An Interview with Elmarie Marais GoCrisis Chief Executive Officer
What is the mission of GoCrisis? What problems do you solve for your clients?
GoCrisis is a global provider of crisis preparedness and response services.
The scale of corporate crises – from data breaches, product recalls, and disasters involving loss of life, to corporate scandals, natural disasters and terrorism – can overwhelm businesses and paralyse day-to-day operations. We prepare businesses and their teams for these events and provide all the necessary resources to deal with a crisis when it happens: strategic advice, call centre and social media support, humanitarian assistance, crisis communications, recovery of personal effects and human remains, and logistics.
What makes us different, truly comes down to our people, our priorities, and our collective experience responding to most of the high-profile disasters in the last 20+ years. The GoCrisis family consists of the most incredible people, and their exceptional experience is second to none!
What’s your personal background and how did you evolve into your current role?
My career started in the aviation industry. I studied for my business degree while working as cabin crew for South African Airways. I remember my crew bag heavy with textbooks and studying under a tree in Central Park. I then moved to London and worked for Business Link for London, where I worked on a government project to create a toolkit for London businesses in preparing, responding and recovering from a disaster.
Later, I became a director for a Disaster Management company and then moved to Australia where I continued to provide independent consultancy in crisis management. I also became an incident commander for the Red Cross – I still volunteer here and at Heathrow Travel Care, as giving back is so important to me.
I have responded to many high-profile disasters and corporate crises over the years. Each incident is so different in the challenges that all the variables bring. We have a great team and I surround myself with the right people, like Robert Rowntree (SVP Global Operations) and Barbara Webster (EVP Americas), and all our staff, associates and GoResponders. I truly believe that with the right people you can do anything!
Leading GoCrisis from start-up to top crisis management provider to global brands and FSTE 100 companies is something that I am very proud of.
GoCrisis is working across various industries. When you look at these sectors, what’s your favorite to work with and why?
As most people reading AeroInside will understand, aviation is something that runs in your veins. Having said that, I have learned much from a cross section of industries (Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, Technology, Education), who all bring an excitement and uniqueness that I enjoy. Aviation for example, is so well regulated, and the industry has created much of the best practice principles that we follow in crisis management today. And Universities are like little cities with infrastructure, people, heritage, animals, and research laboratories, all adding to a complex environment when it comes to crisis management.
COVID-19 had or still has a tremendous impact on all aspects of crisis reaction. What changes have you seen throughout the industries you work with regarding crisis response?
No one was prepared for what we are living through at the moment, but it is still clear to me that businesses and people who were trained, acted quickly, and had agility in their approach had done better than others. I also think that COVID has pushed crisis managers into the future when it comes to virtual crisis leadership, communications and shocking us out of some of the rigid approaches that we have insisted upon for so long.
As a crisis manager, I also have some insight into how hard navigating a crisis can be and how hard some decisions – you are often damned if you do, and damned if you don’t! So, I do not envy the governments leading us through this pandemic.
But, like many disasters before Covid-19, people have proven to be overall resilient and rebuild very quickly. Keeping lost loved ones in our hearts, I look forward to witnessing the renewed growth.
What’s your favorite form of travel and with what airplane to which destination would that be?
By air of course. I am very sentimental towards the Boeing747, but the Airbus A380 takes my breath away too. Especially if I could jump on one to Australia to hug my mum!
Elmarie, thank you for taking your time.
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Is Your Emergency Response Plan SMS-Compliant?
Mike Plottel – GoCrisis Senior Associate
Executive Summary
Requirements for an emergency response plan (ERP) to be SMS-compliant will depend on the size, nature and complexity of an organization as well as its area of operations and applicable regulations. It is essential to understand relevant regulations and to use guidance material published by the regulatory authority to ensure compliance and full integration with the Safety Management System. Whether or not a program is regulated, crisis managers should aim to achieve best practice in their ERP design as identified in the global principles of Safety Management Systems, namely: policy, objectives and management commitment; planning for potential crisis events based on risk profile; regular testing, evaluation, analysis and improvement of the ERP; and training and communication processes to ensure stakeholders are prepared to execute the plan. Organizations can never anticipate every crisis so they must leverage their risk profile to identify the most likely crisis scenarios as well as those outlier risk events that pose a profound or existential threat to the organization. Crisis management planners must therefore build ERPs that are both comprehensive and adaptable and must exercise them regularly to support a process of continual improvement.
Size, Nature and Complexity
Is your emergency response plan SMS-Compliant? The short answer is … perhaps. Whether your emergency response plan (ERP) complies with Safety Management System (SMS) regulations will depend upon the size, nature and complexity of your organization as well as its activities, area of operations and applicable regulatory regime. The emergency response plan is an integral and critical component of an organization’s business resilience program. To be effective the ERP must be properly documented, effectively implemented, accessible by key personnel, integrated with the organization’s overall safety and business objectives and exercised regularly. If the organization operates under a regulated Safety Management System, the ERP may also be required to comply with additional regulatory criteria.
