CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLAN

Generic Plan for Laboratory Use

Drafted by Tori Orr

February 12, 2012

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Table  of  Contents  

SUMMARY  INTRODUCTION   3  

GUIDELINES  &  PRINCIPLES   3  

AUDIENCE  &  STAKEHOLDERS   4  

ROLES  &  RESPONSIBILITIES   6  

IMMEDIATE  FIRST  RESPONDERS   7  SUPPORTING  SECONDARY  RESPONDERS   8  

COMMUNICATION  ACTIONS  -­‐  INTERNAL   11  

IDENTIFYING  POSSIBLE  CRISES   13  

EMERGENCY  CLASSIFICATIONS   13  MAJOR  THEMES  QUICK  REFERENCE   13  

EXTERNAL  NOTIFICATION  PROCESSES   15  

TARGETED  MESSAGES   17  

CRISES  AND  POST-­‐CRISIS  DOCUMENTATION   19  

PLAN  DISTRIBUTION  AND  COORDINATION  WITH  EXTERNAL  AGENCIES   21  

THE  OUTSIDE  PLAN  HOLDERS   21  CURRENT  COPIES  OF  THIS  PLAN  ARE  MAINTAINED  BY   21  

MULTI-­‐CHANNEL  MESSAGE  IMPLEMENTATION  AND  MONITORING  TABLE   22  

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Summary  Introduction    

This Crisis Communication Plan (CCP) establishes a protocol and framework for prompt communications action in response to any unforeseen Laboratory crisis events that potentially span the across four broad areas of impact: Injuries or Deaths, Structural or Property Damage, Tarnished Reputation, and Environmental Harm.

Communicating consistent, accurate, timely and useful information to all Laboratory stakeholders is considered critical and this plan will help to assign the roles and responsibilities for implementation in case of the following incidents:

Explosions or severe structural damage due to human or technical error Environmental crises issues such as radiation or ground water contamination

Accidents or incidents impacting the organization due to airplane impact or airfield crisis Incidents affecting the health and safety of employees, including pandemic flu or contagion, occupational injuries Natural disasters, such as severe weather that affects electrical utility or natural gas infrastructure Business failure due to cyber incidents, espionage, security breaches, or sensitive information distribution Criminal activity, including theft and vandalism

Misinformation in traditional or social media on significant matters (i.e., rumors surrounding sponsor-related failures, unfair working conditions, misappropriations, heath risks, financial or human resource issues, union strikes, etc.) Organizational misdeeds, ethics charges, government, vendor, or business partner complaints that could result in legal action Malevolent terrorist activity or workplace violence

Guidelines  &  Principles  

This document is intended to supplement, not replace, the responsibilities outlined in the Emergency Response Procedures manuals created independently by various departments within the organization (such as Security Operations Center, Facilities, and Information Technology). It is not intended to replace any administrative or security policies and procedures, incident plans, or evacuation plans already in place.

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This document is not a project management plan or a resourcing document. Anyone can implement this Crises Communication Plan because it depends on the tactical and support communication elements to be executed by the response teams identified under the roles and responsibilities section.

The purpose of this CCP is to establish an organizational structure and procedures for a communications response to any unforeseen events and emergencies. It has been prepared as a generic guide to address all types of incidents affecting the community in a systematic manner.

Its sole focus is the corporate communications and public media aspect of a crisis and ensure consistency for all messaging related to the status of the crisis. This CCP is designed to minimize information chaos, maximize human security and safety, and restore normal business operations as soon as possible by assuring fast, responsive communication to all appropriate parties.

In so doing it will protect the organization’s reputation and credibility, and reduce the number of calls to the main phone number that may interrupt the vital work of field response teams and restoration crews.

Gold standard for all crisis communications:

Respond quickly (within 24 hours) and honestly with as much transparency as security allows,

Don’t just talk to the issue, demonstrate sincere care and concern for victims, Remain patient with media and public,

Correct misinformation without placing blame, Collaborate with external agencies and actively promote civic partnerships,

Demonstrate how we plan to remediate the issue and prevent it from recurring, Be accurate without obfuscation. Don’t let desire for facts prevent involvement in dialog,

Maintain a consistent message with a single spokesperson.

