Crisis Communications & Response Nuggets (2008/09 GUIDE)

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New Offerings from Corporate Emergency Access System

Corporate Emergency Access System (CEAS) is a pre-event credentialing program, which authenticates critical business employees for access to restricted areas following a disaster or serious emergency using a secure identification card recognized by the police. Municipalities must adopt the CEAS Program for use in their jurisdiction before businesses can enroll in the Program and receive ID cards. The local authorities can implement CEAS following an emergency once immediate threats to life are stabilized.

BNET now offers two (2) new types of CEAS Cards. The first being the Multi-Facility Card, which will replace the current Tandem Card with a single encoded card that will eliminate the need to carry additional cards to access multiple company facilities.

Also available will be the All Area Access Card, which will allow certain applicants, approved by the City, to have unrestricted access no matter where an event occurs. This new card will resolve access issues for companies and service providers that the current address based program prevents.

To link to details on the new access cards:
http://ceas.com/news.psp

National Incident Management System Helps Responders Work Together

While most emergency situations are handled locally, when there's a major incident help may be needed from other jurisdictions, the state and the federal government. NIMS was developed so responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines can work together better to respond to natural disasters and emergencies, including acts of terrorism. NIMS benefits include a unified approach to incident management; standard command and management structures; and emphasis on preparedness, mutual aid and resource management.

To link to more information on NIMS:
www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/press_release_0363.shtm

Disasterpedia Gives You’re the Facts About Disasters

AlertNet's Disasterpedia brings together the basic facts about disasters, from the very definition of the word to how the world’s most deadly disasters can be averted.

Their collection of articles seeks to dispel myths as well as to answer questions, from queries about donations -- is your old sweater useful to a tsunami survivor? -- to enquiries into the adoption of children orphaned by disaster.

They have a host of background information about disasters and environmental degradation, people at risk in disasters, disaster relief, and what can be done to spread awareness, even at the most fundamental level

Reuters AlertNet is a humanitarian news network based around a popular website. It aims to keep relief professionals and the wider public up-to-date on humanitarian crises around the globe. AlertNet attracts upwards of four million users a year, has a network of four hundred contributing humanitarian organizations and its weekly email digest is received by more than 17,000 readers.

To more information on AlertNet:
www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/112013864065.htm

National Infrastructure Protection Plan Provides a Coordinated Approach

The National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) and supporting Sector-Specific Plans (SSPs) provide a coordinated approach to critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) protection roles and responsibilities for federal, state, local, tribal, and private sector security partners. The NIPP sets national priorities, goals, and requirements for effective distribution of funding and resources which will help ensure that our government, economy, and public services continue in the event of a terrorist attack or other disaster.

The plan is based on the following:

  • Strong public-private partnerships which will foster relationships and facilitate coordination within and across CIKR sectors.
  • Robust multi-directional information sharing which will enhance the ability to assess risks, make prudent security investments, and take protective action.
  • Risk management framework establishing processes for combining consequence, vulnerability, and threat information to produce a comprehensive, systematic, and rational assessment of national or sector risk.

To link to more information on NIPP:
www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/programs/editorial_0827.shtm

Next of Kin Registry Offers Free Proactive Service

The Next Of Kin Registry (NOKR) was established as a FREE tool for daily emergencies and national disasters. NOKR is your emergency contact system to help if you or your family member is missing, injured or deceased.

NOKR provides the public a free proactive service to store your emergency contacts, next of kin and vital medical information that would be critical to emergency response agencies. Stored information is only accessible via a secure area that is only accessible by emergency public trust agencies that have registered with NOKR.

NOKR encourages every township, county, municipality, city, state and nation to take ownership of the NOKR. This resource belongs to you, your citizens and to your emergency agencies. Communities can take the NOKR registration forms and add local identifying symbols.

http://nokr.org/nok/restricted/home.htm

Emergency Response Action Steps

Courtesy of Fema.gov

The first 48 hours can make the difference. Here are some guidelines that will help you to make the right choices in the early stages of a disaster.

DISASTER ALERT: If you have advanced warning:

  • People come first. Provide assistance. Note needs of people with disabilities.
  • Move or secure vital records/high priority items if it can be done safely.
  • Screw plywood over windows or use tape to reduce shattering. (Please Note: Taping windows to prevent flying glass is not a recommended practice.)
  • Verify master switch shut-off (water, gas, electricity) by trained staff.
  • Move items away from windows and below-ground storage into water-resistant areas:
    • Flooding: move items to higher floors.
    • Hurricane: avoid areas under roof.
  • Wrap shelves, cabinets, other storage units in heavy plastic sealed with waterproof tape.
  • Move outdoor objects indoors or secure.
  • Take with you lists of staff, institutional/public officials, insurance and financial data, inventory, emergency plan and supplies.
  • Appoint a staff contact to give instructions on returning to work.

SAFETY FIRST!