The Four Pillars of Safety Management Systems
Where regulated, the ERP will be a component or an element of the organization’s Safety Management System. When building its ERP the organization should consult applicable regulations and guidance material published by its regulatory authority to ensure compliance. If the organization is not subject to SMS regulation, or if guidance material is only general in nature, then the ERP can be developed to conform, where applicable, with the best practices articulated in basic SMS principles. A Safety Management System can be defined as an organized set of programs, principles, processes and procedures that integrate operations, technical systems, financial and human resources for the purpose of managing risks to a level as low as reasonably practicable. An ERP is designed to manage the impacts of a risk event to a level as low as reasonably practicable and should conform with the four pillars of a Safety Management System:
Policy: The ERP should include crisis management objectives, identify key personnel and their responsibilities and accountabilities, and articulate senior management commitment to the plan; it should identify external agencies critical to a crisis response and specify coordination procedures with those agencies; and it must specify crisis management documentation and a process to review and control ERP documents.
Crisis (risk) management: The plan should identify potential risk events, or categories of events, based on the organization’s risk profile (more about this later); it should specify mobilization procedures, response procedures and resources; and it should integrate with the crisis management and business continuity plans, including identification and maintenance of back-up operational facilities.
Assurance: The ERP will specify a process for ensuring its effectiveness and continual improvement through periodic testing, evaluation, analysis and updating; the nature and frequency of emergency response exercises; and a process for integrating crisis management planning into the organization’s daily operations, including its change management process.
Promotion: The ERP should specify the requirements and process for conducting training needs analyses and providing initial and recurrent training to ensure all participants perform their roles competently; a process for maintaining awareness of the ERP throughout the organization; and a process for updating the ERP and disseminating changes to affected stakeholders.
Detailed Regulatory Requirements
Specific requirements for an emergency response plan will vary with jurisdiction and industry. A good example of this is seen in the airline sector as it operates worldwide across many jurisdictions, is considered a high-consequence industry, is heavily regulated and, unfortunately, has experienced significant crises from which to learn and evolve its crisis management framework. Aviation regulations are coordinated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which sets regulatory standards and recommended practices. Each ICAO member state (country) then enacts its own legislation and regulations, including those addressing SMS and emergency preparedness. Whilst ICAO provides some detailed recommendations for ERP content in its Safety Management Manual,1 individual states have adopted a range of requirements in their regulations and advisory materials. State ERP requirements vary from high-level regulations to more detailed supporting standards. Canada is a good example of a state that provides comprehensive ERP standards; in fact, Canada has made emergency preparedness a stand-alone component in its aviation SMS regulations and identified eleven elements in its standards that must be incorporated into an airline’s ERP.2 A summary of those elements is shown in the Appendix along with suggested content for each. Where applicable, each element must identify associated processes, procedures and responsible managers.
A Word About Outliers
An SMS-compliant ERP is informed by the organization’s risk profile and incorporates processes and procedures to mitigate the effects of its highest-risk outcomes. But to design an effective ERP, crisis managers must also consider the highly unlikely outlier risk scenarios that, should they occur, may have devastating consequences for the organization. An example might be the total loss of a manufacturing facility or the unexpected insolvency of a key supplier. Emergency response planning must therefore consider certain high-consequence events regardless of how unlikely they are to occur; in essence, those high-impact, low-likelihood events that can pose a profound or existential threat to the organization. It is impossible to plan for every risk event so crisis managers must build adaptable ERP processes that can address a variety of scenarios. But which outlier scenarios should be considered? Which high-impact, low-likelihood events need to be within the capabilities of an ERP? McKinsey & Company have recently published a good article on this dilemma.3 To identify the most important high-impact, low-likelihood risks McKinsey suggests a two-dimensional pressure test. By identifying the potential effect of an outlier risk event in terms of its impact to the organization’s core value proposition as well as the certainty of that impact, crisis managers can determine which of these outliers need to be considered in their emergency response planning. Those that score high in both dimensions can pose a profound or existential threat to the organization and should be managed, either proactively or reactively. Proactive management can take the form of immediate actions or setting triggers for future actions. Examples might be creating greater supply chain resiliency or establishing a process to suspend certain operations when a severe weather event is forecast. Reactive planning might include processes to mitigate the effects of a global pandemic or civil unrest in a country where important satellite operations are located. By identifying unlikely, yet important, risk events the ERP can be structured to respond effectively, either through predetermined procedures or its ability to pivot and adapt.
Summary
To summarize, whether or not an ERP is mandated by Safety Management Systems regulations, it can be developed to comply with best practices and the basic principles of SMS to provide an effective response to an organization’s most impactful crisis events. If the plan is regulated, crisis managers should consult relevant regulations and associated guidance material to ensure compliance. If guidance material is scarce, or if the ERP is not mandated, the basic principles of Safety Management Systems can be used to provide an effective framework for ERP development. Finally, although crisis managers cannot plan for every risk event, an effort must be made to identify and plan for high-consequence, low-probability events that could pose an existential threat to the organization.
