Attention!

Crew at
Stations!

An emergency evacuation is always a stressful situation for

passengers, cabin crews, and flight crews. Decisions have to
be made rapidly and if the communication between the cabin
and cockpit is not clear, or the evacuation is delayed by
passengers trying to take their personal belongings, these
can have critical consequences on the outcome.
From the preflight briefing until the safe evacuation of all
aircraft occupants, this article provides recommendations for
both flight crew and cabin crew to ensure a safe and efficient
emergency evacuation is performed.

This article is also available on ​safetyfirst.airbus.com

and on the Safety first app for iOS and Android
devices.

Safety first - December 2020 Page 1/12

 
CASE STUDY 1  
Event Description
An A319 was taxiing along the taxiway when the passengers and the cabin crew
detected smoke in the cabin. The purser used the interphone to notify the flight
crew and asked the captain’s permission to evacuate. The captain set the
parking brake to stop the aircraft on the taxiway, and called ATC to report that
they detected smoke in the cabin and that they would initiate an emergency
evacuation.

As the smoke became thicker in the cabin, the purser called again to the cockpit,
insisting that an evacuation was necessary and requested that the captain
urgently initiate the evacuation. The captain turned on the evacuation alarm by
pressing the COMMAND pushbutton-switch on the EVAC panel to initiate the
evacuation, but did not make an announcement to the cabin using the Passenger
Address (PA) system.

The cabin crew immediately began the evacuation but both engines were still
running.

The cabin crew at the rear doors of the aircraft had to hold up the passengers
ready to evacuate the aircraft for more than 30 seconds until the engines were
shut down. The flight crew saw the ECAM alert indicating that the doors were
open with engines running, and shut down the engines using the engine fire
pushbuttons instead of the master switches.

Event Analysis
Without the presence of any ECAM alerts and with pressure from the cabin crew,
the captain initiated the emergency evacuation. The QRH EMER EVAC
procedure, that specifically requests the flight crew to ensure that the engines are
shut down before initiating the evacuation, was not followed.

Because no announcement was made in the cabin for the evacuation, some
passengers mistook the evacuation alarm as a smoke alarm and they did not
immediately react, causing some delay to begin the evacuation. Other
passengers gathered their personal belongings, this resulted in some minor
injuries caused by people pushing past them or climbing over one another in the
aisle to reach the exits.

CASE STUDY 2 
Event Description
The left engine of an A320 suffered a contained failure during the takeoff roll at a
ground speed of 31 knots. The captain immediately rejected the takeoff and
brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway. He announced “ATTENTION
CREW ON STATION” twice. The flight crew completed the ECAM actions, shut
down the left engine, and contacted the Rescue and Fire Fighting Services to
make sure that no fire was visible outside the aircraft. The flight crew decided to
taxi the aircraft off the runway and were about to tell the cabin crew to resume
normal operations, but the purser had already initiated an emergency evacuation.

Safety first - December 2020 Page 2/12

Event Analysis
The purser initiated the emergency evacuation and did not inform the flight crew
despite the “ATTENTION CREW ON STATION” announcement, which clearly
indicated that the flight crew was in control of the situation.

Lack of knowledge of the communication system hindered communication

between the crew members. Even though there was no sign of immediate
danger, the purser initiated the emergency evacuation without a decision from
the captain and with the right engine still running.

Fortunately, only some passengers suffered minor injuries, some of which were
caused by them being blown over by the jet exhaust coming from the right engine
that was still running. Many of the passengers gathered their personal belongings
and took these with them when they evacuated the aircraft.

BE PREPARED FOR 
EVACUATION 
Being prepared makes it easier to perform an emergency evacuation and will
help the crew in their capacity to make decisions and apply the Standard “Maintaining
Operating Procedures in a stressful environment.
effective
Aircraft Knowledge communication
To ensure efficient evacuation, the cabin crew must have extensive knowledge and ensuring
of the aircraft systems. This includes the cabin communication system and the
aircraft configuration, especially the cabin layout that could impact visibility of the
compliance with
cabin and other cabin crew members or generate congested areas. Operating a the Standard
diverse fleet can imply various cabin configurations that have different numbers
of exits or positions of galleys and toilets. Cabin crew must be familiar with the Operating
cabin layout to ensure an efficient emergency evacuation. Procedures
Crew Briefing starts with the
Maintaining effective communication and ensuring compliance with the Standard
preflight
Operating Procedures starts with the preflight briefing. ​This is when the flight briefing.”

Safety first - December 2020 Page 3/12

crew and cabin crew should define together any parameters that could affect
their decision-making if an emergency were to occur. It is also the opportunity to
review the emergency evacuation procedure with the associated standard
callouts, and discuss them in the context of the upcoming flight. The crew should
take into account any specific conditions such as airport equipment, external
conditions, and the application of MEL items.

