A Message CATSA's President and CEO to Pre-Board Screening Officers

As many of you know, the news has been dominated by two stories over the past several weeks. I wrote about one of those stories, the war in Iraq, in a special edition of CATSA News a couple of weeks ago. In today's message, I would like to address the second story, SARS or severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Canada was one of the first countries to join the battle against this invisible enemy. Indeed, the response by Health Canada and provincial governments
has been praised by the World Health Organization. In very short order, SARS clinics staffed with doctors and volunteers opened in cities across the country while government departments worked together to monitor the situation 24
hours a day.

In combination, the war in Iraq and the SARS virus represent huge stresses on everyday life, affecting thousands, if not millions of Canadians. As an organization, CATSA is unique in that it deals with a significant portion of the population everyday, in 89 airports across the country. In combination with the stress of air travel, passengers and screening officers must now deal with these two additional stresses.

As someone who travels frequently, across the country and internationally, I wanted to tell you how impressed I have been with the screening officers' commitment and professionalism during these challenging times. I would like
to take this opportunity to thank you for the dedication you have shown towards air security and re-emphasize the important role you play in protecting
Canada's skies.

Since its takeover of pre-board screening (PBS) in December 2002, CATSA has been making every effort to communicate to PBS officers the importance and seriousness of the tasks they perform at security checkpoints across the country. Through its vigorous training program and the opening of new training facilities (profiled in this issue), CATSA has demonstrated its commitment to PBS officers and its vision of pre-board screening as a national service conducted by highly qualified and trained individuals.

The dedication shown by PBS officers following the events of 9/11 is once again revealed in meeting these new challenges. PBS officers across the country
have completed their daily tasks with integrity and professionalism I, along
with the entire CATSA team would like to thank you for your unwavering commitment to pre-board screening and to the country.

Jacques Duchesneau, C.M.
President and Chief Executive Officer

CATSA Opens Its First Training Centre in Calgary

When pre-board screening trainee Clyde Lewis entered CATSA's new training centre in Calgary for his first day of training, he knew he was joining a team committed to enhancing pre-board screening (PBS). “Everything around here is well organized. Everything is brand new and looks very professional. There is no room for second best around here. This is it. It is very clear when trainees enter such a facility that they have entered a place of dedication and excellence,” he says. CATSA's new centre includes a classroom where trainees receive computer-based theoretical classes and a laboratory where they undergo hands-on training on the same x-ray equipment used at pre-board screening checkpoints. For CATSA's Director of Certification and Training, Tom Hodge, hearing Mr. Lewis' words is an accomplishment in itself. "It's great to hear that the training centre is so well received by the trainees. The new facility demonstrates CATSA's approach to to providing a higher level of training to new pre-board screening officers. When creating a a training facility such as the one in Calgary, we tried our best to keep the needs of the trainees in close perspective," says Mr. Hodge. CATSA's training centre in Calgary also includes office spaces for CATSA's Regional Manager and PBS trainers. There are currently eight pre- board screening trainees receiving their Level 1 training at CATSA's centre in Calgary. CATSA plans to open nine training facilities across the country including St. John's, Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. "In a training centre, a PBS trainee will have access to modern technology in order to learn new competencies in an environment that is similar to one they will work in on a daily basis", says Mr. Hodge. Although centres will be located mostly in major cities, Mr. Hodge believes they will be of great benefit to the smaller ones thanks to web-based training, a new training service that will allow PBS

Calgary's Training Centre includes a classroom where the theoretical part of the training takes place. The CATSA training centre includes a computer station for the PBS trainers. The classroom work stations include fully-equipped computers where the trainees can proceed with their computer-based training. The equipment lab at the training centre includes x-ray and trace machines as well as hand wands for manual searches.

trainers to reach trainees through the web. Web-based training will operate out of four of the nine centres: Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver. "Web-based training will allow CATSA to offer the same learning quality to all its airports," says Mr. Hodge.  According to Gina Lucas, a PBS trainer who has worked in Yellowknife and Atlantic Canada, web-based training will create consistency in training and screening across the country regardless of the location. "Smaller airports are ready for web-based training. PBS trainees at smaller airports are eager to get in touch with the bigger ones and vice versa. It will take some time and effort to set this system up and that effort is fully recognized by the pre-board screening trainers and trainees across the country. CATSA is working hard to enhance PBS training and we know it," says Ms. Lucas. All nine CATSA training centres are set to open in the coming year.

