ACRP is soliciting Letters of Interest from those interested in performing the research work. A cover letter plus a resume or CV should convey a concise idea of your knowledge of the topic and your related work and experience in the subject area. A statement that you can comply with the terms of the contract should be included. A panel of topic experts will select the contractor at their first panel meeting. The deadline for letters of interest is February 2, 2026 by 5pm eastern and can be submitted at https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8553743/ACRP-Synthesis-LOI-2026

Tentative Scope

Airport operations and first responders are well versed in how to respond to an airport emergency. However, the administrative and staff teams (non-operational positions, including executive leadership) who have completed required emergency response training but haven’t put it into practice may not feel prepared during a real emergency. Additionally, airport operations and emergency teams are unable to provide the type of training needed to get administrative teams ready to respond. While the Incident Command Structure outline responsibilities, the information doesn't translate smoothly to an administrative team’s understanding. Understanding their role can be especially important at smaller airports with fewer staff.

The objective of this synthesis is to document the administrative and non-operational airport staff roles and responsibilities that support emergency response. The audience for this synthesis is for airport operators who are training administrative staff for response.

Information to be described in a concise report includes (but is not limited to):

• A literature review that includes an overview of the Incident Command Structure (ICS) minimum training requirements for all staff.
• Examples of how administrative and non-operational airport staff responsibilities and their role assisting in recovery effort.
• Identifying the expectations and training for administrative and no-operational airport staff.
• Identifying training plans and programs, including recurrent training and exercises for administrative and no-operational airport staff
• Case examples to highlight administrative and no-operational airport staff initial and recurrent training, and practices that prepare staff for emergencies. 

Information will be collected through literature review, a survey of airports if applicable, and interviews with selected airports for the development of case examples. Knowledge gaps and suggestions for future research to address those gaps will also be identified.

Partial Information Sources

ACRP Research Report 95, Integrating Community Emergency Response Teams (A-CERTs at Airports)