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HomeMy WebLinkAbout190910_Crisis Communications Plan CITY OF EDINA CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN Revised June 2018 GENERAL PLAN OVERVIEW The City of Edina’s Crisis Communications Plan is intended as a guide for distributing information during an emergency or crisis situation. The plan provides a framework to help guide strategic decision making as well as provide tactical implementation guidelines. The Communications Division of the Communications & Technology Services Department plays a vital part in Emergency Management Operations by serving as a centralized place to provide communication primarily as a Public Information Officer (PIO) capacity to complete the following roles and responsibilities:  Selecting the themes, messages, and concepts to tell the City’s story from its point of view.  Relieving the Incident Commander and other emergency management officials from pressures imposed by the news media and the public.  Providing a central source of current, accurate and complete incident information for staff, elected officials, news media and the public to minimize panic and assist in decision making.  Providing information to incident personnel, local agency personnel and partnering agencies.  Conducting community briefings to keep the public informed about the incident status.  Tracking down and correcting rumors and misinformation.  Being alert to sensitive political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental issues that relate to the incident and keeping the Incident Commander and other appropriate incident management and elected officials apprised of them. MUTUAL EXPECTATIONS & DUTIES OF PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER & INCIDENT COMMANDER In order to facilitate the operational aspects of this plan, the Incident Commander and Public Information Officer must work seamlessly to ensure the operational and communication aspects of the plan will work. The following are expectations of the Public Information Officer:  Coordinate communications with all stakeholders.  Coordinate joint information efforts with cooperating agencies and organizations.  Manage public perception of the incident with all information, interviews and encounters between incident personnel and the public or media.  Keep incident personnel up to date on major current affairs, both on and off the incident.  Monitor media and social media; measure and assess media and social media interest and provide actionable updates and proposed courses of action.  Identify and keep the Incident Commander informed of emerging issues concerning the incident in the public arena.  Ensure the Incident Commander is appropriately prepared for media interviews. Public Information Officer Expectations of Incident Commander:  Notify the Public Information Officer of incident in a timely manner and work together to establish crisis level of incident.  Inform Public Information Officer of incident developments and involve Public Information Officer in briefings/debriefings.  Approve messages in a timely manner.  Assist with the coordination and scheduling of media interviews and press conferences.  Provide Public Information Officer with safety and security resources and personnel as needed.  Maintain a direct line of communication with Public Information Officer throughout the incident. EXECUTION OF PLAN In order to execute this plan in the most effective and efficient manner possible, the following roles, responsibilities and levels are set out in order to ensure mutual understanding of the type of emergency being managed and the decisions and tactics that need to be made. All crisis levels should be handled with great care; a Level 1 Crisis can be as serious as a Level 3 Crisis. I. Roles & Responsibilities Communication efforts are to be based on the following crisis types, which will determine the roles and responsibilities for each Public Information Officer: a. Level 1 Crisis – “REPUTATIONAL” -- Risk to City’s reputation or branding. Examples: i. Incidents that harm community relations, such as alleged inappropriate use of force or inequitable treatment of people. ii. Incidents in which employees are severely injured or killed in the line of duty. iii. Incidents related to an individual’s job duties or a supervisor’s oversight of those duties, including alleged misappropriation of funds, moral conduct and violations of the open meeting law. iv. Misuse of social media platforms by City officials, which may include posting disparaging remarks about individuals or groups. v. Non-employment related incidents such as fraud or financial mistakes, violations of the open meeting law, illegal or controversial behavior on or off the job. vi. Economic disruptions such as the closing of a major employer or economic driver such as a hospital or shopping center. b. Level 2 Crisis – “MANAGEABLE” -- Low to moderate public safety risk with limited public action required. Examples: i. Localized flooding. ii. Missing/wanted person. iii. Crime alert. iv. Emergency road closures. v. Snow emergency. vi. Water, sewer or power outages. c. Level 3 Crisis – “ACTIONABLE” -- Moderate to high public safety risk with immediate public action required. Examples: i. Large-scale fire or accident. ii. Severe weather response/recovery. iii. Neighborhood evacuations. iv. Acts of terrorism. v. Building or structure collapse. Communications efforts are to be led by the City’s Director of Communications & Technology Services and Communications Coordinators, from the following locations: 1. Communications Center – Edina City Hall, Communications & Technology Services Department 2. Incident Command Post – Established on scene for some public safety incidents 3. Emergency Operations Center – Fire Station No. 1 II. ACTION PLAN a. Crisis Levels 1 and 2 Step 1 – Messaging Once information is received from the Incident Commander, Public Information Officers will work as a team to establish message content using the framework below: CRISIS LEVELS 1 & 2 INTERNAL COMMUNICATION Target: Key City officials and employees PRIMARY COMMUNICATION Target: Directly affected populations SECONDARY COMMUNICATION Target: Broad public interest audience Message Content  Initial information about the incident  Instructions for officials and employees  Incident details (date, time, location, what happened)  Specific instructions for affected populations  Where to find additional information and updates  Incident details (date, time, location, what happened) Priority Channels  Edinet extranet  Phone call  Email from Incident Commander or Lead PIO  City Extra email  Text  NextDoor  Neighborhood liaison(s)  Door-to-door or in person communication if practical  Website  Media  Social Media Step 2 – Implementation Lead PIO (Typically Communications & Technology Services Director) Internal Communications Functions:  Notify key City officials and community leaders. Primary Communications Functions:  Obtain Incident Commander approval of messaging.  Relay key information to other Public Information Officers on the team. Secondary Communications Functions:  Coordinate media interviews or news conference, if necessary. PIO 2 (Typically Senior Communications Coordinator) Internal Communications Functions:  Notify key public-facing employees.  Write script for front desk personnel and voicemail for afterhours calls. Primary Communications Functions:  Manage website postings.  Monitor incoming feedback. Secondary Communications Functions:  Manage news media requests and monitoring.  Manage social media monitoring and rumor control.  Assist with coordination of media interviews or news conferences, if necessary. PIO 3 (Typically Communications Coordinator) Internal Communications Functions:  Edinet extranet posting. Primary Communications Functions:  City Extra email and text message distribution.  Assist with incoming feedback monitoring. Secondary Communications Functions:  Assist with coordination of media interviews or news conference, if necessary.  Assist with media/social media monitoring. Crisis Levels 1 & 2 Checklist:  Obtain Incident Commander approval of messaging.  Notify key City officials and community leaders.  Notify key public-facing employees.  Edinet posting(s).  Voicemail message.  Manage website postings.  Monitor incoming feedback.  Distribute City Extra email and text messages.  Coordinate media interviews or news conferences, if necessary.  Manage news media requests and monitoring.  Manage social media monitoring and rumor control.  Review Minnesota Statute 13.82 for law enforcement data practices and consult with the City Attorney, City Clerk and HR Director to review what data, if any, may be private under the Minnesota Data Practices Act. Execution Goals: Internal communication – within 10 minutes of notice Primary communication – within 30 minutes of notice Secondary communication – within 45 minutes of notice b. Crisis Level 3 Step 1 – Messaging Once information is received from the Incident Commander, Public Information Officers will work as a team to establish message content using the framework below: CRISIS LEVEL 3 INTERNAL COMMUNICATION Target: Key City officials and employees PRIMARY COMMUNICATION Target: Directly affected populations SECONDARY COMMUNICATION Target: Broad public interest audience Message Content  Initial information about the incident  Instructions for officials and employees  Incident details (date, time, location, what happened)  Specific instructions for affected populations  Where to find additional information and updates  Incident details (date, time, location, what happened)  Specific instructions for those outside the affected area Priority Channels  Edinet extranet  Phone call  Email from Incident Commander or Lead PIO  City Extra email  Text  NextDoor  Neighborhood liaison(s)  Door-to-door or in person communication if practical  Website  Media  Social Media Step 2 – Implementation Lead PIO (Typically Communications & Technology Services Director) Internal Communications Functions:  Notify key City officials and community leaders.  Work with 911 team to deploy Rave Mobile.  Attend and participate in Emergency Operations Center briefings. Primary Communications Functions:  Obtain Incident Commander approval of messaging.  Relay key information to other Public Information Officers on the team.  