Passenger Identification & Briefing

“The cabin crew
At the beginning of the flight, the cabin crew must select the Able Bodied
Passengers (ABP) who are able to assist them in the case of evacuation. They should remind
must also identify any passengers who may require additional support during
evacuation for example unaccompanied children.
passengers to
leave all
The preflight briefing will help passengers to be better prepared for an evacuation
if passengers are encouraged to pay attention. The cabin crew will indicate the personal
location of the nearest emergency exits, and ​should remind passengers to leave
all personal belongings inside the aircraft in the event of an evacuation.
belongings
inside the
aircraft in the
event of an
The Silent Review evacuation.”
The silent review (or 30-second review) is recommended for cabin crew to
mentally recall the key aspects of the emergency evacuation procedure while
they are seated at their station before each takeoff and landing, and decreases
the risk of distraction. This silent review will help the cabin crew to focus and be
prepared in case an emergency evacuation is required. This technique will also
help to minimize the startle effect.

STOP - INFORM - ECAM - 

ASSESS  
In the case of an emergency situation during takeoff or landing, task sharing
should be established and respected so that the crew are well prepared for a
potential emergency evacuation.

Stop the aircraft

The flight crew must bring the aircraft to a stop and set the parking brake. In the
case of fire, they should consider positioning the aircraft so that the wind
direction will blow the flames away from the fuselage.

Inform ATC
Once the aircraft is stopped, the flight crew should notify the ATC.

Captain: Inform Cabin Crew

After the aircraft stops, the captain tells the cabin crew to prepare for a possible
evacuation. The “ATTENTION CREW AT STATION” callout is made through the

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Passenger Address system, which lets the cabin crew know the flight crew is not
incapacited and that they are performing actions to determine if evacuation is
required. This callout avoids unnecessary evacuations initiated by the cabin
crew.

First Officer: Clear ECAM Actions

The first officer should independently perform any ECAM action in a “read and
do” manner. On A220 aircraft, the first officer should independently perform the
Electronic Checklist (ECL) procedure from any EICAS message in a “read and
do” manner.

When the ECAM actions (or ECL procedures) are completed, the first officer can
then assist the captain with the situation assessment.
“The decision to
Captain: Assess the Situation
evacuate should
The captain should use any possible means to get a clear and comprehensive
overview of the situation. They can use direct communication with any relevant
rely on the
person, for example, cabin crew, ATC, ground personnel, Rescue and Fire captain's
Fighting Services. The decision to evacuate should rely on the captain's
judgement based on their assessment of the overall situation. judgement
based on their
Cabin crew: Assess the Situation and Identify Usable
Exits
assessment of
the overall
As soon as the flight crew informs the cabin crew of the possible evacuation, the
cabin crew must assess the situation at each cabin station. They should identify situation.
the available exits and begin to assess the outside conditions as well as the
conditions inside the cabin. The cabin crew must communicate any pertinent
information to the flight crew.

DECIDE - SECURE - INITIATE 

Decide if evacuation is required
The situations that lead to an emergency evacuation are very stressful with a
high workload in a short period of time for both flight crew and cabin crew. The

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decision to evacuate is irreversible and can have severe consequences. The
main factors that result in the crew initiating an emergency evacuation are
uncontrollable fire, thick smoke, and severe structural damage.

In most cases, the flight crew initiates the evacuation. However, in catastrophic
situations with immediate risks of life-threatening injuries or when the flight crew
is incapacitated, the cabin crew can decide to initiate the evacuation.

No evacuation required

If the situation does not require an evacuation, the captain should notify the cabin
crew and ATC, and should resume normal operations.

Need for evacuation

If the situation requires an evacuation, the captain calls for the EMER EVAC
procedure to be performed.
“To ensure safe
Secure the aircraft as per EMER EVAC Procedure
evacuation, the
To ensure safe evacuation, the flight crew must secure the aircraft before the
evacuation is initiated by performing the following actions:
flight crew must
secure the
- ① ​Check the cabin ΔP=0 on the CAB PRESS SD page to prevent
explosive door opening due to residual pressure if manual pressure aircraft before
mode was used in flight.
- ②​ Set all engine master switches to OFF
the evacuation is
- ③​ Press all engines and APU FIRE pushbuttons to secure them initiated”
- ④ Press relevant ENG and/or APU AGENT pushbuttons as required in
case of engine and/or APU fire.
(fig.1)​ Example of the A320
On A220 aircraft, step ​① is performed after step ​④​. The flight crew ensures aircraft securing steps
cabin ΔP=0 by setting the EMER DEPRESS guarded switch to ON. before evacuation initiation

Order from flight crew

The captain initiates the evacuation with a short and clear announcement to the
cabin crew over the PA.

