Summer 2017


Crisis Planning By: Sandi Poreda, Bulldog Strategies


Most people only think about a crisis communications plan when they need one, i.e. after something terrible has hap- pened. However, responding to a crisis could be easier if you invest time and resources into developing crisis communi- cations’ plans ahead of any crisis. It’s the equivalent of having a map to follow when you’re trying to get from point A to point B – not only is the map helpful, but having it will also give you some degree of peace of mind. The same is true for a good crisis communications plan.


The first step to good crisis preparation and planning is to recognize that even the best departments and people are not immune from crisis. Crisis aren’t always caused by a mistake or wrongdoing; a crisis can affect you tremendously without you having anything to do with its cause. The charities who lost all their funds to Bernie Madoff weren’t guilty of anything other than poor investment choices, but they experienced - and still are experiencing - a very real crisis. Bad things can and do happen to exceptionally good people.


The next step is to identify the potential threats to your department, no matter how insignificant or far-fetched. Some of these will seem obvious; if you are a police department, you will at some point deal with an officer-involved shooting. If you live in Florida, you will at some point face a natural disaster of some sort. Misuse of department prop- erty, fallings out with a city manager or city commissioner, damage to or destruction of your facility, an officer behav- ing inappropriately… none of these examples are out of the realm of the possible, and each deserves at least some attention in your crisis planning process.


The basic foundation of a crisis communications plan can generally apply across the board; with modifications, it can serve in almost any situation. However, detailed plans should be created for specific scenarios; for example, the crisis communications plan for an officer-involved shooting may differ from the crisis communications plan for a natural dis- aster. Your agency should have multiple plans drafted and tested, ready for deployment, at any given time. Remember – crises are rarely considerate of schedules.


To build your plan, start with the foundation. Every crisis communications plan has three main elements: who will be involved, what will be communicated and how the information will be delivered. Different plans may have additional information, but these three elements must be present for the plan to be functional.


The people involved in your crisis response will depend on the nature of the crisis. However, every single response team must include the person who has the authority to make decisions on behalf of your entire department. Crisis will call for decisive action and the person who can make those decisions must be involved.


In addition to the decision maker, the response team should include someone well versed in strategy and the neces- sary subject matter experts - perhaps your legal counsel, a public records expert, someone with experience in internal affairs investigations, and/or someone well versed in agency policy. Finally, your team should include someone who will ultimately be responsible for developing the content that will be shared internally and externally, as well as the person who will deliver the message. Some people on the response team may wear several hats, but make sure they are not overtaxed. Your crisis plan should include at least two back-ups for every single member of the team. (See above: crises are inconsiderate of holidays, birthdays and sick days.)


When responding to a crisis, the information that is shared is perhaps the most important part of the plan. Information can and should be shared through words and action; for example, a rewritten policy and clear communication about the policy change is excellent and responsive information, depending on the situation. This is the second element of the crisis plan: what will be communicated.


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