A Flight Attendant questions Maintenance Control's deferral of a Cabin Emergency call button red flashing signal light on the annunciator panel. If PA (Public Address) system also fails during an emergency; an alternate bracing signal from the flight deck to the cabin crew would not be available.
Synopsis
A Flight Attendant questions Maintenance Control's deferral of a Cabin Emergency call button red flashing signal light on the annunciator panel. If PA (Public Address) system also fails during an emergency; an alternate bracing signal from the flight deck to the cabin crew would not be available.
Narrative
During my pre-flight inspection on a DHC-8-Q400 aircraft. I was checking the chimes in the lavatory and cabin and when I was checking the call buttons on the interphone I noticed that the (Emergency) EMER Call button made a high/low chime but there was not a flashing red signal on the annunciator panel. I reported this to our Captain and he called Maintenance. Maintenance came on-board and the end result was that Maintenance Control decided to MEL the issue. I was very concerned about this for two reasons:First; if we needed to make an Emergency call under 10;000 feet (sterile cockpit) the pilots would never know; as we would have to make a routine call. Second; the same high/low chime with a flashing red signal is also our alternate bracing signal if the PA (Public Address) is not working.Flight Attendant 'X' and I asked our Captain in the event that we needed to command the passengers to be in their brace positions what would our alternate bracing signal be and he stated that he would make a PA and state 'Brace; Brace; Brace.' I felt very uncomfortable about this as we did not have a second alternative for our bracing signal. I addressed this to our Captain and Maintenance team; and I felt my concerns were ignored and not valued as a safety professional. I thought about calling a Duty Officer; but as the conversation continued I felt that I was being over powered and by this time we were running 30 minutes late. Flight Attendant 'X' and I worked the flight and when we returned to base; we spoke to our In-flight Supervisor with our concerns.
NASA callback
Reporter stated he has not received any information yet from his carrier whether or not changes would be made to their MEL List that involve deferral of the communication system between the cabin crew and the flight crew. He has had to use the 'Emergency' call to the cockpit below 10;000 feet (sterile cockpit) situation. But with the 'RED' Emergency call button light deferred at the mid-cabin overhead light position; only the cabin P/A would be functioning. There are three panels: one at the Flight Attendant station; galley and mid-cabin overhead; approximately row 10.Reporter stated with a deferral of the flashing 'RED' Emergency call button; the flight deck would not have an alternate method to communicate with the cabin crew when an emergency 'Brace; Brace; Brace' condition existed if the cabin P/A system also failed.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.