Emergency Management – General Topics

General Emergency Management Posts and Threads – those not in our highlighted categories

FEMA releases research report, “Improving Public Messaging for Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place”

In April 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released Improving Public Messaging for Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place: Findings and Recommendations for Emergency Managers from Peer-Reviewed Research. The purpose of this research report is to provide emergency managers with:

  • Findings on public understanding and decision-making for evacuation and shelter-in-place protective actions.
  • Recommendations for improving public messaging to inform the public about risk and to increase compliance with instructions to evacuate or to shelter-in-place.

Some key recommendations to emergency managers include:

  • Understand the potential impediments to action and take steps to address these barriers in advance.
  • Make evacuation decisions easier by only issuing mandatory evacuation orders.
  • Provide residents and tourists with multiple ways to know if they are in a zone under an evacuation order.
  • Use multiple, authoritative messaging channels that include photos or links to other visual information about the hazard and encourage individuals to share this information with friends and families.
  • Provide frequent updates with information that can reduce the stress of the unknown related to evacuation.

Although this literature review identified similarities and differences in attitudes and behaviors related to multiple types of hazards, the largest set of research is associated with hurricanes. The research team acknowledges more research should be conducted on little- or no-notice incidents, such as wildfires, earthquakes and tornadoes, as well as manmade emergencies such as chemical spills.

Read the full report on FEMA’s website, in its “Planning Guides” resource collection.

(Source: FEMA)

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Free Crisis Communications Training

Federal/State Free Training

Centers for Disease Control’s Crisis & Emergency Risk Communications Training https://emergency.cdc.gov/cerc/training/index.asp

FEMA IS-42: Social Media in Emergency Management Course https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-42


https://www.coursera.org/lecture/humanitarian-communication/preventive-crisis-communication-challenges-CWbPQ


Crisis Communications Flyers and blog items

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/fbi-crisis-communications-trifold-reference-guide.pdf


World Health, O. (2005). Effective media communication during public health emergencies : a WHO field guide / Randall N. Hyer, Vincent T. Covello. In. Geneva: World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/43477


Association of Risk and Crisis Communication – Code of Ethics. http://www.association-rcc.org/international-arcc/code-of-ethics/


Duke University Crisis Communications Plan – https://today.duke.edu/showcase/emergency_plan/


Ready.gov Crisis Communications Plan – https://www.ready.gov/crisis-communications-plan


https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjwalker/2012/01/26/handling-the-media-during-a-crisis-media-training/?sh=2cb4aae44280


Cision’s Crisis Communications team material: “Monitoring A PR Crisis: How a Proactive Approach Benefits Your Whole Enterprise” & Uber Case Study


Have any other suggestions to share? Please post a reply below… Thank you!

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Crisis Communications

Barton Dunant has workshops through our own course, on the elements of a Crisis Communications Team – as organized by POETE (Planning, Organizing, Equipping, Training and Exercising). This will help your organization build or refine your Crisis Communications Team Plan. We also have a series of increasingly complex exercises for your Crisis Communications Team.

The FBI has a great checklist for before, during and after an incident, for Public Information Officers (PIOs) to help with Crisis Communications. We have included a free download link to it.

Crisis Communications Quick Reference Guide from the FBI

SalesForce.org free set of tips on e-mailing crisis communications messages, for non-profit organizations.

Want to learn about some really bad examples of Crisis Communications?

2022

A piece from The Washington Post.

A piece from television station KOAT from Albuquerque, NM


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2021 Reading List

Here is what we are reading in 2021:

  • Shall We Wake the President?: Two Centuries of Disaster Management from the Oval Office by Tevi Troy
  • Three Seconds Until Midnight by Dr. John J. Walsh Jr.
  • Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead by Jim Mattis and Bing West
  • Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Dr. Rebekah Taussig
  • Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff
  • If It Bleeds by Stephen King

2020 Reading List

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DHS S&T’s Social Media Guidance Planning

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Social Media Emergency Management (SMEM) Guidance Tool (SMEM Guidance Tool) is an easy-to-use tool designed to support emergency managers (EMs), public information officers (PIOs), and others working in crisis communications with the development of planning materials for SMEM operations. The SMEM Guidance Tool is free and provides potential users a simple, step-by-step line of questioning to create plans to improve SMEM operations within their organizations. It is automated, web accessible, and mobile to enhance usability for practitioners, who often have limited time to dedicate to SMEM planning and operations efforts.

https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/social-media-guidance-planning

DHS S&T released the existing SMEM Guides (Social Media Business Case GuideDigital Volunteer Program Guide, and Social Media Plan Guide) in a PDF format as a resource for SMEM practitioners. The SMEM Guidance Tool builds on the existing DHS S&T SMEM Guides (linked below) and provides users with a more robust and user-friendly experience in creating planning materials for SMEM operations. Users can create a Social Media Business Case and Digital Volunteer Program with the tool. The feature for completing a Social Media Plan will be integrated by the end of 2019.

Visit the SMEM Guidance Tool at smemguidancetool.org

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2020 Reading List

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How Emergency Managers use telecommunications today

We think the world of Emergency Management has expanded almost exponentially – as it relates to the use of telecommunications devices both by the public to connect with Emergency Services; and also by emergency managers to connect to responders.

We’ve come a long way from the rotary phone days where 911 might have been your only option and you called your responders out on pagers. SmartPhone apps, text alerts and social media are just the tip of the iceberg and the upcoming FirstNet phone system dedicated to responders has the promise of interoperable communications – which started from the 9-11 Commission.

Let us know how your department or agency is leveraging telecommunications for both public information and responder accountability.

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