2. Canadian Commercial Air Service Standard 725(3) Airline Operations – Airplanes
3. McKinsey & Company, The disaster you could have stopped: Preparing for Extraordinary Risks, McKinsey Insights, December, 2020
Appendix
Canada’s Commercial Air Service Standard 725 (Airline Operations – Airplanes) specifies eleven detailed elements required of an emergency response plan. Each is listed below with a brief explanation of content that might be included for airlines and for other types of organizations. Where applicable, each element must identify associated processes, procedures and responsible managers.(a) air operator policy
management commitment to the crisis management program; program fundamentals, including care for those affected, minimizing follow-on impacts, coordinating with stakeholders, working with authorities and communities affected, determining causes to prevent reoccurrence, and exercising and refining ERP procedures on a regular basis
(b) air operator mobilization and agencies notification
responsibility and process for initiating a response and mobilization of resources
identification of response teams, including support roles such as IT, Security, Communications, Real Estate, Finance, etc.
identification and notification of outside stakeholders and agencies
external agencies might include federal Accident Investigation Boards (AIBs) such as the NTSB, airport authorities, insurance brokers, police services, family assistance resources, crisis management partners, environmental protection authorities, legal representatives, media consultants, etc.
responsibility and requirements for establishing an Incident Command Centre and an Emergency Operations Centre when required
(c) passenger and crew welfare
a process for responding to the needs of persons directly affected by the crisis as well as their families and loved ones
may include resources and processes for establishing a Family Assistance Centre and deploying Special Assistance Teams
ancillary and support services such as transportation, communication, accommodation, payment of living expenses, etc. should also be considered as should resources for the organization’s members
(d) casualty and next-of-kin coordination
a processes to coordinate with appropriate agencies such as hospitals, law enforcement, coroner, AIB, humanitarian services and crisis management partners
a process to provide appropriate facilities for families and friends of those affected by the crisis
(e) accident investigation on behalf of the air operator
a process for an internal investigation that respects limitations imposed by AIB, police, and coroner investigations
a process as to when and how to engage with external investigations (it is always advisable to specify a single point of contact with the AIB)
Accident Investigation Boards will invite key stakeholders to be part of their official investigation (stakeholder engagement with the AIB will vary depending upon the legislative jurisdiction)
(f) air operator team’s response to the accident site
a physical response to the site may or may not be required
a physical response may be as simple as a technical services GO team or it could involve mobilization of several teams to conduct an internal investigation or to support a state investigation
mobilization may also include members of the organization responsible for site maintenance and remediation
(g) preservation of evidence;
critical procedures for immediate action to avoid the loss of perishable evidence and longer term procedures to support investigations
e.g. taking pictures of damage, identifying witnesses, setting up environmental monitoring, securing records and manifests, etc.
the ERP should also include appropriate and verifiable chain of custody procedures
(h) media relations;
a process to provide communication training for the CEO and a small number of executives who may act as spokesperson for the organization
a process to provide the spokesperson with current and verified information
processes for crisis communication in all relevant media
a procedure for engagement of media consultants where applicable
(i) claims and insurance procedures;
insurers are key stakeholders who should be notified in the initial activation process and may be engaged in various aspects of the crisis response
(j) aeroplane wreckage removal
a process for damage containment, removal and site remediation where applicable
procedures for specialist services, equipment rental, storage space, government permits
additional procedures as required by law
(k) emergency response training
a process to identify key participants, their required competencies and delivery of appropriate training
a process for maintaining a general awareness of the ERP and its role within the organization
a process for exercising the ERP regularly to identify opportunities for improvement
at least one full mock exercise should be required annually
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Drills & Emergency Exercises
No one likes bad surprises
Barbara Webster, EVP Americas
Over the course of my career in emergency response with two airlines and an oil and gas company, I’ve heard a number of people espousing the virtues of surprise exercises and drills. Many in the field of emergency and crisis response are outspoken proponents of holding exercises in the middle of the night, on weekends, and during holidays. In their opinion, surprise exercises at difficult times represented the only true test of company’s ability to respond.
In my experience, the true goals of drills and exercises are effective coordination and communication among stakeholders, training people how to respond to crises, and getting as many people, especially those in executive leadership roles and external stakeholder organizations, to participate and learn. Surprise weekend exercises may sound like a brilliant idea, but for many of us who have been responsible for coordinating large-scale exercises, the results can be of limited value.
Some of the rationale for conducting surprise exercises at an extreme time is that incidents and accidents occur at the worst possible times in an organization. The opinion is that in order to have a realistic exercise, it too should occur at an unexpected time for the participants. It sounds good in theory, but from a practical perspective, that philosophy comes with its own set of problems, and most of the realism is lost due to unnecessary operational impacts, the financial costs involved, and the impracticality of external stakeholder participation.
