KEY POINT

Understand the basics of crisis communication and the process for crafting appropriate messages for staff, occupants and family and friends of those occupants before a crisis occurs.

The importance of planning messages before an event requiring SIP or evacuation cannot be overstated. The facility manager must not only convey accurate information but also speak calmly and clearly.

Using the social marketing public health campaign model developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute to develop messages that can be used during emergencies.