Crisis Communications Landscape has Forever Changed
•
1 like•633 views
The document discusses lessons learned from responding to the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire using social media and crisis communications. It emphasizes the importance of: 1) Having social media knowledge and tools established beforehand to effectively communicate during emergencies. 2) Regular, timely communication across social media platforms using consistent hashtags and messaging. 3) Engaging with the community and addressing rumors online to provide reliable information.
More Related Content
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (18)
Similar to Crisis Communications Landscape has Forever Changed
Similar to Crisis Communications Landscape has Forever Changed (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Crisis Communications Landscape has Forever Changed
- 2. While You Are Here • Set the Stage • The Incident – Waldo Canyon Fire • Opportunities • Lessons Learned – Crisis Communications – Technology / Social Media
- 3. Set the Stage • Social Media drove the transition from Information Age to Attention Age • The public is looking for, distributing, and influencing information with or without you! • 1st on scene • Prepare now 3
- 4. The Incident Waldo Canyon Fire – June 2012 • Background • Statistics • Response • My Involvement Your Challenge 4
- 6. Official Statistics • Type I Incident • June 23 to July 10, 2012 (100% contained) • Evacuation of approx. 32,000 residents • Partial evacuation of the Air Force Academy • 347 homes destroyed & 46 homes damaged • 18,247 acres burned (approx. 11K on June 26th alone) 6
- 12. The Players • Traditional Media – Appropriate – Reliable or ? – Timely • Citizen (Public) Journalism – Appropriate – Reliable – Timely 12
- 13. The Players • Government Publishing – Appropriate – Reliable – Timely 13
- 14. The Opportunity Go Green! The goal is to make our information publishing: – Appropriate (pertinent to the incident) – Reliable (government agencies) – Timely (quicker to the public) This is where social media comes in!! 14
- 15. Response Agencies 15 • Colorado Springs Fire Department PIO • Colorado EMA • US Air Force Academy • FEMA (IMT & VIII) • El Paso County Sheriff's Office • Pike/San Isabel National Forests • Colorado Public Health and Environment • Mayor • Colorado Springs Police PIO • City of Colorado Springs • READY Colorado • Pikes Peak Red Cross • Colorado Springs State Patrol • Colorado State Patrol PIO • Pueblo Chemical Depot • Pueblo West Fire • And many more… Active Accounts
- 16. Messaging 16 Advisory • Please reserve cell phone use for emergencies only to keep the networks free for emergency personnel use #waldocanyonfire Evacuation • MANDATORY EVACUATION: All Areas N of Garden of the Gods between I‐25 and Western city limits. #WaldoCanyonFire Incident Impact • Current #WaldoCanyonFire #s (9:00pm): 6,200 acres; 5% contained; 20,085 residences/160 commercial structures threatened; 764 personnel Volunteering • HOW YOU CAN HELP: visit http://t.co/FJLQaMCq for ways to donate/volunteer. #WaldoCanyonFire
- 17. Messaging 17 • Time Sensitive Information • Inadvertent broadcasts of expired information • For example: 1. “Effective immediately, Mountain Shadows is under mandatory evacuation” 2. “6/26 5:20pm Mtn Shadows is under mandatory evacuation” • The inclusion of time stamps into the actual content helped prevent accidental misinformation.
- 18. Messaging Online data during the event Courtesy of University of Colorado, Colorado Springs 18 Data Type Characteristics Keyword (Official Hashtag) #waldocanyonfire Tweets 100,134 Unique users (6/25‐6/29) 25,672 Targeted Accounts 16 Targeted tweets (6/1‐7/9) 4,578
- 19. The Opportunity 19 Remember ‐ We want to Go Green! – Appropriate (pertinent to the incident) – Reliable (government agencies) – Timely (quicker to the public)
- 20. Lessons Learned • Acquire social media knowledge and tools NOW! • You have to be able to operate within social media • Establish an incident social media policy – Which venues will you use? Test cross‐posting – Prepare strategy statements for the community • Dashboard (HootSuite, Tweetdeck, etc.) – Unified messaging across SM platforms – Scheduling messages – Personal use for familiarity – Analytics may be built in for post‐evals 20
- 21. Lessons Learned • Regular Communication is key • Footage of burned residences prior to official release • Citizen journalists photos and video of response efforts • Official Hashtag established “late” after variations already existed • No established phone bank at the JIC – Denver area codes – Caused confusion 21
- 22. Lessons Learned • Be a part of the community, but remember that you are only a part – Flow with the conversation – Stay engaged (don’t retreat) – Don’t recreate content—share it – Be as responsive and appropriate as possible – Remember that everyone is under stress • Keep a finger on the pulse – If a question is asked a few times, be proactive – Acknowledge and engage community hubs – Dispel rumors • Don’t tell them what you want to tell them… tell them what you need to tell them 22
- 24. What Now? • Don’t collect “digital dust” • Be present before, during, and after incidents • Map out a clear, workable crisis communication plan early (and revised it often) • Implement communications strategies that integrate mobile and social media technologies into their emergency plans 24