People are far more willing to learn and participate when their time is respected, especially their personal time. We hear the phrase “work/life balance” a lot, and for good reason; it’s important to take it to heart. We must be as equally respectful of personal time as professional hours. Forcing someone to miss a family activity or waking them up in the middle of the night for the sake of a “realistic” exercise, is both heavy-handed and unnecessary. That’s not to say that a simple notification test shouldn’t be conducted periodically, as it’s a good way to see who is available at a given time, who doesn’t answer the phone, and who may have been missed within the notification system. However, even a simple notification test must be carefully planned to ensure that it does not interfere with the organization’s safe operation. There are work groups that have safety-sensitive roles that involve a required amount of uninterrupted prone rest. If they receive a notification during a rest period, it could result in significant operational impacts the following day, which could lead to equally significant financial and reputational impacts with customers.
When holding a surprise exercise, even during regular work hours, consideration must be given to executives and representatives of other companies that have arranged meetings with your organization, sometimes scheduled months in advance, that require their time and travel. Imagine the reputational consequences of telling those individuals that a surprise exercise is more important than their business meeting. The same holds true for internal meetings and employee travel. Realistically, if in the case of an exercise, most executives would certainly choose to continue with the scheduled meeting to avoid the reputational issues and costs associated with travel cancellations. For this reason, the realism of the surprise exercise would be immediately lost. Rest assured that no executive or employee within an organization facing a serious incident or accident would choose a business meeting or continued travel over an actual response. However, if it’s simply an exercise, even though they recognize its importance, for the sake of practicality, most would follow their normal operational business priorities.
The goal of any organization’s emergency response plan is to compassionately and proficiently respond to an emergency, while maintaining its ability to safely continue its core business. Conducting a well-planned exercise that allows for the greatest number of participants, while still respecting the operational needs of the business and its people, serves as the greatest mechanism for proficiency and enthusiasm of those involved. If people view drills and exercises with personal willingness and interest, rather than as an annoyance or poor use of their time, preparedness becomes a positive cultural activity and viewed with a source of pride and personal responsibility.
An exercise that is planned and known in advance allows for full participation of internal and external stakeholders. Government departments, their agency representatives, first responders, and service organizations are seldom willing to attend a surprise exercise in the middle of the night, on a weekend, or during a recognized holiday. It’s also highly doubtful that external representatives or insurers of the organization would be interested in participating in real time, either. Sadly, without the participation of external stakeholders, the realism of the exercise is again extremely limited.
My best advice when it comes to large exercises is as follows:
Allow people to feel prepared, confident, and well-rested.
Use primary responders for one exercise, and their alternates for the next, which allows all potential responders an opportunity to gain experience within their department’s response role.
Fear of failure or humiliation doesn’t create a willingness for participation.
Personal time should be respected. Whenever possible, drills and exercises should be conducted during normal business hours. If personal time is required, provide an acceptable form of compensation and notice well in advance of the exercise.
Collective bargaining agreements in the workplace surrounding work/rest hours must always be considered before scheduling drills or exercises to ensure requirements are met.
Always include external stakeholders whenever possible. Internal response team members should know and understand the roles of your external stakeholders, their importance, and the flow of information with them during an emergency.
Avoid negative operational or needless financial impacts whenever possible with your drills and exercises. There are always ways to achieve a preparedness goal that won’t require a major disruption to your organization or come at a premium cost. Use your skills wisely and respect the priorities of others.
Finally, be confident that if a serious emergency or accident occurs after hours, on a weekend, or during a holiday, your team will respond. Your efforts in building their confidence through training and regular testing, including their strategic priorities, will allow them to shine when most needed. In the meantime, value their time and effort during your drills and exercises by respecting their operational priorities, and their personal and family time. Together, you’ll build a compassionate response culture within your organization that will have the ability to adapt and respond to any emergency situation, no matter when it occurs.
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The awkwardness surrounding grief and loss
“I don’t know what to say.”
Barbara Webster, EVP Americas
Let’s chalk this up as a topic that isn’t taught in school, so please don’t think you’re alone in not knowing what to say, or more importantly, what not to say to someone that is grieving. We learn to read, write, and perform mathematical calculations, but this topic falls outside of any standard school curriculum. Instead, most of us are forced to learn as we go, which can lead to the worst possible outcome – making the person we’re attempting to comfort feel even worse!
When we are faced with a grieving friend or loved one, we have two choices; say something or say nothing. We can all agree that saying nothing isn’t a great option. Avoiding the topic or worse, avoiding the friend or loved one until they “get over it”, can cause a level of hurt that may have long-term implications on your relationship with that individual. Saying something comes with its own set of risks. If we say it well, it will convey empathy, compassion, and caring. If we fail, we could make the situation worse, or even destroy our relationship with that individual.
