What is an Emergency Response Plan (ERP), and when do I need one?

The Emergency Response Plan (ERP) is your emergency plan for situations in which the drone becomes uncontrollable. It answers one question: What do we do in the first few minutes to prevent a technical problem from causing personal injury?

It is important to distinguish between the two: Contingency procedures are intended to save the flight – returning to the take-off point or landing at an alternative location. The ERP only applies afterwards, when the flight can no longer be saved.

When you need one

Not in the open category. In the specific category, the ERP is part of the risk assessment – with SORA 2.5, it has become a mandatory safety objective and is no longer required only for higher risk levels.

What it should contain

• Triggers: When is the situation considered an emergency – loss of control, crash, leaving the area of operation.
• Immediate measures: Who warns people on the ground, who cordons off the area, who provides first aid.
• Alerting: Which numbers are called and in what order – emergency services, police and, when near aerodromes, air traffic control.
• Roles: Who makes decisions and who communicates. Defined in advance, not negotiated in the moment.
• Reporting channels: The 72-hour report via aviationreporting.eu and, where applicable, the BFU.
• Preservation of evidence: Secure flight data, take photos and record witness details.

What makes it useful

Brevity and specificity. An ERP that is meant to be read in an emergency fits on one page, is kept as a printed copy with the equipment and contains actual telephone numbers instead of placeholders. It forms part of the Operations Manual, but it is the only part of it that your team should know by heart.

Not sure what applies to your operation? We can clarify this with you – book an appointment.