Prepare messages for Rave Mobile messages and voicemail. Secondary Communications Functions:  Coordinate media interviews or news conference, if necessary.  Contact neighboring agencies for backup and assistance, if necessary. PIO 2 (Typically Senior Communications Coordinator) Internal Communications Functions:  Communicate level of media presence and any issues to on-scene command.  Establish an appropriate media location and make responders aware.  Attend and participate in on-scene briefings. Primary Communications Functions:  Manage the dissemination of public information on scene.  Communicate on-scene information to PIOs 1 and 3. Secondary Communications Functions:  Manage on-scene media roster and requests.  Assist with coordination of media interviews or news conferences. PIO 3 (Typically Communications Coordinator) Internal Communications Functions:  Notify key public-facing employees.  Edinet extranet posting. Primary Communications Functions:  Activate emergency alert on website.  City Extra email and text message distribution.  Post on social media.  Monitor incoming feedback and respond as needed.  Relay key feedback and information to PIOs 1 and 2. Secondary Communications Functions:  Assist with coordination of media interviews or news conference, if necessary.  Monitor media for accuracy and rumor control; request corrections as necessary. Crisis Levels 1 & 2 Checklist:  Notify key City officials and community leaders.  Deploy Rave Mobile.  Attend and participate in Emergency Operations Center briefings.  Communicate level of media presence and any issues to on-scene command.  Establish an appropriate media location and make responders aware.  Manage on-scene media roster and requests.  Attend and participate in on-scene briefings.  Notify key public-facing employees.  Edinet posting(s).  Voicemail message.  Obtain Incident Commander approval of messaging.  Manage website postings.  Monitor incoming feedback.  Distribute City Extra email and text messages.  Coordinate media interviews or news conferences, if necessary.  Manage news media requests and monitoring.  Manage social media monitoring and rumor control.  Monitor media for accuracy and rumor control; make requests for corrections, if necessary.  Contact neighboring agencies for backup and assistance, if necessary.  Review Minnesota Statute 13.82 for law enforcement data practices and consult with the City Attorney, City Clerk and HR Director to review what data, if any, may be private under the Minnesota Data Practices Act. Execution Goals: Internal communication – within 20 minutes of notice Primary communication – within 45 minutes of notice Secondary communication – within 60 minutes of notice III. COMMUNICATIONS TOOLS & PROCEDURES Generally, the City’s three key audiences in a crisis are residents, City employees and others who do business in Edina. The following tools are available for use in notifying the public of an emergency and providing subsequent updates: a. City website b. Edinet extranet for employees c. City Extra emails d. Rave Mobile e. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, NextDoor) f. Phone hotline Prior to the use of any communications tool, the following considerations should be made:  Messaging – Is the tool appropriate for the message you are sending?  Audience – Is the tool appropriate for the target audience you are attempting to reach?  Perception – How will the user of the tool affect public perception and reaction to the message?  Feedback – Who will listen and respond to feedback once the message is set? Special considerations for use of website:  Consider creating an incident-specific friendly URL.  Consider creating an incident-specific aggregate news page/portal for up-to-date information.  Activate the “Alert Center” across home page or all pages. Special considerations for use of Edinet:  Provide employees with instructions for how to handle or help with the incident.  Provide employees with information that can be shared with the general public.  Provide employees with applicable reminders about media relations, safety, etc. Special considerations for use of City Extra emails:  Provide a link to the most up-to-date information on website. Recipients may not receive/read message instantly and information could change.  Provide instructions for providing feedback, asking questions or sharing concerns. Special considerations for use of social media:  Posts should be shared on both the City and City Manager’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Consider use of other Facebook pages as appropriate.  Updates should be posted as new posts so that they show up in news feeds, but could also be posted as a reply on existing conversation threads.  Expectations are for a faster response time on Facebook, even if only to indicate that the message has been received.  When responding to an @ message or reply, it is best to re-tweet the message you are answering and include the answer – or, at least respond @ the user who asked the question.  Those who use Twitter expect more updates with less information – like mini updates or instructions as the incident progresses.