For aircraft equipped with the EVAC panel (optional for

A300-600/A310/A320/A330/A340/A350 aircraft, standard for A380 aircraft), the

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 captain presses the EVAC COMMAND guarded pushbutton-switch. For A220
aircraft, the captain presses the EVAC CMD guarded switch. This ensures clear
communication with the cabin crew and helps the flight crew to focus on other
actions in this high-workload situation.

Immediately after the emergency evacuation is initiated, the captain advises the
ATC.

(fig.2)​ Example of EVAC panel on A350

aircraft

On A220, A330/A340 aircraft equipped with aircraft modification 49314 (CIDS

emergency power update), A340-500/600, A350, and A380 aircraft, the flight
crew must switch off the batteries. This is to make sure that after the aircraft
comes to a stop, power is still supplied to the CIDS for 10 minutes. This is
required by regulations in the case of emergency evacuation due to an electrical
emergency.

Order from cabin crew

The cabin crew can initiate an emergency evacuation only in the case of a
catastrophic event or if the flight crew is incapacitated and normal
disembarkation is no longer possible. The cabin crew can use the EVAC
command available on the Flight Attendant Panel or as an option on any
Additional Attendant Panel. They can also use this command to request that the
flight crew initiate an evacuation if they are not authorized to do so directly.

Even if the cabin crew can initiate an emergency evacuation they must try to
contact the flight crew first to avoid any unnecessary evacuation.

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 (fig.3)​ Example of Forward
Attendant Panel (FAP)
lower section A320 aircraft

EVACUATE, EVACUATE, OPEN 

SEAT BELTS! 
An efficient evacuation is a quick and safe evacuation “the objective for
The objective of an emergency evacuation is to evacuate all aircraft occupants
cabin crew is to
as quickly and as safely as possible to ensure they have the best chance of maintain an
survival in the case of a life-threatening situation.
evenly-distributed
Therefore, after the cabin crew identify the usable exits and check that the slides
are deployed and inflated, the objective for them is to maintain an
flow of
evenly-distributed flow of passengers towards all available exits. passengers
Crew Coordination and Adaptation towards all
available exits.
Throughout the evacuation process, a constant real time assessment of the
situation is necessary in terms of aircraft and external conditions, exit usability,
and passenger flow. The situation can change rapidly and efficient
communication between all the crew is essential to share any elements that can
impact the evacuation: Presence of immediate danger such as fire or smoke, an
exit becoming unusable due to a damaged slide or external conditions, a
congested exit, or an exit with a reduced flow of passengers.

As a result, the crew must rapidly make decisions and adapt to changing
scenarios in a dynamic and stressful environment. This will ensure a constant
flow of passengers to each usable exit, and therefore, a quick evacuation.

Passenger Management
Multiple and unpredictable behaviors

Under stressful conditions, people can have varied reactions. Unlike cabin crew
who are trained, passengers are not. They can have unpredictable reactions that
can jeopardize their own safety and that of the other aircraft occupants. Panic
can lead to “frozen” passengers overwhelmed by the situation or passengers
trying to evacuate as soon as possible by aggressively pushing past other
passengers as referred to in Case Study 1.

Risks to slow down the evacuation

Passengers that do not comply with cabin crew instructions can put the success
of an evacuation at risk. Baggage retrieval, use of phones, and not jumping on

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the evacuation slides are the most common factors that slow down an
evacuation.

Be assertive!

Assertive management of passengers is key to dealing with the risks that could
impact the success of an evacuation. The cabin crew must use clear and concise
orders, and use a loud voice and assertive body language to ensure that all
passengers follow their instructions. The challenge for the cabin crew is to switch
from a nice and smiling cabin crew to an assertive one able to use physical force,
if necessary.

Evacuation of the Crew

“Assertive
Each cabin crew member should check for any remaining passengers, and as
soon as their assigned area is empty, evacuate the aircraft.
management of
passengers is
When the actions are completed in the cockpit, the first officer should assist the
cabin crew with the evacuation of the passengers in the cabin, if accessible, and key to dealing
on the ground.
with the risks
The captain should be the last crew member to evacuate the cockpit and the last that could impact
one to evacuate the aircraft after a final check that all aircraft occupants have
evacuated. They are in charge of the operations on ground until the rescue and the success of
emergency services arrive on site.
an evacuation.”
Keep focused even after the evacuation
After evacuation, the crew remains responsible for the passengers until the
rescue and emergency services arrive. In 2008, after a successful evacuation,
one passenger went back inside the aircraft using an evacuation slide to retrieve
their personal belongings.

