Pilot Commentary: Protecting the Cockpit Through HIMS
By F/O Corey Slone (United), National HIMS Group Chairman
Protect the cockpit at all costs is what we hear repeatedly in training. As pilots, it’s our responsibility to protect the cockpit and the flying public. What does this have to do with the Human Intervention Motivation Study (HIMS)? The answer is safety. And HIMS is a safety program, which is why the HIMS Group is a part of ALPA’s Air Safety Organization (ASO).
Under the ASO Pilot Assistance Group umbrella, there’s a cadre of dedicated pilot representatives who help administer HIMS, and I’m proud to be the chairman of this group of brave, giving individuals.
Many of these pilot representatives have chosen to give back because they owe their lives and careers to programs like HIMS and the people who make the program work—myself included. We know that alcohol and chemical dependency affect all kinds of people, including flightcrew members, and we’re living proof that the program works.
In this issue of Air Line Pilot, ALPA members will find a trifold brochure that includes information on spotting the signs and identifying the behavior of alcohol and substance abuse, details about the HIMS program, and contact information. The brochure was designed to be a helpful resource for line pilots and their families. Because let’s face it, sometimes the big, hairy, 800-pound gorilla in our community is alcohol and drugs. What is legal? How much is too much? What behavior is acceptable? What is in compliance with regs and company policy? What does addiction look like? These are hard, emotional questions to ask, but it’s absolutely necessary to know the answers.
I personally know that it can be hard for someone with alcoholism or another form of chemical dependency to come to grips with his or her addiction. Identifying the symptoms of addiction and helping those affected get the treatment they need—without fear of losing their jobs—is a big step toward more effectively managing this disease. An industrywide effort, HIMS engages managers, pilots, health-care professionals, and the FAA who work together to preserve pilot careers and enhance aviation safety.
The identification of chemical addiction used to be career-ending, but, fortunately, times have changed. Much like other disqualifying medical conditions, a pilot can be issued a Special Issuance (SI) medical certificate by the FAA. However, the individual must be willing to undergo medically required treatment and continual monitoring for several years by HIMS-trained experts from the company and the FAA and from health-care professionals.
These steps may sound intimidating, but they’re essential because alcoholics and other substance abusers are prone to relapse if they don’t receive the proper treatment. Keep in mind that a number of medical conditions require lifetime monitoring. By comparison, having to cope with a few years of routine contact is a small price to pay to be able to keep flying through this “monitored pathway” back to the cockpit for pilots who suffer from alcoholism and other forms of drug addiction.
This peer-based program, began in 1974 and spearheaded by ALPA with the FAA and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, has successfully returned many pilots to the cockpit in the last 43 years.
Studies have demonstrated that for every dollar invested in keeping and rehabilitating pilots, participating airlines actually save at least $11 in hiring and training costs. The FAA supports HIMS so emphatically that the agency funds semi-annual training seminars and other forms of educational outreach.
As HIMS is U.S.-centric, our Canadian members also have a similar program through the Pilot Health and Rehabilitation Program to address chemical dependency issues. All ALPA members can visit himsprogram.com for more information.
It’s important to remember the HIMS priorities: protecting the cockpit; helping a pilot with the disease of addiction, saving his or her life; and then restoring a pilot’s career if the pilot complies with the FAA, company, and the personal requirements to ensure a solid foundation of sobriety.
If you or someone you know suffers from chemical addiction, there’s no reason to hide any longer. Follow the example of those pilots who have “been there, done that” and have effectively worked through the HIMS program to save their lives.