The Screening of Travellers with Special Needs

Judy Darling never leaves her office without them. Her credit cards?  No, CATSA's training manuals.

"These are the chapters to our bible.  In them you will find all the golden rules to CATSA's training program," she says.

Judy is CATSA's National Training Advisor. When asked how a pre-board screening (PBS) officer is trained to screen a passenger with a special need, she wastes no energy on an answer and instead opens the picture 'bible'.

"Here's an illustration of a passenger in a wheelchair approaching the PBS checkpoint. The message accompanying the illustration advises the PBS
officer to always try and put him/herself in the traveller's shoes. How would the PBS officer feel if he/she was the one being screened in a wheelchair? That's what we want them to be thinking when screening persons with special needs," says Ms. Darling.

Maged Naguib, who has trained PBS officers in the Toronto region, says the techniques he taught for the screening of travellers with special needs are basic ones.

"The person comes first. The PBS officers do not deal with the special need. They deal with the person. Once they make contact with the person, they then work with him/her to make the process a comfortable and stress-free one," he says.

When told of Mr. Naguib's answer, Ms. Darling nods in agreement and points to the picture illustrating the concept.

"CATSA's training program is focused on customer service. Customer service is shown at its best when dealing with travellers with special needs," says
Ms. Darling.

According to Ms. Darling, the 'person first' principle conveys that the disability
is not who the person is but a specific condition that he/she has.

"The 'person first' principle conveys respect and courtesy, two elements that form the basis of CATSA's PBS training program. When screening an individual with a special need, a PBS officer must always make sure he/she maintains
eye contact and speaks directly to the passenger. The screening of passengers is not a job, it is a service, a service to our passengers and to our country," she says.

Non-Passenger Screening Pilot Project in Calgary and Thunder Bay

It is around two in the afternoon and Maurice Murphy is walking around Calgary International Airport, giving a tour to CATSA employees of CATSA's new pilot project, the Non-Passenger Screening (NPS) project. Fifteen minutes later, Mr. Murphy is standing in the airport's food court on the third level, looking over the glass barrier as an officer on the second level screens a co-pilot on her way to a restricted area. "We wanted to come out into the airport and see first hand the challenges that could arise when we do this type of screening in a working environment," says Mr. Murphy, CATSA's Manager of Non-Passenger Screening. CATSA initiated two NPS pilot projects in Calgary and Thunder Bay. The projects took place from March 24 to April 4. When Mr. Murphy was first asked to take on the NPS project, he knew there would be obstacles to overcome and that one way to tackle them would be by staging a dry run. "Our goal in doing NPS pilot projects is to screen as many non-passengers as we can and collect data that will help us define the different requirements we need to develop an effective NPS program. We need to discover what procedures we should consider applying that are different from passenger screening," he says. "The information we gather from the pilot project will help us identify specific needs of screening officers when screening non-passengers." According to Lisa Nash, a PBS Manager at Thunder Bay International Airport and a participant in the NPS pilot project, the dry run was a success. "We received very positive feedback from airport personnel. No one had a problem being screened as long as it didn't take them away from their duties, and it didn't," she says. Over 60 non-passengers were randomly screened in Thunder Bay while about 770 were screened in Calgary. "We found that the best way to screen non-passengers was to approach them at their designated areas.

PBS officer Dave Finley screening a co-pilot at Calgary International Airport. PBS officer Dave Finley inspecting the co-pilot's uniform. Point Leader Gregory Mayo screening Greg Batters, Manager of Safety and Security at the Thunder Bay International Airport, under the supervision of PBS Manager Lisa Nash and PBS supervisor Tracy Price. PBS officer Dave Finley screening a Customer Service Representative at Calgary's International Airport. PBS officer Dave Finley conducting a manual search at Calgary's International Airport.

