An Assignment on Crisis Communications Plan
CHAPTER ONE
PREAMBLE OF STUDY
During a crisis, the University’s top objectives are the safety of people, valuable research, property, the community, and the environment. The overarching goal is to respond to emergency situations and manage the process of restoring academic programs and services at the University. This document is the Campus Emergency and Crisis Management Plan, which covers the SAU campus’s facilities, services, and administration.
CHAPTER TWO
Crisis description
The new £100 million state-of-the-art scientific building at Saint Augustine’s University (SAU), located in the center of the main campus, has been completely destroyed by fire. The gases from the fire are wafting across to the next school building. Forty firefighters have been called to the location to put out the fire, which is threatening to spread to surrounding structures. I hereby request that all students and staff members leave the building immediately and go to a secure location.
Assessment of crisis
As a result of the incident, a portion of the state-of-the-art science building has been damaged, as have science facilities including tables and chairs. This incident happened during a class period. This will have an academic and non-academic impact on science students. I urge everyone to be calm and trust that all of the damaged facilities will be operational soon.
Stakeholders and other audiences
One of the first steps in developing a crisis communications plan is to identify the audiences that the incident needs to reach during an emergency. There are a variety of audiences who may want information during and after an incident, each with its own set of requirements. The task is to identify possible audiences, establish their information needs, and then select who in the crisis is best suited to communicate with that group.
CHAPTER THREE
Assistant Director of Communications
Throughout the crisis, the team will design a plan of action and supervise communications difficulties. The team will examine the facts of the issue in order to decide the best course of action and a communication plan for both internal and external communications. Others can and should be drawn into the crisis communications process as needed, depending on the nature of the situation, to address the unique concerns and risks that need to be controlled.
Convening the Team
The CCT will assemble immediately following notification of a crisis that comes under the categories of Imminent Danger/Major Disruptions.
In the event of a public relations crisis, the President is in charge of assembling the Crisis Communications Team. The Provost, Vice President for Finance and Business Operations, General Counsel, and Vice President for Legal Affairs and Human Resources can make the convening decision if the President is unavailable. Any member of the Crisis Communications Team or the Tod Hall Leaders may also recommend to the President convening the Team if she or he discovers a situation that she or he believes constitutes a crisis (as described above).
CHAPTER FOUR
Media and other communication channels
Because the news media is frequently the sole source of information for the public about a disaster, media relations is an important part of any crisis plan. It’s all about the timing. In the event of a crisis, responses must be issued as soon as feasible and through as many channels as possible. Keep in mind that the news media has no boundaries and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The crisis communication team (CCT) will draft relevant statements and other media communications. News conferences and media briefings will also be organized and led by the Team. The university has some control over the message by keeping the news media informed. The media’s mission is to report on the most up-to-date information. If reporters don’t acquire such information directly from the crisis group, they’ll search elsewhere and are more likely to relay false information or even rumors. The location of press conferences and briefings may be heavily influenced by the crisis’s location and nature. The Board of Trustees Meeting Room could be one option. However, the location should ideally be away from the crisis, the ERT, and the administrative offices of the university.
CHAPTER FIVE
References
- https://ysu.edu/crisis-communication-plan
- t-aug.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/65408505_2017 2018_campus_emergency_and_crisis_management_plan.pdf
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