Audience  &  Stakeholders  

The first step in any crisis plan is to identify stakeholders affected by an issue of high concern. For example, stakeholders in a crisis situation might include:

Victims (and their families) Emergency response personnel (law enforcement, EMTs, firefighters – and their families)

Public health personnel (local, county, state, national)

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Government agencies and NGOs (all levels) Politicians and legislators

The news media (all types, TV, radio, social) Contractors and consultants

Professional societies, including trade unions Suppliers and vendors

Special needs populations Scientific community

Religious community General public

Proper execution of this CCP will include ensuring all stakeholders designated to respond to an emergency are prepared, and all internal stakeholders are trained to the level necessary to safely perform these functions.

Reputation management involves efforts designed to influence stakeholder evaluations of an organization (Coombs, 2009). In most all cases there are two sets of stakeholders: internal and external. Contact information for these stakeholders is placed in a call-tree that is updated quarterly and appended to this document as Appendix A.

Executive Level Staff Chief Executive Officer

Associate Director Chief Operations Officer

Chief Financial Officer Legal

Stakeholders (Internal) Board of Directors Chief Technical Officer

Safety Director Security Director

Business Operations Director Communication Director

Executive Assistant

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Human Resources/Labor Relations Laboratory Employees

Military Liaison (Public Information Officer)

Stakeholders (External) Major Sponsors, Partners, Vendors/Suppliers

Regulatory Officials and Public Service Commissions Emergency Response related organizations (EPA, Fire/Police, Local Hospital, Dept. of Public Safety, Dept. of Public Health/Radiation Control) Surrounding Public Community Services (Red Cross, Hazardous Materials Response team, and Regional Emergency Planning Committee) City and Civilian Government elected representatives

News Media Utility Providers

Emergency Communications Team (ECT) Communications Director as ECT Director (cell, e-mail, home and office number, text)

COO (cell, e-mail, office number, text) Executive Director, Internal Affairs (cell, e-mail)

Communications Team Lead (cell, e-mail, home and office number, text) Executive Assistant (cell, e-mail, office number, text)

Additionally, the Laboratory employs subject matter experts in the technical divisions that offer multidisciplinary, problem-solving skills in the areas of engineering and the physical sciences. These subject matter experts should be identified for crisis-specific needs and their expertise called upon if and when possible.

Roles  &  Responsibilities  

Following an incident, all responders should know their role and obligations. Responsibilities following an incident are delegated among immediate first responders and supporting secondary responders as indicated below.

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The ECT Director, in most cases the acting Communication Director, will be notified immediately of all crisis situations. This will ensure that appropriate information is disseminated to employees, the media and the general public.

Messages will focus on the status of the crisis and, where appropriate, the Laboratory’s efforts to protect public safety and be crafted to protect the organization’s reputation. Successful communications and information management require that emergency management/response personnel use standardized communications. (The determination of the individual or group responsible for these communications is discussed in the communication matrix, below).

Strategic Communications: High-level directions, including resource priority decisions, roles and responsibilities determinations, and overall incident response courses of action.

Tactical Communications: Communications between command and support elements and, as appropriate, between and among cooperating agencies and organizations.

Support Communications: Coordination in support of strategic and tactical communications (for example, communications among hospitals concerning resource ordering, dispatching, and tracking from logistics centers; traffic and public works communications).

Public Address Communications: Emergency alerts and warnings, press conferences, etc.

Immediate First Responders

1. The Emergency Communications Team (ECT) identified above is the strategic decision-making and policy-setting body for all communications during an incident. This team's responsibility is to identify a spokesperson, respond within the first 24 hours of any crisis with a “message map” (Covello, 2003) of information relevant to the Laboratory and community, meet daily throughout the crisis, provide daily status updates to the Communications Department and executive leadership, set policies, draft point-of-contact lists, enlist subject matter experts, and monitor communication flow both out of and in to the organization.