Scary, right? Don’t worry, the fact that you’re reading this shows that you’re open to learning about empathy and how you can be a better source of comfort and support to those grieving.
Unfortunately, we’ve learned a lot about grief in the aviation industry from accidents of the past. Families of the victims have educated our industry about the many mistakes made, including things that had been said to them, not only by the airline representatives, but by their own friends and family members. I have spent nearly 30 years of my career learning from the people who selflessly tell their stories with the sole purpose of trying to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself. Part of their transcendence is in sharing their experiences. Their hope is that others grieving the loss of a loved one won’t have to endure the secondary assault of well-intentioned, but insensitive, comments by the people around them.
A LESSON IN WHAT NOT TO SAY
DO NOT say anything that begins with the words, “At least…”
“At least he didn’t suffer.”
“At least she died doing something that she loved.”
“At least you’ll have the insurance money.” (Yes, someone actually said that to the mother who lost her daughter in a plane crash.)
There are no silver linings in these situations, so don’t try to create any with words.
DO NOT use cliches and euphemisms
“It was his time.”
“It was God’s will”
“She’s in a better place.”
It’s never a good idea to philosophize about death, or attempt to make the situation less tragic, to someone who is grieving. No matter how well-intentioned, the attempt will always fail.
DO NOT say anything that makes this situation about YOU or YOUR past experiences…
“I know how you feel.”
“I lost my dad, too.”
“It took me a long time to get over it.”
It’s not about YOU. Don’t try to make them feel better by telling them you’ve been through worse. It’s not a competition.
It is important to understand that no words will take away pain or fix how someone is feeling. While it’s natural to want to lessen their pain, empathy teaches us that the most important thing we can do is LISTEN and provide compassionate support while they’re going through the grieving process. Grief is certainly a process, and for some, it’s a long one. Do not try to rush people through it; it’s different for each individual, and for many, it’s a lifetime of learning to live without their loved one. There is no such thing as “closure”; simply a “new normal” in their lives.
Now that I’ve frightened you into thinking this is a hopeless situation to know what to say, please know that it’s not. You can say A LOT that will provide comfort and convey your compassion for how they’re feeling, and that’s truly the goal for all of us!
WHAT CAN I SAY?
Be authentic, be honest, and speak from the heart. Use their loved one’s name or their relationship to them when speaking. Some examples are…
“I’m so very sorry to hear the news that Bill died. This must be so difficult for you.”
“Your grandfather was a great man; I can’t imagine how much he will be missed.”
“I’m always here for you, and I will check in with you to see how you’re doing next week.”
“I don’t know what to say; I’m so sad and at a complete loss for words.”
“I wish I knew what to say, but I just want you to know that I care about you.”
“My heart is breaking for you and your entire family.”
SOCIAL MEDIA… the same rules apply.
How many of us have seen someone post something very sad or tragic online, only to see an endless number of “Sorry for your loss” statements. While it’s not necessarily a bad sentiment to write, it goes back to the use of cliches. Instead, make it more personal and authentic. Take the time to type something meaningful about them or the person they’ve lost. Empathy feels real when the words used are unique and individual to a specific person.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
It’s one thing to say something nice; it’s another thing to actually DO something. We’ve all heard the saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” Nothing could be truer than in the circumstance of someone grieving. When possible, check in on the person in whatever manner seems most appropriate. Ask if they might be up for a phone call or a video visit, perhaps have their favorite food or treat delivered to them, or send a handwritten card to them to let them know they’re in your thoughts. While many people receive a lot of attention immediately following the death of a loved one, some of the most difficult times occur after the initial attention has subsided. Continue to check in with them and let them know you care. It will make an indelible impression as to your authenticity as a friend who truly cares, and will remind them that they are not alone or forgotten.
I hope this has helped to alleviate some of the feelings of awkwardness that can occur when trying to comfort someone that is grieving. Learning, listening, and sharing with others helps us to honor the memories of those lost and to educate others in providing a more compassionate response to families, friends, and loved ones who are faced with grief or sadness. Together, we can make a positive difference in the lives of others during the most difficult of times.
Kindness always matters. Always be kind.
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Global Incident Management Systems
Greg Solecki – GoCrisis, Senior Associate
The history of a number of well-practiced incident management systems can be traced back through the respective countries of origin. These systems are commonly recognised as having surfaced after the cold war era and have been based upon intentional or natural risks and hazards. The UK has the Gold, Silver, Bronze (GSB) system, developed in part due to various security incidents and threats. Canada has Incident Site Management (ISM) that was first practiced in the late 1960s as an all-hazards approach to major events and emergencies, and the US has the Incident Command System (ICS), which was borne out of the deadly urban interface wildfires in California that occurred in the 1970s. Commonalities between these systems exist that include a hierarchy of leadership and information flow to communicate and coordinate issues management through the identification and implementation of mitigating objectives.
