“With every mistake, we must surely be learning.” ~ George Harrison (While My Guitar Gently Weeps) The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is becoming one of the most active seasons on record, thanks to a stretch of long-lived, destructive hurricanes over the past five weeks. It was the first time in history that we had two…
Crises can strike without warning. Some incidents are slower and we can often start our response early. No matter what the situation is, we need to do more to prepare our businesses, communities, and families to survive and thrive after a crisis has passed. In this excellent episode, Mark Hoffman discusses how organizations can better…
They’ve weathered the storms, but could their crises have been avoided altogether? What lessons can crisis communicators draw from the recent VW “dieselgate” crisis and United Airlines’ spate of public relations disasters, most notably its violent removal of a passenger from one of its planes? These are crises where company wrong-doing was evident, yet any…
Forty percent of businesses do not reopen after a disaster and another 25 percent fail within one year according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Having a more resilient community requires preparedness and that means work! In this interview with Michael Morlan of Two Rivers Emergency Management, we discussed some of the major concerns…
Guest contributor: Jo Detavernier, SCMP, APR – VP and Partner with Swyft. When a crisis hits, the spokesperson or (in a larger organization), the Crisis Communications Team, sees itself under immense pressure to respond quickly to demands for information from media. The first hour of a crisis is often called the Golden Hour because you…
Having perspective is always a good thing. In this interview, Joe McEnness, Executive Director – Office of Risk Management of the Catholic Church in Boston, discusses crisis preparedness. Having a plan is one thing, knowing how to implement that plan during a crisis is a totally different matter. Practicing the plan and ensuring your team…
A Three-Year Crisis Simulation Exercise Program That Validates Preparedness is an Approach Every Organization Should Take Does your organization just “check the box” when it comes to conducting crisis simulation exercises? Do you really understand the true value of conducting effective simulation exercises? Do you take the annual “one off” approach, or are your…
The Crisis Management Team’s (CMT) role during a physical event may vary depending on the scale and complexity of the emergency. Knowing what to do during such events is essential. In the early stages of a physical event, the CMT needs to be organized. Making timely and accurate decisions due to the team being well…
The media continue to be filled with stories about companies that fail to manage crisis situations, costing them millions in damage, fines and reparations, lost revenue and lost jobs. Many of those failures can be tracked to a few common causes: 1) lack of attention to the identification and assessment of risks, 2) weak leadership…
As painful as it is to replay in our minds the recent terror bombing in Manchester, crisis planners are obligated to study it. Two lessons jump out: Lesson 1: Outside perimeters, by definition, are not secure Without having to pass through any sort of security screening, terrorists view outside perimeters of buildings, auditoriums, stadiums, crowded…