2. Communications Department: Staff will support the ECT by establishing ways to address the public. For example they may establish a press conference/media center in cooperation with Security Services, working closely with other departments, especially Human Resources to disseminate messages directed from the ECT, coordinating meetings or interviews with external agencies and news media, manning an emergency call center if required, and supplying the manpower necessary to provide multi-channel media services (such as web pages, social media scanning, printing and distribution services, writers, photographers and videographers necessary to document team efforts).

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3. Security Services Department: this department supplies tactical communications and will provide the protection necessary to ensure a secure environment at the Laboratory, especially in the time of an unexpected situation. They will work with the Communications Department to establish an off-site crisis control center suitable for press conferences if necessary and be the point of contact for all police, military and public emergency response personnel. If outside parties, such as local fire and police departments or private spill responders are called by the ECT to render assistance during the emergency response, then control of the operations may be relinquished to that incoming incident commander. Security Services’ incident response team shall serve to coordinate activities between employees and the outside party. There shall always be only one incident commander in charge of an emergency response at any one time.

4. Information Technology: Information sharing and coordination requires connectivity and interoperability and this makes IT a support communications function. Mobility is frequently vital for aid workers in the field, who cannot afford to be tied to office-based systems so IT must be easy to transfer between locations and withstand harsh working environments. IT is responsible for establishing solutions and standards suited to humanitarian emergencies and modern crisis response and management to solve concrete problems such as emergency call centers, mobile cell transponders, reverse 911 systems, GPS enabled mapping, and real-time information sharing capabilities. The key is simple, fast, and intuitive interoperability, meaning both voice and data communications must work in concert flawlessly.

Supporting Secondary Responders

5. Facilities Services Department: This department is responsible for maintaining a safe and effective environment for the Laboratory community.

6. Contracting Service Department: CSD is responsible for procurement during an unexpected event.

7. Contracts Office: is responsible for services providing guidance and support to Laboratory staff on a range of programs, agreements, and issues, including technology transfer programs and associated agreements, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), conflict of interest (COI), export control and compliance, and issues related to the prime contract.

A Laboratory communications representative will be assigned to communicate directly with and receive information directly from the ECT Director. In turn this representative will be in close contact with the members identified in the matrix, below. The purpose of this matrix is to assign departments or individuals to activity categories, define role responsibilities, and define relationships between groups. This matrix is dynamic and should be completed as early in the crisis as practical before detailed resource allocating or scheduling is executed.

The goals of the roles and responsibilities matrix are to:

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• Define roles and responsibilities of responders

• Effectively deliver overall ECT and stakeholder communication

• Proactively identify gaps in assignments, accountability, or resources

• Clarify cross-functional interactions between response team members

Title Role Responsibilities Emergency Communications Team

The ECT Director and members of the ECT Team are assigned to achieve the project objectives and act as management oversight. Specifically, the ECT Director is responsible for developing and modifying this CCP, working with business managers to establish financial tracking mechanism for all costs involved in the crisis incident recovery, conferring with legal department to anticipate the possibility of potential legal action, and identifying one or more spokespersons based on the nature of the event to appear for interviews and participate in news conferences.

• Manage and lead the ECT team and task supporting secondary responders

• Oversee the coordination of resources

• Develop and modify crisis plan

• Interface with external media

• Document, as best possible, the time and action taken in all aspects of responding to and managing the crisis incident itself, and the recovery process

Subject Matter Expert (SME) / Technical Lead

The SME/ Technical Lead is identified on the basis of the particular crisis and is identified by the ECT. This is any available expert in a specialized field or topic responsible for helping provide the ECT with technical information related to the crisis.

• Help identify problem, risks, and possible solutions

• Determine next steps

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Title Role Responsibilities IT Services IT Services Department is responsible

for providing technical support on all IT services and general Laboratory telephone and telecomm services, securing IT infrastructure from harm, restoring or enabling backup network communications in challenging working conditions, maintaining IT engineering operations and business enterprise core services. If crisis involves data breach they are responsible for identifying when the security breach occurred or if it is still happening, identifying where it originated—internally or externally, providing details on how and why the incident occurred (i.e., a malicious intruder using malware, or did an employee accidentally disclose sensitive information via email), what was compromised—intellectual property, personal data, network operations, etc.

