or when it was. A plane crash would be a tragedy no matter what.

I'm just asking if anyone knows or has any theory's on how a pro league might go about the schedules and such.

[Mac the Knife]

I knew it was one of them.

Anyway, would it matter if it was pro team that went down or any other bloke in the street? the fact the plane went down and killed people is a disaster in itself i mean, it doesnt mean who it is, its still not good.

No, of course it wouldn't matter. It'd be disastrous no matter who, no matter where.

[BB61]

I remember reading somewhere that, as far as baseball would be concerned, that it would be an expansion-like situation. Each team would get to protect 10 or 12 players and the team could draw from that so that it wouldn't have to rely solely on minor-leaguers. Each league came up with their own plan in the 50's and 60's when air travel became more common.

Of course, the book was written in 1991, so it may be completely different now.

[BlueSky]

It used to be my job to think of these things, but not from the league's point of view. I was director of emergency response for a major U.S. airline that operates worldwide and aside from scheduled flights, we flew numerous team charters.

Seriously, how do you get a job like that? Is there a college major that leads to that field? I am asking because it sounds very interesting. What qualifications are required etc? I know it sounds warped but game planning that type of stuff is fascinating to me.

I was thinking the same thing. That sounds like a very interesting albeit stressful job. How does one go about getting into that line of work?

My experience getting into the field was different than it would be today, and transportation emergency management is different than say, being a city or county emergency manager. So my experience with an airline was way different than planning for hurricanes and such.

I started as a ramp agent and worked my way up into management. When the response team started in '93, I volunteered for the training and then to be a part of the team's leadership. At the time there was only 1 full-time employee dedicated to managing the team and everyone else was a volunteer who had a regular job, so whatever you did with the team was on the side. Then, like now, if an emergency or accident happens you work on that full-time until you are longer needed, then you go back to your regular job.

I was a volunteer and worked two fatal accidents in that capacity and a third in a different job where I was directly involved on the operational side so I couldn't be part of the response team. After that, the team's "home" in the company was moved to my department and when the manager took early retirement due to illness, I got the job. It wasn't a career goal of mine and I didn't have formal training, but I had several years' experience and was thus ready and qualified when the opportunity came along, and I liked the job too. By then we had a manager (me) as well as an assistant manager and an admin person dedicated to the team, and about 1300 trained volunteers who would respond in the case of an accident or emergency.

Our planning was directly related to providing direct assistance to survivors and the families and friends of those who died. There are critical differences between an air disaster and natural disasters, like the elements of fault and blame, and the unpredictable timing. My airline for example hadn't had a fatal accident in 15 years, then had two in five weeks. As an airline employee, you also have a deep feeling of responsibility for the people who trust their lives to your company and when some of those customers are killed, needless to say it's tough to deal with.

At the time I got in, emergency management and our (my airline's) knowledge of it was less advanced. For example, we didn't use the Incident Command System (ICS) then, which is the standard response framework today. In a non-airline environment, it's much more about using tools like the ICS to coordinate command and logistics.

Today you need some formal training in Emergency Management and it's offered as a major at some schools. For general emergency management, FEMA has some excellent course you can take online. For transportation emergency planning, the National Transportation Safety Board has a training academy and several private organizations also offer courses. You can also earn a Certified Emergency Manager designation from the International Association of Emergency Managers (link below) as well.

Links:

FEMA's On-line Independent Study Program << Download and browse the course materials for IS-1, "Emergency Manager: An Orientation to the Position" to get a solid understanding of what emergency management's all about today.

NTSB Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance

NTSB Training Center

Familly Assistance Foundation ("Family Assistance" was the first term applied to the process of helping people after disasters.)

International Association of Emergency Managers

Be aware that planning and exercises are all fine and good, but one day the bell will ring for real. Don't take it lightly. It can be a soul-shredder. It was the hardest job I've ever had.

Fire away with any other questions you might have.

[J.R.]

I immediately thought of George Constanza in Seinfeld asking Keith Hernandez about this.

From The Boyfriend (1):

GEORGE: You know Keith, what I've always wondered, with all these ball clubs

flying around all season don't you think there would be a plane crash? ...

KEITH: (to Jerry, ignoring George) Do you perform anywhere in New York right now?

JERRY: I'm performing in this club on the East Side. You should come in.

GEORGE: But if you think about it...26 teams, 162 games a season, you'd think

eventually an entire team would get wiped out.

KEITH: You know, I live on the East Side.

JERRY: I'll tell you what, I'll give you my number and uh, just give me a call,

tell me whenever you want to go.

KEITH: Or maybe just to get together for a cup of coffee?

JERRY: Oh. that would be great.

GEORGE: Uh, it's only a matter of time.

KEITH: Who's this chucker?

[Alphabet Man]

I knew it was one of them.

Anyway, would it matter if it was pro team that went down or any other bloke in the street? the fact the plane went down and killed people is a disaster in itself i mean, it doesnt mean who it is, its still not good.

It really wouldn't matter who it was or when it was. A plane crash would be a tragedy no matter what.

I'm just asking if anyone knows or has any theory's on how a pro league might go about the schedules and such.

Just wanted to clear that up.

[Mac the Knife]

I knew it was one of them.

Anyway, would it matter if it was pro team that went down or any other bloke in the street? the fact the plane went down and killed people is a disaster in itself i mean, it doesnt mean who it is, its still not good.

It really wouldn't matter who it was or when it was. A plane crash would be a tragedy no matter what.

