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Overview of Crisis Team
The council crisis team is responsible for managing the incident. Team members should have a copy of this plan and contact information available at all times (car, office, home, etc.). The team will manage all local aspects, from emergency response to communication with key target audiences. The team shall be comprised of the following members:
CRISIS TEAM LEADER
SUPPORT TEAM MEMBERS
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Provides support as needed
EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM LEADER
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS TEAM LEADER
EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS TEAM LEADER
Crisis Team Leader (CEO, Board Chair or designee)
• Serves as the leader of the crisis response team • Should the CEO or Board Chair be unavailable, the CMO will be appointed Team
Leader for crisis • Charged with making the strategic decisions needed locally to manage the crisis • Responsible for monitoring all actions by team members on a regular basis • Determines, with input from the team, the crisis severity level and what actions are needed • In conjunction with communications staff, serves as media spokesperson • Apprises board of directors and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) of the situation • Approves expenditures and response actions/messages • Makes immediate contact with GSUSA or ACA (if camp related) for Level 3 Situations
Emergency Response Team Leaders (Chief Financial Officer, Chief HR Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Senior Director of Girl Scout Experience, Senior Director of Girl Scout Engagement and Senior Director of Business Operations)
• Charged with implementing the crisis response plan to include contact with local law enforcement, emergency responders and government officials • Continuously gathers the facts of the crisis and relays information to the entire crisis team • Coordinates the resources needed to address the situation
• Coordinates emergency response assistance from other councils and GSUSA • Communicates frequently with the team leader regarding the status of the crisis response • Coordinates the investigation in conjunction with the legal team • Works with legal counsel to ensure proper steps are taken to preserve evidence
• Charged with managing all internal communications • Responsible for developing key messages in conjunction with crisis team leader, emergency response team leader and external communications team leader • Responsible for coordinating communication with all staff members, volunteers, members, parents and suppliers (proceed cautiously: some may be members of the media, have active social networks, etc.)
• Charged with managing all external communications • Responsible for developing key messages in conjunction with crisis team leader, emergency response team leader, internal communications team leader and GSUSA, if needed • Handles all media calls and coordinates response with GSUSA communications staff • Prepares the CEO to handle any media calls or interviews • Responsible for communicating with community leaders, elected officials, donors and neighbors as applicable
Support Team Members
Depending on the situation, it may be appropriate to bring in additional support. The role of these members is to provide support and expertise to the primary team. • Council Board Chair – coordinates board response and acts as advisor as needed • Legal Counsel – advises on legal ramifications of situation • GSUSA Content Experts – advises on situation and serves as outside consultant; assists with messaging as needed • Insurance Broker/Advisor/Representative o K& K Insurance (KK.claims@kandkinsurance.com, 800.237.2917) o Policy Numbers: KKO2585110 – GL, Property KKO2585120 – Auto WCC330922B – Work Comp • Product Program Experts – advises on product tampering, communication issues, legal issues, etc. • Support staff and runners to support the primary crisis team Engagement staff advises on program procedures/policies, program activities, membership procedures/policies, activities, etc. Girl Experience staff advises on camp procedures/policies, camp activities, etc. Product Program staff advises on procedures/policies, activities, etc.
Property staff advises on property issues, access, equipment resources and contractor/vendor/supplier resources.
About Key Audiences
It is important to communicate succinctly with all key audiences. The level of communication to each audience will be determined by the severity of the incident. While we may consider internal and external audiences to be different from those listed below, what is most critical is that the key messages stay the same and the depth of information shared is carefully considered. • Employees—internal • Board members—internal • Members—internal • Families—internal • Volunteers—internal • GSUSA—external • Emergency response officials—external • Local elected officials—external • Other councils (in the state or region)—external • Media—external • Suppliers—external • Neighbors—external
About Key Messages: Targeted and Reactive
No matter the incident, we will develop three primary messages within the first 48 hours. Our three key messages will serve as the answer to every question we receive, so the more we repeat them, the better. Generally, they will include: “We have enacted our emergency response plan, which includes…” (This is the plan message.) • This message briefly summarizes the steps we are taking to address the situation. • This message brings comfort to most people affected by the crisis. • This message demonstrates that we have the situation under moderate control.
“Our hearts go out to…” (This is the compassion message.) • This message demonstrates that we care for those negatively impacted by the situation. • We do not have to cite wrongdoing to demonstrate compassion for those affected. • If there are injuries involved, this is our number one message. • Showing compassion requires more than just words, we must show it appropriate to the situation—without demonstrating uncontrollable anger or weeping.
“We’re going to find out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from happening again…” (This is the investigation message.) • This message allows us to avoid the specific details of the crisis—it is all being determined. • This message will protect us concerning legal matters. • This message gives us some time to find out what happened and how we want to communicate that to key audiences.