• Establish emergency public call-in media “hotlines” and outgoing voicemail message scripts

• Maintain or restore IT support

• Prepare for media teleconferences

• Provide multi-channel communication options (e-mail, mail, web, call center), have security standards in place to meet the sensitive needs of the communications

• If personal information was exposed identifying who should receive a data breach notification

Communications Staff

Responsible for delivering proactive media outreach, responding to media inquiry, provides information design, media and publishing services, and press releases for multiple distribution channels as determined by the ECT team. This staff will consist of one or two media responders, a photographer and a videographer and they will be deployed to the affected area if necessary. This staff prepares for ongoing stages of media coverage including breaking news, follow-up immediately after incident, and communicates first day back to work, recovery and healing process information. Communications develops the core materials that are used to communicate with all audiences and would be responsible for keeping employees updated, unless this function is handled by another department.

• Liaisons for all other Laboratory departments

• Coordinate press conferences and prepare for on-location media tours

• Manage media center if necessary

• Create PSAs and content for external and internal web updates

• Provide written document execution and design

• Enable visual media services such as photography and videography

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Title Role Responsibilities Security Services Initial incident command leadership.

Create and test evacuation, lockdown, and other safety drills. Coordinate emergency planning with police, fire, and other public safety agencies. Work with IT to identify data security issues. The on-site Incident Commander is in charge but may relinquish the role or direct responsibility for communications to the IC of the outside group if an external response team is called in to assist.

• Anticipate community demands for metal detectors and/or other physical, tangible signs of “security” and pressures for a “guarantee” that another incident will not occur.

Human Resources Responsible for establishing post-crisis mental health support and proactively guiding the community healing process including the one-year anniversary of incident date.

• Mental health support for employees and families

• Anticipate special interest and political agendas to surface. Avoid knee-jerk, feel-good policy changes.

In addition to the matrix above, all representatives are required to participate in semi-annual tabletop drills. These drills will be hosted jointly by the Communications Department and Security Services and simulate operational and criminal-related emergencies.

Representatives at levels above awareness must receive emergency operations training with an annual refresher. They must commit to learning various styles of conflict resolution, the ability to speak in front of a camera, the ability to quickly recall area details and geographic relevant information, and to cope with information requests under time deadlines and emotional and physical stress.

All on-site incident commanders and safety officers shall attend a 40-hour Incident Commander Course. Copies of all training records and programs course content for all members of the ECT will be maintained by human resources on site and be made available to any appropriate government agency that requests them.

Communication  Actions  -­‐  Internal  

For all internal processes it is the responsibility of all employees to evaluate the legitimacy and severity of an impending or immediate crisis, collect information, and report immediately to the Director of Internal Affairs [Name and contact xxxx]. The Director of Internal Affairs and the

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Communications Director will assess the threat and risk, whether those risks will become a crisis event, how this will impact the Laboratory and be perceived by stakeholders, and how this impact will affect the Laboratory’s reputation.

Any incident initiating a Class Three Crises (as identified below), will trigger the following communication actions:

• The phone call tree identified in Appendix A will be implemented.

• All representatives should plan to be available for a minimum three-day shift if required. In a prolonged emergency, a rotation schedule will be developed and distributed to all personnel.

• All representatives are committed to holding daily briefings. These briefings will adhere to an agenda and will focus on delivering all crisis and post-crisis status documentation. These meetings will set the tone for the subsequent round of media briefings and employee communications. Depending on the level of emergency, additional meetings may be held.

• If an alternate emergency press conference/media center site is required because the usual communications meeting rooms are unavailable or deemed unworkable, alternate sites have been identified and secured. They are as follows:

[Insert Address Here]

• Additionally, key representatives will be equipped and enabled (by IT Services) to work remotely and will connect through secure VPN to the Laboratory’s email and CMS servers.

Post-crisis follow-up communication will include the following:

• Representatives will continue to answer new inquiries, aid subsequent victims, analyze factors that led directly or indirectly to the crisis, monitor signal detection and revise policies and procedures if necessary to pre-empt similar crises in the future.