We equipped our screening officers with a hand-held detector and asked them to proceed towards different restricted areas in the airport and screen non-passengers on a random basis," Mr. Murphy says. According to Ms. Nash, the screening of non-passengers is similar to the screening of passengers. It's all about the attitude. "It's all about the approach. If a screening officer approaches non-passengers in a courteous and respectful manner, he/she should have no problem." Nonetheless, Mr. Murphy believes there are still certain differences to keep in mind when screening a non-passenger. "There are certain requirements and skills needed in the screening of non-passengers that are different from the screening of passengers. Non-passengers are employees at the airport so they're more skeptical about being screened. Since they already have security passes, they have plenty of questions on why they need to be screened. The answer is to ensure security within the airport's inner operations," says Mr. Murphy. Following the NPS pilot projects, CATSA will be working with Transport Canada on the further development of Non-Passenger Screening across the country.

Interview with PBS Trainers on the Training of Screening Officers

Pearly Gorman is one of many who, after watching the devastating events of 9/11 on the small screen, spent the following days thinking about how she could help. When offered the opportunity to join the air security industry as a pre-board screening (PBS) trainer, Mrs. Gorman considered it a calling.

"It's a great honor for me to have joined such a great team of people who work on a daily basis to enhance Canada's air security," she says.

Mrs. Gorman is a Regional Training Manager for the Ontario region. She works for Galaxy Canada, the company CATSA contracted to provide training services to PBS officers across the country. According to her, CATSA's training and certification program, introduced on January 1, 2003, is one of the best initiatives to happen to pre-board screening.

"Prior to CATSA's takeover, PBS officers couldn't grasp the importance of the responsibilities behind the screening of travellers. With CATSA's new training program, these responsibilities are clear. The PBS officers feel valued and are relying on CATSA to continue promoting pre-board screening. CATSA's new training program offers a challenge and room to grow. And that is always a great motivator," she says.

Pamela Turnbull-Rafuse, a Galaxy Regional Training Manager for Atlantic Canada, says CATSA's new training program is not only changing how PBS officers view their job but how they view some aspects of their personal life.

"A trainee in one of my classes once told me that the new training program has helped her understand and deal with her son. She said that thanks to the program's great focus on customer service, she was able to apply different approaches to her son, such as listening and demonstrating patience,"
Mrs. Turnbull-Rafuse says.

Luc Vaillancourt, a Regional Training Manager currently working in the Québec region, says he spends a lot of time working on teaching trainees how to communicate with passengers.

"I try to teach trainees to choose their words carefully when addressing passengers, to be courteous and pleasant," he says.

But what Mr. Vaillancourt finds most impressive about the new training program is the consistency.

"Thanks to the new training program, all PBS officers are providing the same screening service across the country. There are no holes in the system, only exceptional service from coast to coast," he says.

In Vancouver, Ed Perez, who has trained PBS officers on the West Coast, thinks the greatest accomplishment of the new training program is the change in the PBS officers' attitude towards passengers.

"To have the cooperation from passengers, PBS officers must be respectful. The officers are taught to approach passengers with a smile and eye contact and in return, they're receiving positive responses from the passengers, even the moody ones," he says.

From her hotel room in Newfoundland, Mrs. Turnbull-Rafuse cannot hear Ed Perez but still manages to echo his opinion.

"The training program reinforces what they've always believed in but were never pushed to do: the power of good customer service," she says.

CATSA's training team, lead by CATSA's Director of Training and Certification, Tom Hodge, would like to thank all Regional Training Managers and Trainers across the country for bringing CATSA's training program to life and helping CATSA reach its goal of enhanced PBS service at Canada's security checkpoints.

CATSA NEWS would like to thank the trainers who took time out of their busy schedules to contribute to this story. Thank you.

CATSA NEWS would also like to thank Erika Mayhew for conducting the interviews for this article.

CATSA's Newly Revamped Tips for Travellers Section on the Web

CATSA's website has a new Tips for Travellers Section detailing the different steps travellers need to take before and after arriving at the airport to make their travelling experience an easier one. The new section includes an abbreviated luggage checklist and a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section.

Please take time to visit the newly revamped section at: http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/. PBS officers may refer passengers with inquiries on prohibited items and the pre-board screening process in general to CATSA's website and our new section.

Media Inquiries

If you receive an inquiry from the media about CATSA or any security-related matters, please direct them to CATSA's Senior Communications Advisor Renée Fairweather at (613) 998-4527 or Press Advisor, Marianne Keriakos at (613) 998-0311.