CRISIS COMMUNICATION Colonel NOISETTE Jean-Yves Director of the Fire and Rescue Division

1. CRISIS MANAGEMENT SEMINARY Moscow (Russia) CRISIS COMMUNICATION Colonel NOISETTE Jean-Yves Director of the Fire and Rescue Division for the department of Vaucluse (South of France)

2. C’est la CRISIS METHOD and PRACTICE for CRISIS COMMUNICATION • Introduction : The crisis concept • Préliminary questions • Forms of communication • Usual rules • Conclusion

3. Effects The EVENT ? Population anxiety Doubts about the event, its effects ? Emergency response Irrational Groups of pression Experts Decision center Politics Politics Introduction – The crisis concept

4. Effects The EVENT ? Population anxiety Doubts about the event, its effects ? Emergency response Irrational Groups of pression Experts Decision center Politics Politics

5. Decision center Turning in on oneself Closing of the center Fears Power conflicts Irrational behaviour Doubts about the event, its effects Emergency response Groups of pression

6. CRISIS Decision center FAILURE OF THE SIMPLIFICATION WORKING FOR DECISION ACCELERATION OF TIME INCREASING COMPLEXITY MULTIPLICITY OF PROTAGONISTS INEFFICACY OF PROCEDURES

7. Failure of decision process CRISIS =

8. 1 – Preliminary questions Communication can be IMPOSED or DECIDED In every cases, TO COMMUNICATE IS NEVER NEUTRAL

9. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Before communicate, some questions are necessary : When ? How ? Who ? What ? For who ? To who ? Why ? Where ?

10. 2 – Forms of communication The choice of the right form is made according to the answers given by the ANALYSIS : • Of the operational situation • Of the media sollicitation level • Of the population behaviour (victims, witness, etc…) • Of precedent or malfunction existence • Of the decision-maker strategy

11. Media on field ? Media calling ? Emergency response YES YES NO NO INFORMATION Operational situation Technical

12. Technical INFORMATION We have all the time Facts FOLLOWING ANALYSIS FOLLOWING ANALYSIS Means RISKS of Groups of pression Contradictions CRISIS Doubts OperationnalTechnician • Groups of pression Emergency response • Doubts • Contradictions What ? Consequences • Event • Preventative measures • Rescue acts Back to normal Who ?

13. Operational situation Implication of rescue ? Irrational behaviour ? Groups of Pression ? Victims ? Antecedents ? Doubts ? Anxiety ? NO NO NO NO NO NO NO Technical information

14. Operational situation Emergency response Media on field ? Doubts ? Expert Media calling ? To reduce Doubts YES YES YES YES NO NO NO INFORMATION Scientific Technical

15. Scientific INFORMATION FOLLOWING ANALYSIS RISKS OF EXPERT No limit for expert attributions CRISIS Contradictions between experts Lack of coordination with TECHNICAL information EXPERT • Excess of attributions • Number of experts Scientific information collect • Lack of coordination Analysis What ? Interpretation of results Who ?

16. Operational situation Victims ? Emergency response Media on field ? Doubts ? Expert INFORMATION Media calling ? To reduce Doubts YES YES YES YES YES NO NO NO NO Scientific Social Technical

17. Social INFORMATION Victims (Number, state of health) Disaster victims (Evacuation, lodging,…) FOLLOWING ANALYSIS Disaster victim information not guaranteed for a long time (post-Crisis) Lack of coordination with TECHNICAL or SCIENTIFIC information Lack of coordination with « green number » RISKS OF « Green Number » CRISIS AUTHORITY EMPC • Quality of inforation • Lack of information • Lack of coordination Quoi ? Informations about victims incomplete and / or in contradiction Families Who ?

18. Media on field ? Implication of rescue Groups of pression Antecedents Doubts ? Anxiety INFORMATION Expert Irrationnel To reduce doubts YES YES YES NO Operational situation Political

19. Political INFORMATION Answer to anxiety Rationnal explanations • No answer to questions : • of the population • of the groups of pression No uniqueness of communicant : Prefect + elected authorities Authorities of different ministries RISKS OF CRISIS AUTHORITY • Discrepancy • Number of communicants • Lack of answer to the questions What ? Discrepancy between the message and the state of mind of the population Planned communication END OF ANALYSIS Who ?

20. 3 – Usual rules For a good use of theCOMMUNICANT For a good use of thePLACE For a good use of theMOMENT

21. The COMMUNICANT If the communicant isn’t credible or representative for the media, the journalists will search an operational protagonist or somebody who meet their needs among the witness or the population

22. TO AVOID CRISIS • AVOID THE RESSOURCE LOSS • Don’t let an expert or a politic authority to communicate about technical information. • Don’t multiply the technical informations. • AVOID THE CREDIBILTY LOSS • Don’t let the experts to quarrel. • Don’t contradict or modify an information of another kind of communication.

23. The PLACE • The media, especially the radio and television media, are looking for « ambiance ». • The journalists want to be : • on the field of the event • in the command post • in the decision center

24. TO AVOID CRISIS • REDUCE The PRESSURE • Choose the place, according to the media requirement. • Separate the place for press conference and the structure (command post or decision center), which is under pressure by the media. • Organize a « visit ».

25. The MOMENT • The radio or television media don’t have the same requirements than newspapers : • The first one are in competition with each other. • The second are looking for substance.

26. TO AVOID CRISIS • CHOOSE THE RIGHT MOMENT • Choose the moment, according to the media requirement. • When there is enough matter for : • TECHNICAL information • SCIENTIFIC information • SOCIAL information • POLITICAL information If not, communicate carefully, because NOT TO COMMUNICATE CAN LEAD THE MEDIA TO INTERPRET THE ACTIONS OR TO BE POLEMICAL.

27. The (bad) communication GENERATE THE CRISIS ! The (right) communication - quick, reliable, clear, regular- AVOID THE CRISIS ! Avoid the crisis ! As a CONCLUSION…

28. Thank you for your attention • Colonel Jean-Yves NOISETTE • SDIS 84 – Esplanade de l’armée d’Afrique • 84 018 AVIGNO Cédex 1 • (France) • noisette.jy@sdis84.fr