• Response teams will review all positive and negative feedback and all collected communication data generated during the crisis and use it to further enhance this CCP.

• Response teams will encourage the community to engage sponsors and clients with survey questions and in person meetings to ask for suggestions so partners realize how important their contributions are, how the Laboratory values their input, and how important it is to learn from any and every crisis.

• The CEO will craft a personalized letter to stakeholders, employees and major partners thanking them for their concern, patience and continued support, and will reiterate our determination to ensure this crisis will not happen again through a thorough independent review.

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Identifying  Possible  Crises  

Emergency Classifications

For major threats and the highest level of crises, the Emergency Communications Team (ECT) will be assembled under this CCP. The ECT will use this plan as guidance for strategic decision making for managing actual or potential crises and monitoring the response. This team will not provide operational response and will be called into action very infrequently.

There are three levels of response classifications. Each classification requires a different level of response.

Class 1: Small, localized problems. Affected departments can respond on their own to their own needs without outside assistance.

Class 2: Medium size problems in one or more departments or areas. Affected areas will respond with help from additional in-house and contract crews.

Class 3: Major issue with most or all of Laboratory affected. Outside services are required. Equivalent to a Department of Homeland Security Classification of Red. Assigned support personnel are called upon to report to their crisis teams. A special Crisis Center is created if necessary for the ECT and representatives from Corporate Communications.

Major Themes Quick Reference

Fire/Explosion

Observer: Activate fire alarm and notify others in area, call xxxx and provide size and location, whether there are chemicals involved, and whether there are personal injuries. Render aid if needed and able, perform emergency shut down of equipment.

Security: Contact outside emergency responders and Director of Internal Affairs. Establish escort for outside responders, provide site security management and perimeter control. Arrange evacuation. Secure equipment and vital information if possible.

ECT: Order shutdown of facility. Notify employees to watch for suspicious activity, monitor damage, implement crisis plan, assess need for additional notifications, initiate repair actions.

Environmental Incident

Observer: Notify supervisor, evacuate area, call xxxx, don appropriate respirators and personal protective equipment. Render aid to injured employees, assess and provide

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emergency responders with size, location, source of leak, form of chemical, and whether spill has leaked into storm or sanitary drains. Isolate and mitigate hazards if trained to do so through remote shutoff, diking and diverting, etc. Dispose of hazardous waste properly, perform emergency shut down of equipment.

Switchboard: Contact outside emergency responders and Director of Internal Affairs.

Security: Establish escort for outside responders, provide site security management and perimeter control. Arrange general evacuation. Secure equipment and vital information if possible. Initiate decontamination process and procedures to prevent the spread of released hazardous substances

ECT: Identify source and amount of material involved, assess impact on health, environment, and surrounding community. Diagram the site with spill/release control zones. Notify applicable regulatory agencies. Monitor damage, implement crisis plan, assess need for additional notifications, implement contract remediation company.

Medical Emergency

Observer: Call xxxx and provide the following information: exact location and number of injured employees, what is the nature of the injury or identifying aspects of illness, whether a hazardous material is involved if known. Clear area for emergency responders, care for injured or sick employee if trained and able to do so.

Switchboard: Contact outside emergency responders and Director of Internal Affairs.

Security: Establish escort for outside responders, provide site security management and perimeter control. Prepare for possibility of general evacuation or consider evacuation of non-critical personnel, and other high-risk employees. Obtain medical information and guidance as situation dictates to assess situation.

ECT: Post medical information and guidance documents on designated website(s) and determine if dissemination of public health information to local businesses and organizations is necessary. Assess and confirm local health care resources and provide ongoing communication to assess and support local health care resources. Incorporate the Laboratory leadership into response team so that they are fully aware of the situation in accordance with the business continuity plan. In concern over exposure, medical personnel advisement can determine appropriateness of quarantine precautions. Consider temporary relocation of business critical personnel to another location to conduct business or flexible work arrangements. Consider restricting vendor site visits and employee off site travel.

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Severe Weather

Observer: Be aware of closure information. When shelter order given stop working, shut down equipment, take shelter in designated areas or move indoors or under cover. Return to work after “all clear” signal.