For the most part, these emergent structures ensure information for decision making occurs throughout the organization during a crisis, while their inherent processes and procedures allow for the safe and successful deployment of resources. This communication is paramount when a multitude of services are working towards achieving overarching goals. These high-performance teams are in part created through identifying emergency management competencies and the requisite training.
Although emergency management competencies have been debated for decades, the next generation of emergency managers (FEMA, Next Generation Core Competency Focus Group, April 28, 2016) solidifies a base in Broad Knowledge, Organizational Acumen, Problem Solving and Leadership. Important to note is that the training in ICS or any other incident management system is meant to satisfy a skill to achieve one or more of these core competencies.
Incident management systems and the tactical operations required of single resources are comprised of a certain level of command, control and rank structure. The leader or commander in charge of the scene is providing a required response and ensuring coordination and communication amongst all the responders that are on scene. There is rarely a question of the actions taken since the responders have been given the authority and responsibility of making decisions.
At a certain point of the expanding incident there may be a greater need for strategic, long-term decision making which may constitute the opening of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). The mandate to support the responders on scene should allow for a more nebulous and free forming approach to ensure new information is also met with new ideas. Furthermore, emergency managers must be able to ensure that their incident management system allows for the flexibility to incorporate the cultural intricacies of a community. One size does not fit all during a disaster, nor does “one way” fit all. During a disaster we are not “all in the same boat” we are all in the same situation and some are on yachts, canoes, and rafts while others are swimming. This is where leadership and sociocultural factors meet to ensure an empathetic response for an improved and timely community recovery.
So how do we get there? Embed these three elements into a response and incident management system to ensure an incident, crisis or disaster is managed well:
Decision making models that support mitigative actions for leaders;
Coordination of information throughout an organizational structure;
Emotional intelligence supporting community recovery.
The ICS is not the perfect solution, nor is GSB or ISM, but the inherent processes and methodologies of these systems allow for the opportunity to make better decisions and produce better emergency managers. As we consider core competencies and incident management training such as ICS, we also need to incorporate training for skills to support community recovery and cultural differences.
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Contain the Dragon
“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”
J.R.R Tolkien, “The Hobbit Or There and Back Again”
Today, we are in the middle of a pandemic that has led to millions of deaths and ravaged lives and businesses around the world. Scientists and historians understood that if it had happened before, it could happen again – and it did. Last century saw the “Spanish flu” which killed more than 20 million people around the world, and in the past 20 years, millions have died because of HIV/AIDS, SARS, MERS and Ebola.
The tsunami that struck the east coast of Japan in 2011 was similar to the tsunami that devastated South and Southeast Asia in 2004. Likewise, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods and other acts of nature have long histories of devastation.
After more than 30 years in the aviation business, I have witnessed scores of tragic airline accidents. My job then, as it is now, is to help companies communicate to their employees, affected families of passengers and crews, government officials and others – honestly and regularly during difficult times, to ensure the company does the right thing, and that the company is the most credible source of information.
In every case in which I have been involved, the accidents were “predictable” because like the pandemic, in some form, they had happened before. The shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2004 was a sad reminder of a Korean Airline jet, KAL 007, that was shot down in 1983. Well before Germanwings crashed in 2015 because of the actions of the pilot, there had been other examples of suspected pilot suicides. The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in 2014 was another reminder of Amelia Earhart’s plane that was lost in 1937 and never recovered.
In addition to looking at accidents in the commercial aviation business that have roots in other events, statistics show that more than 50 percent of all commercial airline accidents (and 62 percent of the fatalities) happen in the period of take-off and initial climb, and the final approach and landing. That means there is a good chance that an accident will happen near an airport. Unfortunately, many happen away from an airline’s home base where an organization may not be as well-resourced or well-trained to deal with the aftereffects of the event in a timely manner.
If events have happened before, they are predictable. If they are predictable, the responses to them can be planned.
J.R.R. Tolkien, an English writer, poet, and academic, expressed the idea of planning and the risks of not planning very clearly in his book, The Hobbit Or There and Back Again: “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations if you live near him.”
All companies have a “live dragon” living near them. That dragon is called risk. The job of communicators and other emergency planning professionals is to figure out how to contain or vanquish the dragon.
First, one must understand the actual risk – environmental, management/labor issues, product liability, terrorism, or workplace safety. Secondly, if realized, how would that risk impact the business and its reputation? While they are rare, one of the biggest risks for an airline clearly is an incident or accident.
“The best protection against the dragon is a plan developed before the dragon breathes its fire.”
Think of the plan as a shield against the dragon.
From a communications standpoint, the starting point to having a fireproof shield is a crisis communications manual/process that highlights the following:
Individual roles and responsibilities of those communicating on behalf of the organization
Pre-written, pre-authorized, and legally-cleared statements for both employees and external audiences. They should be written for traditional media, as well as social media
Contact information for company executives, as well as key media, airline partners, airport PR executives, and regulatory officials
Information on the company history, its fleet and model type(s)
Frequently-asked question and answers, also knowns as FAQs
What resources are available to view and respond to electronic/social media, including flight-tracking apps
A press conference/press-ready briefing site both at headquarters and in key locations around the world.
