Whos to know if the FA's dont do thier emergency briefing

[wmuflyguy]

Not to be rude or anything but.....

Who really needs to have an FA tell them how to put on a seatbelt? And if you cant figure out or aren't smart enough to atleast make a note of where the emerg. exit is on a plane then well..... something about evolution or along thoes lines.

Just liability. Someone would sue saying, they didn't know how to use the seatbelt and that the airline should have made sure they were wearing the seatbelt.

Jsut like those people who sued Mcdonalds citing that they didn;t know that the food was bad for them.

 

[pgcfii2002]

Lear,

I know you said you were kidding, but I can point to several times, both on and off the job, that I helped save people who could have possibly died or had serious harm otherwise - not exactly in an aircraft accident, but just the same, doing something that made a difference.

I can specifically remember one man, who on descent into SAN at 3 a.m., had a massive heart attack, stopped breathing and had no pulse. To make a long story short, myself and the crew jumped into action. Now, keep in mind, we are on descent, with just minutes to get things handled prior to landing and plus we needed one flight attendant at each exit for landing.

This is where working as a crew helps immensely. While I did CPR on the man, the others were alerting the cockpit to have paramedics on the ground, asking for medical professionals, etc. I am proud to say the man started to breathe and have a heart beat on his own by the time the paramedics met the plane at the jetway.

So, while it was not an accident, just the same we saved this man's life. I can tell you stories about car accidents where I stopped and treated people for shock, a guy who had a metal piece of his car impaled above his eye and having to stabilize it before the fire department and paramedics arrived, stopping bleeding, etc.

I can tell you a story about a guy who dropped off a bar stool in a bar where the crew and I had gone for a drink, and how I took his pulse, respirations and had his medical history for the paramedics when they arrived. He had been taking prescription medicine and decided to drink with it, and had a reaction where he went unconscious.

I know most people think FAs just serve drinks, but you might be surprised at the training we have to go through initially and through recurrent. Maybe not every airline was as comprehensive as AWA, but I know I had thorough training in CPR, First Aid, AED utilization, Triage, EPs, and evacuation (both land and water).

At AWA they used to fill the cabin trainer with smoke, throw stuff in the aisle, totally dark, with the aircraft at an unusual attitude and have people waiting to grab you as you went up the aisle to evacuate people. I believe it was as close to the real thing as you could get.

Those are just some of the incidents I have been involved in. Heck, every week on the nite flite from BWI to LAS we had some older person who went unconscious from not resting and having blood pressure problems. I got really good at speaking with the ER doctors on the other side of MedLink.

So, I just thought I would share my experiences with you!

'

I think at one point all FA's had to be certified nurses too???

 

[Resume Writer]

'

I think at one point all FA's had to be certified nurses too???

Yes, they had to be RNs in the early days.

 

[skydiverdriver]

Didn't you guys hear about that Air France crash up in Toronto, where the FA's got everyone out of the burning Airbus before it went up in flames?

To answer the original question, I belive both the flight attendant(s) and the captain could get violated for flying without giving the briefing.

 

[lowlycfi]

Not to be rude or anything but.....

Who really needs to have an FA tell them how to put on a seatbelt? And if you cant figure out or aren't smart enough to atleast make a note of where the emerg. exit is on a plane then well..... something about evolution or along thoes lines.

Also can anyone point out a time when an FA has actually saved someone(s) life during an actual accident?

coke, cup of ice and lime(s) please, now shut-up........

No we don't want to hear about your cat...........

nor how much your wrist hurts after you tried for FA of the year helping grandma stuff the kitchen sink into the overhead back in 13C..........

and don't forget the bottle of water, the big one, not the small and it better be cold.

Just kidding

The FAA needs it. The F/A is fufilling your obligation to do this Captain. If he/she doesn't, the Feds will probably come after your certifcate hotrod. I think they cover this stuff during indoc......

§ 121.571 Briefing passengers before takeoff.

