LIFE AFTER SQ006 - Orient Aviation

SIA management in 1992 to support itspermanent crisis management centre. It wasdecided that in the event of a major crisis likean accident or a hi-jacking a structure wasrequired where people would help the nextof kin of victims and provide back up supportfor them. Buddies could also be called uponwhen passengers suffered long delays caused,for example, by an air traffic control computershutdown, or onboard food poisoning.Today, SIA has 385 buddies in Singaporeand 268 based overseas. They are recruitedfrom throughout the airline and its subsidiarycompanies. The numbers received a hugeboost after the SQ006 accident. Another 170joined the ranks.Everyone throughout the SIA Group hasaccess to the buddy bulletin board that givesthe history of the programme, procedures,and how to join a list of buddies.Once a person volunteers and beforethey can be activated for any type of crisis,they have to graduate through a series oftraining courses. They are held over a threedayperiod that includes a great deal of roleplaying. During the courses it is decided if thevolunteer is comfortable with the role and hasthe potential to handle crisis situations. Newsclips of emergencies are used as “shock treatment’to test the would-be buddy.The key to being a good buddy, said Kelly,is to be a good listener. “They are not counsellors,but we equip them with basic counsellingskills,” she said.“We get help from a local counsellor.He will discuss grief, the process of grief,understanding anger and the stages ofanger. They will be taught basic skills inparaphrasing what relatives say, seekingclarification of what they are saying to enablethem to understand what is needed. Themore they listen and the more they learnabout the family, the more they can supportthat family.“But the buddies are also there to informthe people who are undergoing trauma whatis going on at the crisis management centre.Buddies pass on any requests the next of kinmay have to the centre.”Just as important as looking after therelatives and friends of victims is the need forthe buddies to look after themselves.“Buddies are given a lot of training onhow to manage their physical, emotionaland mental states,” said Kelly. Buddies alsokeep their eyes on other buddies, watchingfor signs of emotional wear and tear, and arealways ready to help when necessary.A bulging folder of thank you letters atSIA’s Airline House headquarters illustratesthe value of the work of the buddies. DuringMarch SIA will be holding a “buddy talktime”, a kind of final debriefing of the SQ006aftermath.“We still have buddies working withsurvivors and with relatives. We also havebuddies who are hiding their feelings awayand may need to talk,” said Kelly. “The talktime will allow us to look at where we are atnow, what improvements we can make to ourprogramme and for the buddies to share, in agroup or individually, their own feelings. “Itwill be a kind of closure on SQ006.”Said Siddy: “The buddy programme helpsto bring people together in the company.You cannot help but feel proud to belongto such an organisation that has so muchdynamism.”March 01 | Orient Aviation | 23