Communications
in an emergency
An all too real scenario...
It
is 9.00 p.m. on a Saturday night in late June. The weather is
clear, bright and dry. There is a breeze blowing from the west.
In
the factory an operator smells - and then sees - smoke coming
from under a storeroom door. The operator enters the storeroom
and discovers a small fire.
The
fire is taking hold fast - too fast to be dealt with on the spot
with a fire extinguisher. The smoke is dense and the cause of
the fire is not clear.
The
ventilation system is taking some of the smoke away and to the
outer atmosphere through ducts in the roof…
How
do employees on site respond?
Describe
what actions are taken - and describe who is contacted, describe
when they are contacted, describe why they are contacted…..and
describe how (and by whom) they are contacted…..
While
internal action is being undertaken, the smoke emerging from the
roof has been seen….
Concerned
local residents call the factory asking what is going on.
Who
handles these calls?
How are they dealt with immediately?
How
are they recorded? How are they followed up after the event?
Other
residents have called the police and the fire service.
What
is the likely response from the emergency services? Will they
be surprised?
One
local resident is a freelance reporter for a local paper. He hears
sirens and out of curiosity follows a fire engine….
The
reporter arrives at the factory gates.
How
is his arrival handled? By whom?
The
reporter has questions - which he wants answered - now. He's already
on his mobile phone ready to spread the news and enhance his reputation.
Meanwhile,
the fire has increased in size…it is now posing a serious threat
to other parts of the plant.
Evacuation
plans are put in motion…
How is the information about the evacuation transmitted and to whom?
Our
freelance reporter has generated interest from other parts of
the media. (It's a summer night and it's quiet on the newsdesks)
A
radio car and a TV crew arrive at the gates. They want interviews
with 'someone in charge'.
Who
is that 'someone'?
Have they been trained in facing the media?
Where are they?
Are they already on site?
If not, how long will it take them to get there?
Who answers questions and holds the fort in the meantime?
There
is a problem: the TV crew wants to do an interview live. If they
can't get a company spokesperson on air - now - they are doing
the piece anyway and putting their own spin on it.
Who responds
to their demands?
There
is a steady breeze blowing towards a housing estate just the other
side of the motorway that runs past the factory.
The
chief fire officer is concerned that the fire is giving off toxic
smoke and fumes. He needs to know what the smoke is likely to
contain.
Who
has this information? Where is it held? In what form?
The
fire has really taken hold now - to the point where it is considered
wise to evacuate the entire plant.
From where
will ongoing communications issues be handled?
This
incident has now moved from the apparently trivial to deadly serious,
and there are likely to be serious repercussions.
Who
is involved in the planning of responses and actions as a consequence
of the incident?
Are these the same people who are involved on
the ground as the incident unfolds?
The
police report they have shut the motorway to traffic because of
the dense smoke blowing towards the housing estate.
The
chief police officer is examining options for evacuating people
from their homes as a safety precaution. Like the chief fire officer
he needs to know the possible health hazards to local people.
He needs informed advice from the company - and he needs it now.
Who can give it to him?
Gradually
the fire team bring the blaze under control.
It
is decided that evacuation of people on the housing estate will
not be necessary after all.
After
another hour the police re-open the motorway. It is now daylight, the following morning. The damage to the plant
is obvious and extensive.
The
fire has been put out and the fire crews are gradually stood down.
There
have been very few casualties - a small number of workers suffering
from smoke inhalation and some burns.
Three
workers have been taken to hospital and are being kept in for
observation.
Our
freelance reporter -sensing another angle to his story - has gone
to the hospital to speak with relatives of the injured workers.
As
a result of the incident, the major part of the plant is now out
of commission - at least for the time being while damage is assessed.
During
the night who has had responsibility for managing the disruption?
Who has been contacting the day shift?
And how? And from where?
Now
it's morning; the story has been on TV and radio over breakfast-time.
More people are calling the factory asking for information.
How
are these contacts handled?
A
crowd of local residents have gathered outside the gates to see
for themselves. They have questions - and they want answers.
How are they dealt
with?
The
local branch members of Friends of the Earth have arrived - and
seem intent on stirring up antagonism to the company amongst the
crowd. They are making every attempt to speak with reporters etc.
How do you respond? Who responds?
The
damage evaluation is complete. It's clear there will be no production
for a while.
Who
has taken responsibility for contacting suppliers?
Who
has taken responsibility for contacting customers?
How
has this been done? And how quickly?
The
following day…..It's
now 36 hours on from the original incident. The media have (for
the most part) moved on to new stories, although our local freelancer
is still knocking about.
Time
for some evaluation - and some positive action.
Who
is part of the evaluation process?
Who now has responsibility
for repairing the damage to the company's reputation?
How is this
to be done?
If Bergmans Communications had been a part of your team, you'd have been in far better shape to handle communications fast and effectively as this scenario unfolded (it's actually based on our experiences in emergencies over many year).
That's why we suggest you get us on board BEFORE the crisis breaks!