On the Horizon for Safety 1st NATA is rolling out big improvements to its signature education outreach and training product in 2018 BY COLIN BANE R andy Bisgard, Senior Vice President at Airport Business Solutions and NATA Safety Committee member, first began developing the professional line training program now known as Safety 1st way back in the early 1970s, when he worked as Training Director for the Combs Gates FBO at Denver’s Stapleton International Airport. For its original iteration, Bisgard put together a Kodak Ektagraphic slideshow of the internal safety training presentation he had created, combining photos and an audio track, to use at Stapleton and the two other Combs Gates Aviation locations he oversaw. “There was no formal, industry- wide training at all at that time,” Bisgard said. “We used it internally for a few years before someone in the organization suggested we try selling it to the rest of the industry. We made some significant revisions to it and, around 1980, partnered with Phillips 66 to start selling the slideshow program to FBOs around the country. A few years later, we converted the whole thing to a Aviation Business Journal | 1st Quarter 2017 video tape presentation and, as you know, around 2000, sold it to NATA and began moving towards the online version that is its cur- rent iteration. I like to think of it as my baby. I’m really proud of what it’s become and thankful that NATA has let me be a continuing part of its ongoing development.” A lot has changed in those inter- vening years. The old Stapleton International Airport, where Bisgard started his career in general aviation, is now a residential infill neighbor- hood with a new bar and restaurant going in where the old control tower still stands. And Safety 1st is now the industry standard for safety training in general aviation: a fully online, interactive, and comprehensive suite of digital products covering Professional Line Service Training (PLST), Supervisor Training, Deicing, and a Customer Service, Safety & Security training package—all aligned with OSHA standards, Federal Aviation Administration Regulations, and the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH). It’s used across the country and, increasingly, around the world. This year, the Safety 1st online training is in the process of tran- sitioning to a new subscription model that NATA members have been clamoring for; and the NATA Safety Committee is hard at work developing the fifth iteration of the program based on member feedback. Safety 1st is now the national gold standard in safety training for ground handlers, and is well on its way to becoming the international standard. Among other changes currently in progress, the training content is being updated to comply with the most recent IS-BAH standards. “The Safety 1st program has been really successful and people are really happy with it, but there is a lot of opportunity for us to improve it, break into smaller modules so that training programs can be more customizable, and expand it to serve the needs of a larger and more international customer base,” Bisgard said. “It’s evolving and it always will be, which is why it’s still Continued on page 26 25
