Preparing for Crisis

First-responder public information officers (PIOs) including police, fire, EMS, hospitals and other agencies on the front lines, must be prepared to communicate immediately. When time is of the essence, telling people what they need to know will help an agency come through a crisis with the trust and confidence of the community intact. Developing that messaging on the spot, in the midst of chaos and adrenaline, can be fraught with problems. The answer is to create a crisis communications plan in advance to serve as the backbone of messaging. Preparing for potential issues in advance allows organizations to deal with incidents proactively, and effectively frame the narrative. It also allows an agency to make important communications decisions quickly and decisively, as opposed to agonizing and wasting valuable time and resources debating what to say in the moment. This guide provides simple and effective strategies along with templates to help first-response agencies create a bespoke crisis communications plan. A well thought out communications plan allows you to be not only a first-responder, but a “first-reporter” as well.