GOOGLESCHOLAR: CRJ assignment 4
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crj_145_overview_4.rtfCRJ: Overview 4
Communications
Communications has become an increasingly critical function in emergency management. In this module, you will learn about the mission and five assumptions of an effective disaster communications strategy. You will identify which audiences, or customers, receive disaster communications. The process of how emergency management organizations communicate in the homeland security era will be discussed. The dynamics of disaster communications in a changing media world will be reviewed. In addition, the process of how emergency management organizations build an effective disaster communications capability will be addressed.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:
7A
Explain how emergency management organizations build an effective disaster communications capability.
6B
List and describe the mission and five assumptions of an effective disaster communications strategy.
6C
Explain which audiences (or customers) receive disaster communications.
6D
Discuss how emergency management organizations communicate in the homeland security era.
6E
Understand the dynamics of disaster communications in a changing media world.
Module 4 Reading Assignment
Haddow, G., Bullock, J., & Coppola, D. (2011). Introduction to emergency management. Burlington: Elsevier. Chapter 5.
The Disciplines of Emergency Management: Communications
Communications has become an increasingly critical function in emergency management. The dissemination of timely and accurate information to the general public, elected and community officials, and the media plays a major role in the effective management of disaster response and recovery activities. Communicating preparedness, prevention and mitigation information promotes actions that reduce the risk of future disasters. Communicating policies, goals and priorities to staff, partners and participants enhances support and promotes a more efficient disaster management operation. Communication is required in all four emergency management phases, namely:
- Mitigation—to promote implementation of strategies, technologies, and actions that will reduce the loss of lives and property in future disasters.
Preparedness—to communicate preparedness messages that encourage and educate the public in anticipation of disaster events.
Response—to provide to the public notification, warning, evacuation, and situation reports on an ongoing disaster.
Recovery—to provide individuals and communities affected by a disaster with information on how to register for and receive disaster relief.
Customer Focus
A focus on customers and customer service is essential, and includes placing the needs and interests of individuals and communities first, being responsive and informative, and managing expectations. The customers for emergency management include internal customers, such as staff, other federal agencies, states, and other disaster partners, and external customers that include the general public, elected officials at all levels of government, community and business leaders, and the media. Each of these customers has specific information needs, and a good communications strategy considers and reflects their requirements.
Leadership Commitment
Good communications starts with a commitment by the leadership of the emergency management organization to sharing and disseminating information both internally and externally. The leader of any disaster response and recovery effort must openly endorse and promote open lines of communications among the organization’s staff, partners, and publics in order to effectively communicate. This leader must model this behavior in order to clearly illustrate that communications is a valued function of the organization.
Inclusion of Communications in Planning and Operations
Leadership must include communications in all planning and operations. This means that a communications specialist is included in the senior management team of any emergency management organization and operation, communications issues are considered in the decision-making processes, and a communications element is included in all organizational activities, plans, and operations. The information needs of the various customers and how best to communicate with these customers must be considered at the same time that planning and operational decisions are being made.
Situational Awareness
Knowing the number of people killed and injured, the level of damage at the disaster site, the condition of homes and community infrastructure and current response efforts provide decision makers with the situational awareness needed to identify needs and appropriately apply available resources. The collection, analysis and dissemination of information from the disaster site are the basis for an effective communications operation in a disaster response. This is also true during the disaster recovery phase especially early in the recovery phase when the demand for information from the public, and therefore the media, is at its highest.
Media Partnership
To effectively provide timely disaster information to the public, emergency managers must establish a partnership with their local media outlets. The goal of a media partnership is to provide accurate and timely information to the public in both disaster and non-disaster situations. Traditionally, the relationship between emergency managers and the media has been strained because of a conflict between the need of the emergency manager to respond quickly and the need of the media to obtain information on the response so it can report it just as quickly. Emergency managers must understand the needs of the media and the value they bring to facilitating response operations.
Audiences/Customers
Basic emergency management audiences include the following:
- General public. The largest audience of which there are many subgroups, such as the elderly, the disabled, minority, low income, youth, and so on, and all are potential customers.
Disaster victims. Those individuals affected by a specific disaster event.
Business community. Often ignored by emergency managers but critical to disaster recovery, preparedness, and mitigation activities.
Media. An audience and a partner critical to effectively communicating with the public.
Elected officials. Governors, mayors, county executives, state legislators, and members of Congress.
Community officials. City/county managers, public works, department heads.
First responders. Police, fire, and emergency medical services.
Volunteer groups. American Red Cross, Salvation Army, the NVOADs, and so on who are critical to first response to an event.
Communicating in the Era of Homeland Security
Communicating with the public is an area that needs to be improved if the nation is going to have a truly effective homeland security system. DHS and its State and local partners need to address three factors to improve its communications with the American people. First, there must be a commitment from the leadership at all levels of government. Second, information sharing with the public in advance of and in the aftermath of a terrorist incident must exist. And third, more effort must be invested by Federal departments and agencies to better understand the principal terrorist threats that our nation faces and to develop communications strategies that educate and inform the public about these threats with more useful information.
Disaster Communications in a Changing Media World
The media is constantly changing and emergency managers must keep up with these changes to have an effective communications operation. Radio and television have become an integral part of communicating warning messages to the public before and after disasters. The rise of the Internet as a source for disaster and emergency-related information and news has been spectacular. The media continues to change with the advent of “first informers,” ordinary citizens armed with a cell phone who can take pictures and/or video at the disaster site and add commentary and post their submissions on the Internet or provide them to CNN or MSNBC or other outlets New Media is the newest format that is gaining ground, including text messaging, blogs, and social media.
Building an Effective Disaster Communications Capability in a Changing Media World
The emergency management community has been forced to re-examine communications processes. Managing information before, during and after a disaster has changed significantly in recent years and emergency operations at all levels – local, state and national – must recognize and acknowledge this change and adapt accordingly. In the future, emergency management organizations must establish partnerships with both the traditional media outlets and the new media in order to meet their primary communications mission of providing the public with timely and accurate information before, during and after a disaster. There are seven elements the authors believe will comprise an effective disaster communications capability in the future. These seven elements include the following:
- A Communication Plan
Information Coming In
Information Going Out
Messengers
Staffing
Training and Exercises
Monitor, Update and Adapt
Required Web Resources:
Natural Emergency Communications Plan
Required Presentations:
Chapter 5