A plan for what happens when an accident happens far away from the headquarters location; how long will it take company executives to get to the accident scene, and what responsibility do the people on site have in the interim
With a manual/process in hand, a company needs the right resources to manage communications:
Have executives been media trained to know what they can say…and what they cannot say
Is there company policy regarding who can talk to the media: just headquarters executives or country managers, station managers, public relations agencies and partners
Does the company have a PR agency and is the agency or agencies prepared to represent the company in a crisis
If the crisis continues for days, is there a plan to ensure the people responding to the crisis, stay healthy and well-rested
With a plan and the appropriate resources, a company has a shield to protect itself and contain the dragon. To strengthen the shield, however, a company needs to practice its dragon-fighting skills on a regular basis. That means practicing with the company’s executive leaders, public relations/communications staff, appointed and trained spokespersons at its headquarters and in remote locations, as well as airline partners, airport officials, police, and fire departments.
The crisis communications plan is the best protection a company has to contain the dragon, and the best weapon against the dragon is TRUTH.
It must be wielded to:
Communicate on a timely and regular basis
Deliver a consistent message to all stakeholders
Lay out a plan that details what actions a company will take to ensure the safety of its passengers and crew
Show compassion for those who were affected by an accident
Accept responsibility for dealing with what has happened.
While the airline industry has a good safety record, accidents do happen. If crises are predictable, their responses can be planned. If a company does not have a plan, or does not practice it on a regular basis, it is putting its business and reputation at risk.
The plan is the shield; the weapon is truth.
Know the dragon.
Have a plan.
Practice the plan.
Contain the dragon. (Maybe even vanquish the dragon.)
But always pay attention to the location of the next dragon.
Jerry Hendin
Sr. Associate, Public Relations & Communications
GoCrisis
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Checklist for a Crisis Communications Go Bag
Checklist for a Crisis Communications Go Bag
Mario Gomez – GoCrisis, VP Global Communications
A crisis incident can occur at any time and any place. When an emergency happens, the communications team will be called upon to assist in managing the response.
Preparation before an incident is vital to a rapid response. That means having tools at the ready for deployment. Access to the proper tools will help any communicator to make the necessary action steps to get their message out, mitigate communication damage to the airline’s reputation.
Building a Crisis Communications Go Bag must be a line item in your annual budget. Below is a checklist of the basic items to build a Crisis Communications Go Bag:
Large hard case with wheels
Laptop and portable printer; portable hard drive, thumb drives
Crisis team contact list
Satellite phone with activation service; extra batteries
Crisis Communications plan (digital and hard copy)
Communications templates
Holding statements
Camera with still and video capabilities; extra camera batteries; microphone
Portable wi-fi hotspot for Laptop use
Office supplies – pens, paper, folders, ect
First Aid Kit
Standard cell phone and charger
Flashlight and extra batteries
Small portable generator (optional)
In addition to these and other items, your personal needs are very important. For any travel abroad, you must be prepared to provide certification documents for Covid-19 vaccinations and other diseases. It is highly recommended to have a personal packing checklist for your own “Go Bag” to ensure that you have remembered all of the items necessary to enter a country and possibly stay for a period of time. If possible, prepare your bag in advance, including an up-to-date passport (which doesn’t expire within six months of your date of travel, clothing for summer or winter deployment, and other personal care items such as medications, prescriptions, extra glasses, contact lenses, and the prescriptions required for them should they be damaged. Now more than ever, personal protective items must also be considered, including additional masks and hand sanitizer.
Don’t arrive to a crisis location without the items you need to do your job and remain healthy and safe. People are counting on you! Always be well-prepared, both professionally and personally.
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The Art of the Apology
How to use YouTube to deliver an effective apology
Mario Gomez – GoCrisis, VP Global Communications
Your airline has spent weeks preparing for a busy travel season. The Information Technology team has prepared upgrades to the ticketing system to help boarding become a smoother experience for the travelers. At the height of one of the busiest days, the system has crashed. Hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled. Travelers are angry and fearful that they cannot reach their destinations on time.
Unfortunately, situations like this and other more serious crises can affect airline operations and its reputation with the traveling public. In an effort to maintain good relations with its customers, corporations, including airlines, are using video to apologize for the inconvenience.
The video apology is the tool that directly speaks to your target audience without depending on the media.