I'm just asking if anyone knows or has any theory's on how a pro league might go about the schedules and such.

They'd have to just wing it after the fact. Really there'd be no set way of rescheduling games in advance of such a tragedy, except maybe, maybe in the case of the NFL since they play weekly.

[Luigi74]

I remember reading somewhere that, as far as baseball would be concerned, that it would be an expansion-like situation. Each team would get to protect 10 or 12 players and the team could draw from that so that it wouldn't have to rely solely on minor-leaguers. Each league came up with their own plan in the 50's and 60's when air travel became more common.

Of course, the book was written in 1991, so it may be completely different now.

That sounds right, I remember reading about MLB's plan right after the California Angels bus crash in 1992.

[BlueSky]

From the history section of NFL.com...

1981

The owners adopted a disaster plan for re-stocking a team should the club be involved in a fatal accident, March 20.

[CC97]

From the history section of NFL.com...

1981

The owners adopted a disaster plan for re-stocking a team should the club be involved in a fatal accident, March 20.

But what if every player on the team is critically injured and there are no deaths

[Alphabet Man]

Well last week Motherwell captain (Scottish Football), i forget his name, collapsed and died on the field. Half the leagues teams have rescheduled games. The rescheduling came down to the clubs. So I suppose that it would come down to the two teams to negotiate to move the game.

[Viper]

In the case of hockey and baseball, teams would have enough players in their minor league systems to field a team the rest of the season... I would think the entire league would take a week off and then just bump the schedule back to accommodate (similar to what MLB did after 9/11)

I don't think it would be that easy for hockey or basketball, because most of the arenas that house NHL or NBA teams probably have other functions or other leagues scheduled during those days in the following weeks. In a case like that, what they would probably have to do is postpone all games of the following week and then pick up the schedule where it is supposed to and reschedule those postponed games for the end of the regular season.

I would imagine that other teams that are lower on the proverbial totem pole (Arena Football, NLL, MISL etc.) would probably have their games postponed or even canceled altogether to accommodate rescheduled NBA and/or NHL games in the same arena, to the extent that their lease agreements would allow it. Of course, the "lower-class" teams couldn't expect the same accommodation if they were the ones to have a catastrophic event. Those of us who follow the NLL may be aware that when that league had to redraw its 2008 schedule after the lockout was settled, the New York Titans wound up having to give up two of its usual eight home games because Madison Square Garden simply didn't have enough open dates for a full eight-game schedule.

[NJTank]

Its weird you bring this up I had a dream a team died in a plane crash just a few weeks ago. I was going to call Art Bell and tell him on his 2008 Prediction Show but I could not get through.

Very eerie and very scary, I really got this awful gut feeling my dream was not a dream but a premonition.

I did have the dream about a specific team, but I wont mention it.

[Drew22]

Its weird you bring this up I had a dream a team died in a plane crash just a few weeks ago. I was going to call Art Bell and tell him on his 2008 Prediction Show but I could not get through.

Very eerie and very scary, I really got this awful gut feeling my dream was not a dream but a premonition.

I did have the dream about a specific team, but I wont mention it.

No. You will tell the team.

Please?

[zig]

Its weird you bring this up I had a dream a team died in a plane crash just a few weeks ago. I was going to call Art Bell and tell him on his 2008 Prediction Show but I could not get through.

Very eerie and very scary, I really got this awful gut feeling my dream was not a dream but a premonition.

I did have the dream about a specific team, but I wont mention it.

[insert Mets joke here]

But yeah I have thought about this before. I was thinking about how crazy it would be if this ever happened. I tried to think about if this happened to the NJ Devils but for some reason Martin Brodeur survived in every scenario

[habsfan1]

Believe it or not, it DID happen at least once. Although not a pro team. I saw a movie about a Rugby team from the 70s who were victims of such. Most of them died, some survived. It was based on a true story.

You can also add what if it happens to the WWE wrestlers. That too is a scary thought.

[NJTank]

Believe it or not, it DID happen at least once. Although not a pro team. I saw a movie about a Rugby team from the 70s who were victims of such. Most of them died, some survived. It was based on a true story.

You can also add what if it happens to the WWE wrestlers. That too is a scary thought.

That was a good movie called Alive that was the Argentina Rugby team that crashed in the Andes, to survive they ate the dead, eww, because they were trapped for a couple of months.

[Mac the Knife]

From the history section of NFL.com...

1981

The owners adopted a disaster plan for re-stocking a team should the club be involved in a fatal accident, March 20.

But what if every player on the team is critically injured and there are no deaths

What is this, the 25th amendment of sports speculation thread?

Speaking of which, let me put in a blatant plug for www.amendment25.com.

[The Nation]

Believe it or not, it DID happen at least once. Although not a pro team. I saw a movie about a Rugby team from the 70s who were victims of such. Most of them died, some survived. It was based on a true story.

You can also add what if it happens to the WWE wrestlers. That too is a scary thought.

I believe the movie is called Alive, staring Ethan Hawke. Movie about a South American Rugby team that has their plane crash on the Andes Mountains.

[goalieboy82]

Believe it or not, it DID happen at least once. Although not a pro team. I saw a movie about a Rugby team from the 70s who were victims of such. Most of them died, some survived. It was based on a true story.

You can also add what if it happens to the WWE wrestlers. That too is a scary thought.

I believe the movie is called Alive, staring Ethan Hawke. Movie about a South American Rugby team that has their plane crash on the Andes Mountains.

and i think they did some cannibalism too.