Switchboard: Contact outside emergency responders and Director of Internal Affairs if needed.

Security: Conduct search and rescue if needed, prepare damage reports. Initiate emergency repairs or salvage if needed. Work with secondary responders to clear roof drains, downed power lines, or road debris.

ECT: Monitor damage, implement crisis plan, ensure data recovery and IT systems operations are operable, assess need for additional notifications, implement contract remediation company.

Security Incidents Including Criminal or Terrorist Attack

Observer: Document conversations when possible, word for word. Ask where weapon is located and when it will go off. Keep caller on phone as long as possible. Note details of voice, demeanor of caller and any background noise. Immediately call xxxx and provide all information collected or observed. For workplace violence, if under attack, find safest place and lock doors, if possible and trained to do so render aid to victims. Clear area for emergency responders.

Switchboard: Contact outside emergency responders and Director of Internal Affairs.

Security: Establish escort for outside responders, provide site security management and perimeter control. Arrange for bomb search if needed.

ECT: Order evacuation and shutdown of facility and all electronic communications. Monitor progress of crisis, assess need for additional notifications. Order warning of persons at risk or potentially at risk to take appropriate protective actions. Review requests for resources and approve all requests for resources as required. Terminate the response and demobilize resources when the situation has been stabilized.

External  Notification  Processes  

In the event a crisis was to occur, there are many ways to alert the community. Because spokesperson and message control is so vital to the organization’s credibility, it is essential that every employee be aware of the CCP and their role related to communication delivery. All media

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inquiries will be transferred to a single point of contact (either the Communications Director or the designated spokesperson) and logged in a central database.

Media Relations

The Communications Director will decide the best way to handle interview requests from news agencies and all other traditional and non-traditional media. This position, and their team, will:

• Be responsible for press releases to TV networks, newspapers, radio, websites, and trade and professional publications.

• Alongside Security Services, meet with local law enforcement in the event of a crisis on Laboratory property to determine communication on victim injuries or incidents concerning visitors, employee misconduct, or arrests.

• Remain in contact with ties to national media, science and technology industry professionals and related organizations to monitor reaction to the crisis. They will call on friends in the media to monitor hits on their newspapers, blogs, trade publications and social networking sites. The Communications Team has developed a strong network of contacts through all forms of media and will use that base to monitor the ongoing crisis and its impact on Laboratory stakeholders and reputation.

• Depending on the situation, provide media tours of facilities, interviews with donors, sponsors and industry leaders, provide interviews with past partners from various geographic locations involved in the crisis. Any media visits will be coordinated with Security and involve pre-determined areas within the limits of safety and security.

In any communication crisis several media support standbys are pre-established resources: a photographer, a videographer, the CEO and a current laboratory employee or past alumni in case there is need or request for an interview.

Communications office staff will ensure a press packet containing a brief overview of Laboratory history and statistical facts, bios of executive level staff, sponsor partnerships, and pull-quotes from community outreach efforts will be available at all press conferences.

News Releases/Public Information

News releases should be accurate, timely and manage reader’s expectations. Restoration estimates should be conservative and realistic. Spokespersons should not embellish, speculate, or provide personal interpretation of events. Any questions directed towards criminal activities should be handled by the appropriate law enforcement agency.

News releases should include, but are not limited to:

What, when, and where the crisis occurred How it happened if known, otherwise state “Laboratory is currently investigating”

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How many people are affected Any direct quotes from company officials

A description of the emergency response actions to date Number of staff working on the crisis along with an acknowledgment of outside assistance Restoration estimates if available

Safety warnings or special instructions Other government officials or associations impacted and any inter-organizational cooperation Hotlines or customer service numbers to involve community

Spokespersons

Any media interview or press conference should be conducted by authorized ARMC (Audit and Risk Management Committee) spokespersons only.