  • Remain calm, reassuring. Alert staff to potential hazards.
  • Look for loose or downed power lines. Avoid area. Report problems to local utility.
  • Look for electrical system damage: sparks, broken/frayed wires, smell of burning insulation. Turn off electricity at main switch if you can without risk.
  • Shut off water.
  • If you smell gas or hear blowing or hissing, open a window and immediately leave the building. Turn off gas at main valve if trained to do so. Call gas company at once.
  • DO NOT REENTER THE BUILDING until declared safe by security or emergency management officials.

GETTING STARTED OFF SITE

  • Gather staff off-site to assign tasks and review salvage priorities. Create a team big enough for the work.
  • Establish a "Command Center" with office equipment (computers, photocopier) and communications tools (walkie-talkies, cellular phones).
  • Create a secure salvage area with locks, fans, tables, shelves, plastic sheeting, drying materials and clean water.
  • Notify emergency officials of the extent of damage. Contact peer institutions or professional groups for help.
  • Appoint a media liaison to report conditions and need for help/volunteers. You may have to limit access to collections.
  • Verify financial resources: amount and terms of insurance, government assistance, potential outside funding.
  • Contact service providers for generator, freezer, drying or freeze-drying services and refrigerated trucking.
  • Arrange for repairs to security system.

STABILIZE THE BUILDING & ENVIRONMENT

  • Some building contents may be contaminated. Do not enter without current tetanus shots, protective gloves/clothing, hard hat and NIOSH-approved respiratory mask.
  • Identify and repair structural hazards. Brace shelves. Remove debris from floor.
  • Reduce temperature and relative humidity at once to prevent mold outbreak. Ideal targets are less than 70° F/45% RH.
  • If warm outside, use coldest air conditioning setting; cover broken windows with plastic.
  • In cool, low-humidity weather open windows, use circulating fans. If mold is already present, do not circulate air.
  • Do not turn on heat unless required for human comfort.
  • Remove standing water and empty items containing water; remove wet carpets and furnishings.
  • If everything is soaked, use commercial dehumidification except in historic buildings.
  • Purchase needed supplies.

DOCUMENTATION

  • Once it is safe to enter the building, make a preliminary tour of all affected areas. Wear protective clothing.
  • Do not move objects or collections without documenting their condition.
  • Use a Polaroid-type camera or video camera to record conditions of collections and structure. Make sure images clearly record damage. Supplement with better quality photos when necessary.
  • Make notes and voice recordings to accompany photographs.
  • Assign staff to keep written records of contacts with insurance agents and other investigators, and staff decisions on retrieval and salvage.
  • Make visual, written and voice records for each step of salvage procedures.

RETRIEVAL & PROTECTION

  • Leave undamaged items in place if the environment is stable and area secure. If not, move them to a secure, environmentally controlled area.
  • If no part of the building is dry, protect all objects with loose plastic sheeting.
  • When moving collections, give priority to undamaged items and those on-loan. Separate undamaged from damaged items.
  • Until salvage begins, maintain each group in the same condition you found it; i.e., keep wet items wet, dry items dry, and damp items damp.
  • Retrieve all pieces of broken objects and label them.
  • Check items daily for mold. If mold is found, handle objects with extreme care and isolate them.

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

  • Notify insurance representative or risk manager. You may need an on-site evaluation before taking action.
  • Make a rough estimate of the type of materials affected and the extent and nature of damage. A detailed evaluation can slow recovery now.
  • Look for threats to worker safety or collections. Determine status of security systems.
  • Look for evidence of mold. Note how long the materials have been wet and the current inside temperature and relative humidity.
  • SEE DOCUMENTATION SECTION. Documenting the damage is essential for insurance and will help you with recovery.

SALVAGE PRIORITIES

Establish salvage priorities by groups of materials, not item-by-item. A library might use subject areas or call numbers; an archives, record groups; and a museum, material groupings.

Focus first protection efforts and salvage work on:

  1. Vital institutional information; employee and accounting records, accession lists, shelflist and database backups.
  2. Items on loan from individuals or other institutions.
  3. Collections that most directly support the institution's mission.
  4. Collections that are unique, most used, most vital for research, most representative of subject areas, least replaceable or most valuable.
  5. Items most prone to continued damage if untreated.
  6. Materials most likely to be successfully salvaged.

To link to more FEMA resources for emergency preparedness and response:
www.fema.gov/plan/ehp/response.shtm

A Practical Guide for Crisis Response in Our Schools

School crisis response can no longer be delegated solely to members of a School Crisis Response Team. Today, crisis management is the responsibility of all educators. This publication provides a structure and process for effectively managing the wide spectrum of school-based crises. It is a resource in preparation for, and during, actual crisis situations.

“A Practical Guide for Crisis Response in Our Schools” is published by The National Center for Crisis Management, a multidisciplinary network of professionals who are committed to the advancement of intervention for survivors of trauma.

Additional information about the Center can be obtained at www.nc-cm.org.

What Makes Emergency Communication Effective?