To prevent this situation from occurring, the cabin crew should gather the
passengers away from the aircraft and from any potential danger. They should
also count them and provide first aid, if necessary. For that, they have to take
any necessary equipment during the evacuation to help them with crowd
management on ground such as flash lights (if night conditions) or megaphones
if not at an airfield.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF 
REALISTIC TRAINING 
To be able to deal with these stressful situations, appropriate training is crucial
for both the flight crew and the cabin crew.

For Flight Crews

The emergency evacuation procedure applies the same philosophy to all Airbus “The
aircraft. This consistency across the Airbus fleet and over time is a positive
contributing factor to ensuring safe application of the procedure. The emergency
emergency
evacuation procedure is short and clear, the key factor is how it is trained. evacuation
It is essential that the flight crew members understand task sharing: they have to procedure is
know exactly what actions must be performed, by whom, and when. It is
important for the flight crew to keep in mind when to work independently and short and
when to come back together. To help understand this, the training scenarios clear, the key
need to be as realistic as possible and especially have to simulate the high
workload that is often encountered in these situations. Instructors should be able factor is how it
to keep the captain busy by simulating conversations with ATC and the cabin
while the first officer is performing the ECAM actions. It trains captains not
is trained.”
following first officers actions in this specific situation and first officers continuing
with ECAM actions without captain confirmation.

For Cabin Crews

Cabin crew training is both theoretical and practical. Scenarios have to be as
realistic as possible, based both on evacuations and on a return to normal “Scenarios
operations. Cabin crew training should be conducted on a training device in order
to create a realistic environment and based on case studies where possible. This have to be as
enables trainees to learn from past experience and it highlights the importance of realistic as
reporting incidents to learn from in the future.
possible”
The Cabin Safety training is designed using regulations by EASA and FAA and
approved by local airworthiness authorities. It is performed annually and includes
the emergency evacuation procedure.

The standard training focuses on exit and slide management, but the latest
publications from aviation authorities such as the EASA and the FAA, encourage
trainers to put more emphasis on passenger management, especially techniques
to discourage passengers from retrieving personal belongings or baggage
because it has a significant impact on the efficiency of any evacuation.

CRM Training
Given the importance of communication and crew coordination, Crew Resource
Management (CRM) training is of utmost importance for both flight crews and
cabin crews. It should include stress management, decision-making, leadership,
human factors, including surprise and startle effect management, and risk
assessment.

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 For more information on managing emergency evacuation, you
can watch the “​Evacuation Management”​ video available on the
Airbus Worldwide Instructor News (WIN) website.

Contributors: Preparation by flight crews and cabin crews is key to conducting an effective
and efficient emergency evacuation. Clear communication and the
Claire COLEMAN knowledge of Standard Operating Procedures are vital. Knowing the aircraft
Cabin Crew Instructor
systems and the cabin layout is fundamental for cabin crews.
Flight Operations
Support and Training The preflight crew briefing and the passenger safety briefing help ensure
Standards
everyone onboard the aircraft is better prepared to face an emergency
Pierre ECHES evacuation scenario.
Flight Operations
Support Engineer
The silent review that cabin crew should perform before takeoff and landing
Flight Operations is an excellent technique that helps the crew to remain focused and to be
Support and Training ready to act in the case of an emergency.
Standards
Knowing the essential steps and the associated task sharing of any
Capt. Raimund evacuation STOP - INFORM - ECAM - ASSESS - DECIDE - SECURE -
GEUTER INITIATE, and regularly practicing realistic training scenarios can save lives
Expert Pilot - Flight in the event of an emergency.
Operations
Flight Operations When emergency evacuation commences, passenger management can
Support and Training have a huge impact on the outcome. Passengers may feel disoriented,
Standards
panicked, and helpless. Their behaviors, such as retrieving their personal
Ian GOODWIN belongings before moving to the nearest exit, not only endangers their own
Director Product Safety safety but also the safety of others. Well-trained and assertive cabin crew are
Enhancement required to urge passengers to move to the nearest available exit and to
Product Safety assemble outside the aircraft in a safe place away from the aircraft.

With thanks to Marc An emergency evacuation is always a dynamic situation where time is
LE-LOUER from
A300/A310 Flight
critical, and it requires constant situational awareness combined with rapid
Operations Support and decision-making. This can only be achieved through efficient coordination
Capt. Xavier LESCEU and communication between all flight crews, cabin crews, ATC, and rescue
from Airbus Canada. and fire fighting services on ground.

Safety first - December 2020 Page 11/12

 Safety first​, 2020. Safety first is
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