Six individuals are authorized as Laboratory spokespersons: • CEO • COO (aka Internal Affairs Director) • Communications Director • Chair of the Board of Trustees • Security Director • Community Relations Manager

Spokespersons must provide ECT approved information contained in the message map to ensure consistent communication to all stakeholders. Spokespersons should not provide a personal interpretation of the crisis or offer any speculative opinions. Any questions dealing with possible criminal aspects of the crisis should be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Spokespersons must follow the four rules for successful communication:

1. Be truthful 2. Avoid “no comment.” If you don’t know the answer, say so but promise to provide the information as quickly as it becomes known 3. Don’t lose your temper, argue or appear frustrated 4. Correct errors or misinformation

Spokespersons must maintain a pleasant, open, and transparent demeanor, and be receptive to all media questions, no matter how inflammatory or redundant. Do not underestimate the power of

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visual presence. Each spokesperson must physically and emotionally display the three C’s during interactions with news media organizations:

1. Show you are in control. By inference, the Laboratory is in control of the crisis and will be able to achieve successfully resolution 2. Demonstrate compassion for victims, the injured, and their families 3. Be credible. Honesty and openness are critical to maintaining the Laboratory’s reputation.

Targeted  Messages    

Specific, on point messages should be pre-scripted to address the specific needs of each audience. These may include:

Client - “When will I receive my order?” “What will you give me to compensate for the delay?”

Employee - “When should I report to work?” “Will I have a job?” “Will I get paid during the shutdown or can I collect unemployment?” “What happened to my co-worker?” “What are you going to do to address my safety?” “Is it safe to go back to work?”

Government Regulator - “When did it happen?” “What happened (details about the incident)?” “What are the impacts (injuries, deaths, environmental contamination, safety of consumers, etc.)?”

Elected Official - “What is the impact on the community (hazards and economy)?” “How many employees will be affected?” “When will you be back up and running?”

Suppliers - “When should we resume deliveries and where should we ship to?”

Management - “What happened?” “When did it happen?” “Was anyone injured?” “How bad is the property damage?” “How long do you think production will be down?”

Neighbors in the Community - “How can I be sure it’s safe to go outside?” “What are you going to do to prevent this from happening again?” “How do I get paid for the loss I incurred?”

News Media - “What happened?” “How will it impact the community?” “Who was injured?” “What is the estimated loss?” “What caused the incident?” “What are you going to do to prevent it from happening again?” “Who is responsible?”

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Messages to each of these audiences can be crafted as templates for a starting point with blanks to be filled in when needed. Pre-scripted messages can be developed, approved by the management team and stored on a remotely accessible server for quick editing and release when needed.

Crises  and  Post-­‐Crisis  Documentation  

Documentation should be part of ongoing deliverables from all representatives. The following prompts create a generic checklist that will be customized pending on the actual incident. These lists will help senior management, department heads, response personnel, and other employees to properly track the situation as it evolves. The answers to these prompts and an official Crisis Status Report should be uploaded to a central knowledge repository for later reference and lessons learned examinations.

Progress this period

ü The following activities have been completed: ü Activities that have been initiated but not completed [Target Completion Date]:

Progress next period

ü Activities scheduled for next period: ü Decisions, Risks and Issues

Key Issues requiring discussion:

ü Potential Risks:

ü Resolved issues: Key Decision Made [Decision Description including Related Task and/or Deliverable]

The Crisis Status Report will be a document that will be used as a means of formal reporting on the status of the incident, completion of requirements, and general changes made to the project plan which will be given to key project stakeholders.

Corporate communications will also consider issuing a printed daily update for field crews highlighting key issues and restoration progress. This update would be issued early each morning when crews receive their work assignments.

Document Information Document Type (i.e., Progress Rpt., Status Briefing, Outstanding Issues, etc.)

