www.PlaneSafe.org: Assistance

Website Links

For a comprehensive list of links to related Internet sites, click here

Family Support Team (FST)

Family members have networked with others for many years, from crashes long ago to very recent aviation disasters. We know that our friendships are very unique because of the bond we share. This year NADA/F announced our Family Support Team (FST) to give direct support for survivors and family members immediately following an air crash. NADA/F's FST was activated as a partner to provide support for survivors and victims' families at the Pentagon Family Command Center through October 11, 2001. We are proud of our program and our volunteers, who have excellent professional skills and life experiences to aid them in helping others. We are ready to pool our resources, and the strength we have shown, and put them to work. If you would like to learn more, click here.

Family Support Team Leaders

Click here to meet our FST Team Leaders!

Family Support Team Issues Unique to Aviation Disaster

NADA/F Family Support Team

In the immediate aftermath of an aviation crash the affected families and victims are in a state of shock. Your entire world appears in complete chaos. There are people and agencies coming from everywhere demanding information and giving out information and most of this becomes a blur. You may feel completely numb and cannot comprehend, process or respond to all that is going on at this time. This is your body’s natural way of protecting you from sudden trauma. Most of our members on the Family Support Team know and remember this time and these events. We have organized our assistance through NADA/F to be able to respond and be available for others who face this horrific experience.

The following are some of the unique issues facing those impacted by an aviation disaster:

Receiving insensitive, untimely and sometimes erroneous information
Difficult and sometimes distant disaster siteFrustration in dealing with multiple agencies
Difficult and delayed forensics
Denied a traditional funeral“Stressful” family dynamics
Possible loss of multiple family and or friends traveling together
The need to know the cause of the disaster, and learning that is was a preventable disaster.
Crash becomes a potential platform for political, media, and special interest agendas

As time progresses other difficult issues arise:

Lengthy, interrupted grieving process
Loss of privacyComplex, long-term investigation and legal issues
Exhausting efforts to establish a memorial
Difficult to connect with other families from the disaster and the need to support each other and work on common issues
Need for supportive assistance dealing with personal and family life after returning home

Complex demands and confusing days lie ahead. PLEASE:

REST: Your body is working hard to sustain the trauma you have just experienced.
RELY: On family and close friends who can share the workload with you.
RESIST: Intrusion of others who are not close or helpful or trying to tell you what you should do.
REALIZE: You will be faced with harsh realities and tasks.
RESERVE: Your right to privacy, and to make your own decisions.
REMEMBER: There are people and organizations that genuinely understand this time and are there for you now and in the future.
REACH OUT: The Family Support Team of the NATIONAL AIR DISASTER ALLIANCE/FOUNDATION was founded by family members with experiences similar to yours. Contact us via the web site: info@PlaneSafe.org. or phone: 1-888-444-NADA

Training Opportunities

NADA/F works with many organizations! Crisis response team training is an opportunity to learn about Helping Others, meet wonderful people with a common bond with all those who respond to crisis, and share the learning experience with others. While we learn more about a person's response to disaster, the stages of grief, and more, we learn more about our own personal experiences and ourselves.
For more information about Crisis Response Team training call Barb Skudlarick at 360-371-4108, or Email: MazamaJoe@cs.com
Click here for the most recent training information.

NOVA Training, February 2001

Twenty NADA/F members attended a five day intense study on Crisis Intervention in Washington DC this February. Beginning with a basic understanding of human behavior, both psychological and physiological and progressing through the individual response to trauma, stress and crises. Click Here for more information.

Feb. 7, 2000 Meeting with Red Cross

While meeting in Washington DC, board members had an excellent meeting with the Red Cross leadership responsible for family assistance after an air crash. Click here for more info.

NADA/F Sponsored NOVA Crisis Response Team Training '99

During the week of October 18-22, 1999, several NADA/F members attended the Crisis Response Team (CRT) Training offered by NOVA. Click here

April, 1998 Meeting with Red Cross

Monday, April 27, 1998, NADA/F Board Members attended an Aviation Disaster Family Member Meeting at the national headquarters of the American Red Cross (ARC) in Falls Church, VA. Info