SECURING THE RAMP
DIA takes a common sense approach to preventing airport accidents
By Lindsay M. Hitch, Assistant Editor
July 2001
Denver International’s Airport Security division developed a systematic program to ensure the proper training and certification of all airfield drivers without having to do it all themselves. Here, a closer look at developing and managing the DIA driver program.
Recently, runway incursions have been rather prevalent in industry and national news. And although technological advances may help in prevention, the best solution may still simply be training drivers to use all their senses, including common sense.
STARTING SMALL
The driver training program began in the
early ’90s at Denver’s Stapleton Airport. Initial efforts consisted
of a video and a ten question test. An additional checklist was developed
for those needing to drive in aircraft movement areas.
Lori Beckman, assistant deputy manager of
operations/airport security at Denver Int’l, explains that the driver
training program started in connection with increasing access control
requirements. "On one side they were coming up with all kinds of
new security training and at the same time started doing driver training."
Beckman says that the training and security
clearance were combined out of convenience. To get a security badge, individuals
needed to watch a video and take a test, so it seemed logical to cover
driver training at the same time. Airport Security, a division of Airport
Operations, conducts both functions.
Badges and driver certification are renewed every two years.
MASTER DRIVER
The position of head driver trainer for
Denver Int’l has seen nine new faces since 1994. Beckman explains
that that’s not because it’s a bad job; quite the contrary.
"We get them over here and they like
it and they want to stay, but we always make them rotate back out because
every one of them has brought something really important to the program
and added something new."
Airport Security takes its head driver trainers
from airfield operations management. Beckman says that it is generally
an assistant operations manager, although others have held the position.
Initially, the driver trainer rotated every six months, though now it
is on an annual basis, in conjunction with how operations schedules are
bid.
The program continues to grow with each
driver trainer’s fresh ideas. They are currently developing a training
program specifically for the fire department, and are working on an automated
test system.
"I really credit the driver training
program to the people that have been involved, because it’s been
a real collaborative effort between the nine people that have been our
driver trainers for that period of time and some of my staff folks,"
Beckman states. "The staff folks in Airport Security control the
consistency of the program, but the nine people that have been in it have
helped drive the creativity in bringing the new issues and ideas in."