People Attended: Date/Time:

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Author:

Agencies Invited:

Post Crisis

After the crisis is over, the Emergency Communications Team (ECT) must thoroughly implement and complete the following tasks: 1. Complete all follow-up communication with stakeholders until all crisis-related obligations are fulfilled. Three teams will be necessary to track: follow-up communication, cooperation with all investigations (government and law enforcement), and post crisis tracking. 2. Analyze factors that may have caused the crisis directly or indirectly. Once isolated, consider any changes in policy or operations that may lessen the possibility of recurrence. 3. Objectively assess its efforts during the crisis, and revising the CCP to reflect lessons learned. 4. Conduct defusing sessions with staff and physicians to help them cope with the aftermath of the stress inherent in a crisis situation. 5. Continue to scan all media channels for comments, questions, or suggestions. 6. Aid any victims of the crisis. 7. Consider memorials or donations to non-profit organizations to celebrate or honor the memory of victims, people, or events. Memorials can be as simple as a plaque in the hospital or an online memorial on internet media channels where everyday people can leave personal comments. 8. Develop and place notices, in key news media organizations, which thank stakeholders for their patience, understanding, patronage, cooperation, and loyalty. Key messaging should be compassionate and appreciative in tone. The strategy for these actions is to engage stakeholders by letting them know that the organization values them and their continued support. Leverage the message by:

• Including it in all stakeholder publications including monthly employee newsletter, professional newsletters and publications, wherever it seems appropriate and practical.

• Posting it physically throughout the organization or at any other high-traffic, high-visibility, or high-impact locations such as over employee time clocks and in the cafeterias.

9. Thank employees for their dedication, perseverance, long hours, commitment, and service to patients/families/physicians and each other. Consider bonuses, paid time off, appreciation lunches, and a note from the CEO. 10. Two to three months after the crisis is resolved, take another look at this plan and analyze it from a big picture point-of-view. The goal is to identify the three top lessons learned, and inclusion of the lessons in the updated CCP.

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Plan  Distribution  and  Coordination  with  External  Agencies  

All designated outside agencies receiving copies of this plan will be invited to tour the Laboratory and participate in planning drills. Any suggestions offered during drills will be considered and incorporated as necessary, with updates being sent to all CCP holders. These outside parties will also be made aware of:

The layout of the facility

The types, location, properties and health and safety hazards of hazardous substances handled at this site

Area where facility employees would normally be working Entrances to roads inside the facility and evacuation routes

Designated evacuation safe assembly areas.

The outside plan holders are:

County Sherriff’s Department County Courthouse

County Local Emergency Planning Committee Local Fire Department

Local Police Department Local Hospital Emergency Center

Local Clinic County Department of State Health Services (Offices of EPA and Public Health)

Current copies of this plan are maintained by the following:

CEO, COO and Director of Internal Affairs

Facilities Services Department Communications Department

Security Services and Incident Commanders Medical Clinic

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Multi-­‐Channel  Message  Implementation  and  Monitoring  Table  

Communication Channel

Mediums & Tactics Purpose Potential Audiences/ Stakeholders

Internal Communications (Push)

• In-Building P.A. System • “Giant Voice” bullhorns or outdoor

loud speaker system • Personal interaction and exchange in

daily meetings • Special Alert emails • Intranet home page bulletin • Point of impact posters or leaflets • Hallway TV monitors

Engage, Inform, Influence

Victims Employees

Internal Communications (Pull)

• Emergency ext. #### • Security Call Boxes at Various Outdoor

Locations • Hallway Telephones • Security Call Boxes in Parking Garage • Emergency Communication Towers in

Parking Lots

Gather Update Inform

Victims Employees Visitors

External Communications

• Press Releases • External Website Updates • Crisis containment web posts • Pertinent information updated hourly to

stakeholders • Site dedicated to providing both

employee and customer-centric information

• Main Telephone: ###-#### Radio: WBZ Radio (AM 1030) Television: WBZ Channel 4 WHDH Channel 7

Inform, Influence

Customers/Prospects Investors Vendors Employees/Families General public News Media Partner Organizations Public Officials and Regulators

Social Networking (Mass Communications)

• 24/7 Twitter and Facebook monitoring • Status updates and responses combined,

including outbound links to other websites

Engage, Inform, Influence

Active social media participants New website visitors News media

Targeted, Personalized Response Messaging

• Personal calls and text messages from Customer Service Staff to personal phones and PDAs

• Security Operations Alert System to include Telephone Voicemail, Cell phone text messaging and/or emails

Engage, Inform, Influence

Customers Employees Parties who specifically request update information