(a) Each certificate holder operating a passenger-carrying airplane shall insure that all passengers are orally briefed by the appropriate crewmember as follows:
(1) Before each takeoff, on each of the following:
(i) Smoking. Each passenger shall be briefed on when, where, and under what conditions smoking is prohibited including, but not limited to, any applicable requirements of part 252 of this title). This briefing shall include a statement that the Federal Aviation Regulations require passenger compliance with the lighted passenger information signs, posted placards, areas designated for safety purposes as no smoking areas, and crewmember instructions with regard to these items. The briefing shall also include a statement that Federal law prohibits tampering with, disabling, or destroying any smoke detector in an airplane lavatory; smoking in lavatories; and, when applicable, smoking in passenger compartments.
(ii) The location of emergency exits.
(iii) The use of safety belts, including instructions on how to fasten and unfasten the safety belts. Each passenger shall be briefed on when, where, and under what conditions the safety belt must be fastened about that passenger. This briefing shall include a statement that the Federal Aviation Regulations require passenger compliance with lighted passenger information signs and crewmember instructions concerning the use of safety belts.
(iv) The location and use of any required emergency flotation means.
(v) On operations that do not use a flight attendant, the following additional information:
(A) The placement of seat backs in an upright position before takeoff and landing.
(B) Location of survival equipment.
(C) If the flight involves operations above 12,000 MSL, the normal and emergency use of oxygen.
(D) Location and operation of fire extinguisher.
(2) After each takeoff, immediately before or immediately after turning the seat belt sign off, an announcement shall be made that passengers should keep their seat belts fastened, while seated, even when the seat belt sign is off.
(3) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, before each takeoff a required crewmember assigned to the flight shall conduct an individual briefing of each person who may need the assistance of another person to move expeditiously to an exit in the event of an emergency. In the briefing the required crewmember shall—
(i) Brief the person and his attendant, if any, on the routes to each appropriate exit and on the most appropriate time to begin moving to an exit in the event of an emergency; and
(ii) Inquire of the person and his attendant, if any, as to the most appropriate manner of assisting the person so as to prevent pain and further injury.
(4) The requirements of paragraph (a)(3) of this section do not apply to a person who has been given a briefing before a previous leg of a flight in the same aircraft when the crewmembers on duty have been advised as to the most appropriate manner of assisting the person so as to prevent pain and further injury.
(b) Each certificate holder must carry on each passenger-carrying airplane, in convenient locations for use of each passenger, printed cards supplementing the oral briefing. Each card must contain information pertinent only to the type and model of airplane used for that flight, including—
(1) Diagrams of, and methods of operating, the emergency exits;
(2) Other instructions necessary for use of emergency equipment


As to when stewardesses actually do something other than sling drinks; here's an excerpt from the NTSB factual report on AA1420 in LIT:

She
felt the airplane tilt a little to the right. The “attitude” was wrong. The No. 4 flight attendant was
yelling “brace, brace.” She observed luggage flying out the overhead bins in the aft part of the
airplane. Seats were “coming out of their brackets.” She did not feel she was being slammed
around at all, or not as much as the passengers, who were moving all around. She watched the
entire time. She then saw a glow and lots of smoke. She had removed her shoulder harness
before they stopped. After the airplane stopped, she got out of the jumpseat. She saw fire in the
mid-cabin area and lots of smoke. She instructed passengers to unfasten their seat belts and
come toward the tail cone exit.
She continued shouting commands as she attempted to open the door to the tail cone.
The door would not open. She yelled for passengers to turn around and go forward. She
reported that “people were piling up.” She was not able to see, because it was dark and smoky.
She saw seats overturned near the aft coat closet. She was not sure if she saw seats or passengers​

8​

lying there. No emergency lights were on. She started yanking on the strap on the door that is
used to pull it open, and yelled at a couple of men to help open the door. She stopped and looked
at F/A No. 4’s exit and didn’t see anyone going out that door. Her door was finally opened
enough to get through. People followed her onto the catwalk but the tail cone had not deployed.
While on the catwalk, she instructed people to go back into the cabin. There was thick black
smoke in the aft part of the airplane, and people were coughing. She reached for the manual
handle and pulled repeatedly (she estimates 10-20 times). She reported the handle was easy to
pull and felt normal. One man followed her back onto the catwalk. The other passengers had
obeyed her commands and had gone forward into the cabin. When she told them to go the other
way, they did. A big flash of lightning enabled her to see a crack between the fuselage and the
tail cone, and she saw grass outside. Then, she realized they were on the ground. She thought
they were not going to be able to get out that exit. She believed at this time that people must
have been getting out F/A No. 4’s exit. She knew it was not a “mass exodus” and had to
continue to try to open her exit. At this time she observed a thick black roll of smoke in the
cabin and thought they would be stuck in the tail cone. She heard F/A No. 4 shouting but could
not tell what she was saying. She began kicking at the crack and finally kicked open a crack
wide enough for her and the man with her to get out.
As she was exiting, she yelled back into the cabin for others to follow. She could not see
if others exited out this opening. The smoke was thick and billowing in the cabin. It was
swampy outside. She and the man squatted down and put their faces in the water to get out of
black smoke. The wind changed direction and then she could see people. The passengers began
walking away from the airplane through knee-high water toward a higher area away from the
airplane. As soon as she arrived at the higher location she looked at her watch. She reported the
time as “approximately midnight.”​