When evaluating alert systems, these 6 considerations are of the UTMOST importance*:

  • Update all – Ensure everyone is fully aware of the emergency plan. Focus on how people will be informed in case of an emergency and who to contact to issue an alert;
  • Targeted – Only publish alert messages in the affected area. It would be best to publish an alternative message in other areas, to inform the rest of the staff. Also ensure management is updated immediately on the calamity via a separate message;
  • Multimedia – Ensure outreach via as many different media types possible, ranging from e-mails, text messages, instant messages, highly visual alert messages on PC and large screens, sound alerts/ sirens, etc;
  • One source – Use one source to send out an alert message via all these different media types. It is best if this can be accessed online, so an alert message can be published from any location via a mobile device. Limit the number of people that is allowed to do this to 2-4 people;
  • Specific – Alert messages should be catchy (visual!), brief and include specifics on what to do (to ensure it is taken seriously). Examples: “Bomb Alert. Leave Building Now” or “Fire in Entrance Hall. Evacuate via Rear Exit”
  • Time – Whether it is a virus attack or shooting incident, time is of the essence. Make sure an alert message can go out within one minute.

*These guidelines incorporate lessons learned in learning and function psychology, as well as experiences from nuclear power plants, airports and police services.

Courtesy of Frank Hoen, CEO Netpresenter (www.netpresenter.com)

National Response Framework Replaces NRP

The National Response Framework (NRF) presents the guiding principles that enable all response partners to prepare for and provide a unified national response to disasters and emergencies. It establishes a comprehensive, national, all-hazards approach to domestic incident response. The National Response Plan was replaced by the National Response Framework effective March 22, 2008.

The National Response Framework defines the principles, roles, and structures that organize how we respond as a nation. The National Response Framework:

  • Describes how communities, tribes, states, the federal government, private-sectors, and nongovernmental partners work together to coordinate national response;
  • Describes specific authorities and best practices for managing incidents; and
  • Builds upon the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which provides a consistent template for managing incidents.

NRF Resource Center has the following documents:

To link to more information on the NRF:
www.fema.gov/emergency/nrf/aboutNRF.htm

Study Urges Greater Mass Transit Role in Evacuation Plans

More planning at local levels and greater guidance from the federal government is needed to ensure that public transit systems will be effective in helping to evacuate residents of large urban areas during disasters, according to a congressionally mandated study released.

The study, conducted by the National Research Council, makes a series of recommendations to improve the role mass transit systems can play in disaster preparedness and response, especially for people without cars or those with special needs.

To link to the full article:
www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0708/072308cdam2.htm

Evacuating Large Urban Areas: Challenges for Emergency Management Policies and Concepts

Published in the Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

This article presents several policy observations regarding evacuation planning and disaster mitigation in large urban areas. After reviewing the research literature pertaining to disaster evacuations, the article provides background information about and lessons learned from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Dean in 2007. The often-erroneous planning assumptions in emergency management are then explored along with a discussion about future policy and management implications. Three themes are identified in this research, including:

  1. Public officials must anticipate a much broader scope of issues when issuing evacuation requests
  2. They must do more to prepare for disasters than write "fantasy" emergency operations plans
  3. They must adjust development activities that have a negative impact upon disaster mitigation

To link to this 26 page article published in the Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, go to www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol5/iss1/32/

DHS Releases National Emergency Communications Plan

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released today the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) to address gaps and determine solutions so that emergency response personnel at all levels of government and across all disciplines can communicate as needed, on demand, and as authorized. The NECP is the nation's first strategic plan to improve emergency response communications, and complements overarching homeland security and emergency communications legislation, strategies and initiatives.

"This is a comprehensive plan designed to drive measurable and sustainable improvements to operable and interoperable emergency communications nationwide over the next three years. It emphasizes the human element and cross-jurisdictional cooperation, going beyond simply buying new equipment," said Homeland Security Under Secretary Robert Jamison. "We have recently approved Statewide Communication Interoperability Plans for all 56 states and territories. Aligning these plans with the NECP will move emergency communications forward and further promote a coordinated nationwide strategy."

The NECP defines three goals that establish a minimum level of interoperable communications and a deadline for federal, state, local and tribal authorities:

  1. By 2010, 90 percent of all high-risk urban areas designated within the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) can demonstrate response-level emergency communications within one hour for routine events involving multiple jurisdictions and agencies.
  2. By 2011, 75 percent of non-UASI jurisdictions can demonstrate response-level emergency communications within one hour for routine events involving multiple jurisdictions and agencies.
  3. By 2013, 75 percent of all jurisdictions can demonstrate response-level emergency communications within three hours of a significant event, as outlined in the department's national planning scenarios.

The NECP enhances governance, planning, technology, training and exercises, and disaster communications capabilities with recommendations and milestones for emergency responders and relevant government officials. It is designed to drive measurable and sustainable improvements over the next five years consistent with the: National Response Framework; National Incident Management System; National Preparedness Guidelines; and Target Capabilities List. NECP goals, along with these other department strategies, will improve nationwide response efforts and bolster situational awareness, information sharing and command and control operations.

The department's Office of Emergency Communications developed the NECP in cooperation with more than 150 public and private sector emergency communications officials. The department's new Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program will further enable states to align their plans with the NECP.

Fact Sheet
National Emergency Communications Plan
(PDF, 83 pages - 4.09 MB)

 

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