UK EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Emergency response planning for UK drone operators
A practical ERP helps a UK operator respond consistently to lost link, fly-away, collision, injury, fire, airspace conflict and loss of containment. Reporting and escalation routes must match the UK operation.
Prioritise people and flight safety
Protect people, stabilise or terminate the flight safely, secure the site and preserve time, location, aircraft and system information when safe to do so.
Use scenario action cards
Define triggers, immediate actions, role ownership, communications and records for the credible scenarios of the actual operation.
Set UK escalation and reporting routes
Distinguish emergency services, air traffic services, police, UK CAA occurrence reporting, client, insurer and internal escalation. Not every event has the same reporting route.
Exercise and improve
Record exercises, findings, corrective actions, owners and completion dates. Update the ERP and operations manual together where procedures change.
Frequently asked questions
Must every event be reported to the UK CAA?
No. Assess the event against current UK reporting requirements and the operator’s authorisation conditions.
Is an ERP the same as the operations manual?
No. It is a focused emergency plan that should remain consistent with the controlled operations manual.