Crisis Management

ESSEX Meeting

July 2009

Outline

A YEP Crisis ? A Plan ?

– Events– Media

Why ? Critical Elements Action Plan A Real Life Crisis D-5100

A YEP Crisis

Death Serious Accident Missing / Abduction Disasters (Natural and Man Made) Abuse ???

Elements of a Crisis Plan Safety and help for involved students

– Immediate response to scene or hospital

– Coordinate information on students with hospital and authorities

– Notify and coordinate information to District Leadership, RI and sending District YEC/Leadership

Isolation – Anonymity of students from media– Appoint one person only, i.e. District Youth Protection Officer, to

provide information to media

– This person must be familiar with the laws regarding name release and have good contact with the authorities

– Everyone on the crisis team must defer comments to the appointed media officer

– Appoint one person, i.e. District Youth Exchange Chairman, to provide information about the Rotary Youth Exchange Program

Elements of a Crisis Plan Notification of involved host families

– Assign this task to YEO in charge of each country in your system. Larger programs will be able to divide this task among more people

– This may be the time to inform international partners of involved student countries

Notification of non-involved host families and students– Assign this task to YEO in charge of each country in your system

– This is the time to inform all other international partners

Notification of outbound families and students– If the incident occurs during the season of student outbound

selection, your group to notify will include more students and families

– Notify current outbound students and families

Elements of a Crisis Plan

Assistance– Fact finding /understand needs

– Work with law enforcement / gov’t

– Conduct Needs assessment

– Develop response / Action plan

– Implement actions (Crisis Management Team directed)

Communications– In District / YE Committee and Students

– Partner District / Other partners

– RI

Elements of a Crisis Plan In case of death

– Proper notification of families/next of kin

– Procedures established by law in area of jurisdiction must be followed

– Due to modern communication systems, i.e. Internet, cell phones, etc., the normal procedures may be circumvented by involved persons without knowing the consequences of their action

– International notification may have to route through a Consulate or State Department Office. This may cause delays that will allow other communication listed above to be the initial notification path

– Notify school districts of all program students for preparation of grief counseling for students and friends

– Process of repatriation

Elements of a Crisis Plan Notification of all other Rotary partners and friends

– Information by now will be released by authorities. News media will have all information they can make news out of

– Information about victim funds and memorials will be available– Try to have at least one general victim assistance fund set up– Public memorial services will be planned for students– Make plans for a private memorial service for inbound students and

host families– Plan group counseling for all students and crisis team

Continuing professional care of involved students and families– Arrangements must be made for continuing care for involved

students and families– Arrange at least one professional counseling session for each

involved student and family

A Media Plan

Designate a Rotary spokesperson Instruct all club members to refer inquiries to the

spokesperson Prepare a statement that accurately states the facts,

expresses Rotary’s position, and conveys the appropriate tone.

Develop key messages to convey Rotary’s position consistently and accurately.

Contact the RI PR Division

A Crisis Plan

Convene a crisis management team Gather all the facts Provide timely briefings to all Rotary

stakeholders Designate a Rotary spokesperson Instruct all Rotarians to refer inquiries to the

Crisis Management spokesperson

The Media

An effective media crisis plan is based, first and foremost, on the principles of truth, transparency, and sincerity. Nothing in your club’s media crisis plan should compromise, or appear to compromise, these key principles.

Media Plan

515-EN—(507)www.rotary.org

Why Manage a Crisis Need to protect the students Events may get carried away Law needs to be followed RI leadership needs to be informed / will provide

resources Informed partners will prevent misunderstandings

and later ramifications Media relations set public image and public image

reflects on District and RI ???

YE Crisis Management Team

Elements Chair (fact finding / convening/spokesperson)

Sec’ty (records)

Law Enforcement / Gov’t Communications Youth Protection (take care of the involved student(s)

Student Information ( students informed and attended to)

District / Committee Communications PR/Media Rotary Cares (hosting/logistics/travel/memorials)

YE Crisis Management Team

Suggestions… District Governor YE Committee Chair / YEC Members Youth Protection Officer District PR/Media Chair ???

Considerations

District Plan Adoption/How Communication of plan ESSEX to Districts

and District to clubs Financing of expenses related to crisis

– Communications

– Travel

– Funeral

– Memorials

Other ???

Action

ESSEX to draft and adopt plan by January 2010 meting

Guidelines for Districts to be provided Districts to review discuss guidelines Districts to develop their own plans…

integrating them with ESSEX plan with regard to YE Crisis Management by July 2010

Rotary District 5100Youth Exchange

In an Instant

In an Instant – Disaster Strikes

Review what happened Crisis Plan

– First 24 hours – Information – Media 24 – 96 hours– Memorial Services– Tika’s Travels– Recovery Phase – counseling for the survivors

January 24th

Deanne, a host mom decides to plan a birthday party for her inbound student, Annelise

Annelise invites friends for a sleep over including the club outbound candidate, Ashley Wilks and Susanne de Sousa who is an inbound on the AYUSA Program.

January 24th

They want to go dancing. Deanna checks out the venue and gets references.

At approximately 10:30 pm they arrive and line up on the sidewalk to enter.

Seconds later a gunman walks by and opens fire into our students.

January 24th

We were called about 10 minutes after the incident.

After 5 minutes of discussion our Crisis Plan is being implemented.

the first 24 hours

We are in a informational gathering and support mode.

First responders and the hospitals are in charge. We cooperate with the police and hospital. We do not give interviews to the media. We will

appoint a spokesman within 24 hours. We do not give out student information to the media.

All of our inbounds students are minors. We do not speculate in front of the media.

January 25th

Crisis Team in place. Daily meetings to update and keep the

communication moving.

January 26 - 30th Media

Media point person handles multiple inquires from print, radio, and television.

Jan 30 – Feb 2nd Memorial Services

Friday – Ashley Wilks Friday Night – Private Inbound Memorial

Service Monday – Tika Paz de Noboa

Tika

Peru

In Memoriam

Ashley

Outbound to France or Denmark

In Memoriam

Feb 3rd– Feb 10th Tika’s Travels

Tika is escorted by Bill Whidden back to her home in Arequipa, Peru.

Feb 10th - Recovery

Most if not all of our inbound students are receiving counseling.

Like the aftermath of 9/11 we have noticed the students creating even stronger ties to each other.

Improvement Needed

Student Data Medical records (football took a day to

arrive) Speculation (yes there was some) Notification of next of kin US State Dept could not issue an emergency

VISA for Tika’s mom quickly

What went right

Media was cooperative Very little speculation Great Local Support Rotary World Wide Support Escorting Tika Home

Surprises

Volume of support Crisis Team Formulation Local Support Rotary World Wide Support Insurance does not cover overseas

funeral home expenses or burial plot.

A Crisis Management Plan was critical to managing this event…

Is your District ready ?