The Council of Ministers has approved at its meeting the Royal Decree that includes the basic guideline of minimum criteria that special civil protection plans must meet against the risk of emergencies due to civil aviation accidents that, by legal imperative, must be drawn up by the different administrations state, regional and local.
The approval of this basic guideline guarantees that these special regional or local plans, in their organizational and functional aspects, give a homogeneous response on a national scale to emergencies of this nature regardless of the place where they occur and their scope, so that adequate coordination of the actions of all participating bodies is ensured.
In the first place, the basic guideline includes the characteristics, basic functions, and minimum content of the future state plan, which must create an organizational structure that allows the direction and coordination of all public administrations in aeronautical emergencies in which the national interest is present. , as well as the functions of support to the autonomous communities to facilitate the application of their respective plans.
The regional or local special plans, in order to comply with the provisions of the basic guideline, will include, among other homogeneous components, risk analysis, search and location processes for damaged aircraft, incident and accident notification protocols, as well as the necessary actions. for the protection of people, property, and the environment.
These actions include information systems, notices, and alerts; the delimitation of areas of action and access control, as well as the means of evacuation, medical transport, hospitalization, and identification of the injured. In any case, the different state, regional and, where appropriate, municipal plans must take into account, in all their phases, the different needs of people with disabilities and other groups in vulnerable situations, establishing specific action protocols to guarantee their assistance. and security.
Finally, the basic guideline entrusts the State Air Safety Agency with the preparation of a complementary technical guide that facilitates the harmonization between the requirements and administrative procedures established in the aeronautical sector regulations regarding the self-protection plans of aeronautical facilities and the content of the regional and local special plans.
These plans will be applied to emergencies that occur in aeronautical facilities, aircraft accidents that occur within the airspace of sovereignty and Spanish responsibility, emergencies of aircraft in flight that may lead to accidents and actions to be carried out in coordination with the Service. of Search and Air Rescue, the General Directorate of the Merchant Marine, and the Maritime Rescue and Safety Society (SASEMAR) in those cases in which the accident had occurred at sea.
They will also be applicable to civil aircraft emergencies occurring at military airbases or aerodromes open to civil air traffic. In the case of accidents involving aircraft of the Armed Forces or of the State Security Forces and Corps, the special plans will only be activated at the express request of the military or police authorities.
The basic guideline has been prepared by a working group constituted in the National Civil Protection Council and has received a favorable report from all the institutions and organizations affected by its content.