The role of an apology in today’s business culture
Why do we apologize? There are many reasons but here are some of the most common:
A serious situation has occurred that threatens the brand
Injury or loss of life
A financial fiasco
Bad behaviour by staff or the CEO
Data breach
The risks associated with an apology Making an apology, especially posting a YouTube video can be a risky in terms of organizational culture and reputation. Consider the following: • Can be seen as a sign of weakness by the CEO • Conceding that you failed • The timing of the apology may be too late • Negative short or long-term impact financial impact • CEO may lose his/her job • Possible legal action • Loss of reputation
The seven elements of an effective apology
If a situation has occurred that requires an apology, YouTube is one the best social media tools for an airline or any organization to control and communicate their message. In order for an apology to be authentic, the spokesperson, especially in a major crisis, must have the personal temperament to express the following:
Show empathy
Expression of regret
Explanation of what went wrong
Acknowledgment of responsibility
Declaration of repentance
Offer of repair
Request for forgiveness
How to prepare your leadership to deliver an effective apology
Preparing and delivering an apology is often overlooked in crisis communications and crisis management plans. When a major incident occurs, it is the responsibility of the president or CEO to be the spokesperson for the airline. Consider the following action steps to integrate into your emergency planning:
Conduct a risk analysis on the impact of an apology in various crisis situations and its effect on the airline’s culture, target audience, and financial future
Plan for an apology as part of your crisis communications plan
Media-train your CEO
Practice making an apology on video
Write suggested talking points
Help your CEO display empathy
Help your CEO to understand an apology does not result in legal action
Truth to power – if your president or CEO cannot express empathy, the most important element of a effective apology, another executive in leadership may be the better choice to deliver the message
Keep your target audience informed on next steps
When delivered properly, an effective apology can help your organization transition from crisis mode to normalcy.
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Tools to Communicate with Survivors and Families in the Midst of Crisis
Lessons Learned From the Front lines
Irisaida Méndez – GoCrisis Associate
In the blink of an eye, reality can change. Natural disasters, catastrophic accidents, life threatening illnesses, global pandemics, and even wrongful decisions made by others can occur. Grief, a common feeling in all these cases, defines not only mourning but the sense of losing life as we know it. As crisis responders, we need to show an ability to understand and share the feelings of people in trauma in times of crisis.
Whether preparing an executive for an initial media appearance following a crisis, or addressing an audience affected by an incident, the key is to convey an individualized message of empathy which shows genuine care and concern. Each person needs to feel that they are being addressed personally and that the message applies to them.
In 2017, when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the island’s population was in chaos. Over 135,000 families abandoned their homes to seek shelter in Hispanic-populated cities like Boston, Chicago, New York, and Orlando. Others ventured to the unknown with a one-way ticket and nothing to lose, all looking to overcome frustration, desolation, confusion, and fear. Survivors were worried about a host of issues including flooded homes, lost personal possessions, family’s safety, financial hardship, and the inability to provide for loved ones. They didn’t care that there were waiting lists for certain services. They wanted to know how long it would take for them to receive the much-needed help that was promised. Empathy is the key to communications with survivors and families. Empathy needs to be developed and communicated in every interaction. As a first responder, it helps to use words that convey empathy, and compassion throughout a crisis response.
Empathy helps survivors understand first responders are concerned about them. It is the first step to communicating and providing comfort. In order to best communicate with survivors and families, the responders should ask these questions of themselves:
What are my overall and specific expectations as a survivor?
What do I need to know?
What do I want to hear from the organization or the relief team?
Understanding families’ and survivors’ emotions leads to respecting their position and range of emotions in a non-judgmental way. Failure to show empathy could be mistaken as being cold and distant.
Empathy is essential when providing comfort to help a family, especially when sharing bad news. It is more than lending an ear; it is relating to the feelings that accompany their words, acknowledging their pain, and validating their experience of having fears and worries.
Understanding grief is also essential for first responders in order to develop empathy. Whether it is an unexpected life transition or a major disaster, such a disruption can lead to personal conflicts and discomfort. Grieving is a normal process, and necessary to overcome the sense of loss. Having a better understanding of this process can help with the cognitive element of developing empathy, as it provides a better understanding of how to convey a message, as well as all the different ways a survivor or a family member may react.
A team member needs to be emotionally and mentally strong to be effective. Other strategies for keeping emotionally healthy include not taking words personally, healthy eating, getting a good night’s sleep, and going home every night leaving work where it belongs- at work. Well-being ensures patience, and a clear mind to develop empathy and communicate effectively in the midst of crisis.
Understanding grief and empathy is crucial for effective communication with people who are directly affected by crises. Applying techniques to preserve a responder’s mental health is also part of effective communication. As emergency responders, it is important to practice these skills constantly until they become an integrated part of one’s daily routine. When the time comes to communicate during a crisis, the process will flow effortlessly.
Irisaida Méndez is a seasoned communications professional with over 25 years of experience in corporate identity, crisis communications and disaster response. She has collaborated in Disaster Relief Operations with FEMA, the American Red Cross, and United Way. Her experience in brand identity includes Make-A-Wish Foundation and Spirit Airlines. She is also a certified Life Transitions Coach & End-of-Life Doula.
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