Crisis Communications Plan

1. Introduction

This Crisis Communication Plan defines how Westmont College will communicate information that is vital to the staff and the public in the event of a crisis or an emergency. The plan is to be used by the organization as a guideline that focuses only on communication and its intention is to facilitate the implementation of a proper crisis and emergency response protocol. It should be noted that each emergency or crisis will necessitate unique responses depending on the type of the crisis or emergency.

1. Guiding Principles- The organization’s guiding principles are to enhance the safety of the entire community, to ensure that information is updated regularly as the state of affairs change, and to communicate facts that have already been established as fast as possible.
2. Emergency Caution- communication during an emergency or a crisis is imperative to preserve the security, as well as, the safety of the organization’s community. This crisis communication plan will outline the various systems available for warning and their suggested uses, in addition to providing their operational guidance.
3. Purpose, scope, and goal of the plan
4. Purpose- Westmont’s College Crisis Communication Plan summarizes not only the roles of crucial individuals and departments but also the procedures and responsibilities that will be used, to guide the institution in sharing information accurately and promptly with its entire community during a crisis or an emergency.
5. Scope- The crisis communication plan is designed to be applied to all the individuals associated with the College. The plan will be used during all manners of crisis or emergencies that the institution may face.
6. Goal- The goal of the communication plan is to be accessible, accountable, and open to all the associated individuals, while at the same time being mindful of both the privacy and legal concerns.
7. Assumptions– the success of this crisis communication plan is based on the following assumptions
8. Departments- Westmont’s College leadership, departments, and units take part during the process of communication while utilizing the guidelines and channels presented in this crisis communication plan.
9. Communication- Westmont College communicates messages that are both informative and consistent messages that are in line with the guiding principles.
10. Liability- The institution is committed to providing open information that is truthful and authentic to the nature of the emergency or the crisis.
11. Audiences– Westmont College communicates with both the internal and external audiences.
12. Internal- Westmont’s faculty, staff, potential and current students, graduates, and alumni.
13. External- Regional leaders, patents, trustees, visitors, neighbors, and the media.
14. Communication Strategy– This crisis communication plan describes the following channels to communicate the crisis or emergency used by Westmont College.
15. Memos- The facts that have already been identified are communicated through internal memos that are placed at different locations inside Westmont College.
16. Phone system- The team involved with handling crisis and emergency situations use the phone system to communicate to the entire institution at once regarding the occurrence of an emergency or a crisis.
17. Physically- Key individuals and personnel are used to communicate the information to the entire audience in person.
18. Communication Operations
19. Notification- As specified in the Crisis and Emergency Response protocol, the key individuals and personnel notify the members of the institution when a crisis or an emergency occurs.
20. Assessment- The chief relations officer of Westmont College assesses the nature of the emergency or crisis, with input from the response squad to determine the best initial response.
21. Initial Response- An immediate warning alert will be disseminated to the audiences that are applicable at the moment to make them aware of the emergency or crisis situation, instruct them what to do, and point to other channels for more information.
22. Key Constituencies- The response team then determines the main areas for purposes of communication and assigns members of the response team to alert them of the present crisis or emergency.
23. Circulating Information- The statement from the initial response in addition to the fact sheet will be used to communicate information pertaining to the crisis or emergency, the best course of action, and the intended response from the College.
24. Media Notification- The media will be used as the most effective mechanism to inform the public concerning the emergency or crisis, as well as, the status of the response team. The media will also be used to aid the institution in communicating information that is accurate and relevant to the situation.
25. Tasks to Key Leaders and Staff
26. Dean- In charge of overseeing all the operations of the response team.
27. Executive Communications Director- tasked with managing communication with the audience, public, and the media.
28. Public Safety Director- tasked with coordinating the security of the students, faculty, and staff, in addition to interfacing with the first responders from the public.
29. Technology Officer: tasked with the provision and maintenance of the channels of distributing messages to be used by the response team.

References

Baltes, L., & Bîrsan, A. (2014, May). CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLAN. In International Scientific Conference” Strategies XXI” (Vol. 2, p. 20). “Carol I” National Defense University.

Coombs, W. W. T. (2014). Ongoing Crisis Communication. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Fink, S. (2013). Crisis communications: The definitive guide to managing the message. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Appendix: Planned scripts

1. Action Plan- If the Dean is not nearby, Executive Communications Director or the Public Safety Director may convene the emergency response and crisis team.
2. Initial Response responsibilities- when the response team is assembled, those who arrive at the scene initially will consider the injuries or casualties, response efforts, the audience affected by the situation, and the potential damage.
3. Communicating Messages- At the time of the emergency or crisis, the Dean or the designee of the Dean will take the lead in ensuring the communication of important messages as well as answering any questions asked. The faculty and staff should not communicate with the media since they may not have information that is current.