MEDIA GUIDE
Palm Beach County Department of Airports
Nicole Hughes
561-687-5912
Business Hours: 8 am-5 pm EST Monday through Friday. Non-emergency media inquiries made outside of business hours are answered the following business day.
Emergencies
It is the policy of PBI to cooperate with the news media to the greatest extent possible; however, our primary responsibilities are safe, orderly and secure airport operations. During an emergency at PBI expected to generate extensive media attention, the following procedures will serve as our guidelines:
Non-Aircraft Emergencies:
In the event of a non-aircraft emergency, the communications team with the investigating organization will be the media’s point of contact.
The PBI communications team will provide the following information:
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Date and time of incident
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Area of the airport affected by the incident
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Impact on our travelers
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Investigating organization
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) is in charge of investigating traffic accidents and criminal activities on airport property. Contact PBSO’s PIO for information regarding arrests. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is responsible for screening passengers and their carryon and checked baggage. The TSA partners with law enforcement during any security incident at the checkpoints. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue will manage all Medical, Fire and Hazardous Materials (HazMat) related incidents.
Aircraft/Airfield Emergencies
Information Releases:
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The PBI Communications team will only provide the following information when it becomes available:
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Impact on airport operations
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Investigating organization
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Special instructions for media access and/or escort
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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) releases all information related to the investigation of the accident and will determine the cause and any contributing factors. At no point should anyone speculate about the cause of the incident.
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The airline releases the passenger manifest (list of passenger names).
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) releases the preliminary statement related to aircraft accidents or incidents and air traffic control communication with the pilot of an aircraft involved in an accident.
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The coroner, medical examiner or other designated law enforcement officer makes initial confirmation of any deaths resulting from an accident.
*All other information will be provided by the airline or the appropriate investigating agency.
PBI PIO will notify members of the press of the location of any scheduled press conferences. The media reporting news of an aircraft emergency, accident or other incident should only release confirmed details and information will be shared as it becomes available.
Media access to the airfield may/may not be provided depending on the nature of the event. It may be necessary for the media to pool resources. The media may be permitted access to the scene of the emergency or incident as soon as reasonably practical after the scene has been declared secure. The assembly point will be designated by PBI or designated authority, and media representatives at the scene of an incident must comply with any order, direction or signal by PBSO, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue/ARFF or authorized airport or federal government representatives. No representative of the media will enter aircraft movement areas or security areas without an airport escort.
Media will not be allowed to interfere with the pedestrian or vehicle flow of the public or with airline, airport, tenant and concessionaire operations. While PBI recognizes the importance of interviewing passengers, our first responsibility is to the passengers and families and their right to privacy. If any individuals are reluctant to be interviewed or photographed, PBI will support their decision.
In addition, during an aircraft accident, access to passengers will be subject to approval by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, the involved airline, PBSO, FAA, FBI, NTSB, TSA or other Department of Homeland Security agency.
Alert System: When monitoring radio transmissions, an Alert I or II could indicate either a real or perceived problem. Our emergency staff assumes a heightened condition and prepares accordingly.
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Alert I – Station Standby - ARFF personnel will stand by in their ARFF apparatus on the fire station ramp.
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Alert II – ARFF personnel shall respond to their pre-determined standby positions for the runway the aircraft is landing on, this has the potential to escalate to an Alert III.
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Alert III – A crash or fire involving an Aircraft.
Important Contact Information
Palm Beach County Department of Airports
Public Information Officer
Nicole Hughes
nhughes@pbia.org
561-687-5912
Afterhours/weekend/holiday:
561-762-4563
Federal Aviation Administration Public Affairs
Media Relations
Primary e-mail: pressoffice@faa.gov
Maria Njoku
Office: 404-305-5100
Cell: 202-615-3550
maria.njoku@faa.gov
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
Media Relations
561-688-3080
mediarelations@pbso.org
Transportation Security Administration
Regular hours:
Mark Howell
Mark.Howell1@tsa.dhs.gov
Afterhours/weekend/holiday public affairs duty officer for breaking news and emergencies: TSAmedia@tsa.dhs.gov
National Transportation Safety Board
Office of Media Relations
202-314-6100
FBI
Public Information Officer
James Marshall
jpmarshall@fbi.gov
Office: 754-703-3079
Cell: 954-829-3992
SA Michael Leverock
Office: 754-703-2414
Cell: 305-525-3178
mdleverock@fbi.gov
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue
Public Information Officer
561-308-4120
pbcfrpio@pbcgov.org
ARFF
District Chief Bob Kropa
561-365-4749
bkropa@pbcgov.org
Palm Beach County Public Affairs Department
561-355-2754