Crisis communication helps protect personnel and infrastructure, communicate internally and externally, and collaborate in times of crisis.
No organization ever wishes to be in a crisis; a situation that threatens people or property, interrupts business operations, and/or causes significant damage to your reputation, your community, or your bottom line.
Basic measures ensure effective crisis communication can be an organized, straightforward process. The key is taking these measures before a crisis occurs. No matter your industry, saving lives is of primary concern. It is of the utmost importance that organizations protect their people and community from harm.
Shootings and Attacks In this nightmare scenario, a great deal of panic causes widespread disorganization. For example, a Los Angeles International Airport shooting incident led to more than 20 agencies responding at the same time. There was no interoperable communication platform to coordinate efforts among the commanders. Effective responses were delayed until a more unified command center was established. While confusion reigned, dozens of people remained under threat or active attack.
Shootings and Attacks
Sudden Natural Disasters
Sudden Natural DisastersTsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, and unexpectedly severe hurricanes have risen in frequency in recent decades. It can be difficult to quickly alert multiple groups to major immediate risk – especially when there are conflicting reports about evacuations, severity levels, and imminent danger. Roads are blocked, mass groups of people attempt to move in the same direction, and survival instincts kick into high-gear. If cell phone towers and electricity are knocked out, backup emergency mass notification systems can mean the difference between life and death.
IntrusionsWhen dealing with valuable equipment, regulated substances or high-traffic volume areas, intrusions may occur unexpectedly. For example, an intruder may produce a knife or gun and threaten overnight hospital staff unless they hand over medication or controlled substances. If staff are threatened with danger and call security, they may panic. Without a control center that can silently alert security, there is a much lower chance of disarming an intruder.
Intrusions
Accidents
AccidentsChemical explosions, airplane crashes, fires, and train derailments; these horrific situations often impact thousands of people at once. It's a challenge to know in real-time where various staff members are located, who is okay, who is ready and willing to deploy help, and how to respond. Disparate communications systems can delay effective response and cause major confusion.
Sailing by on the assumption that a crisis won't happen to you can have grave consequences. Without preparation, you could be maximizing damage. Often, the most severe consequences from a disaster or crisis stem from a failure to address communications issues.
The following are typical results of a crisis communication breakdown:
Operations are interrupted or stop altogether
Community members, investors, employees, partners, and clients become disillusioned and angry
Resolutions become more complex and take more time to achieve
Negative reputational attributes are associated with the organization
Financial bottom lines are damaged for the long-term or sometimes permanently
Lives Are
Lost!
BlackBerry AtHoc's Secure Crisis Communication Platform is used by organizations around the globe to ensure the safety of personnel and assets. The system is used by organizations that range in size from a few hundred to thousands of people, and from one location to dozens across the world. In the governmental sector, more than 70% of all US federal government employees are protected by BlackBerry AtHoc.
The BlackBerry AtHoc platform contains four products:
AtHoc Alert is a comprehensive end-to-end emergency notification system. It unifies all communication modalities to alert everyone with a single click.
Using a web-based console, smartphone, or tablet, emergency managers can provide two-way communication across the entire enterprise or community to almost any device, delivering essential messages with real-time speed and assured reach.
AtHoc Collect is for field situation reporting. It empowers personnel in the field to be the "eyes and ears" of the operations center. It enables on-scene personnel to report events and work progress, along with rich geo-tagged media that are worth a thousand words.
Individuals can feel safe knowing that they have a discreet way of alerting emergency personnel anytime, anywhere. With a swipe of a button, the exact location and status will be transmitted to the appropriate personnel for a more effective response.
Account for 100% of your people and achieve operational efficiency. For federal agencies, AtHoc Account delivers an automated, efficient, FedRAMP authorized solution to account for people in real-time.
With AtHoc Account, you always have a single, up-to-date dashboard that aggregates user status set by alert responses, system operators, call center employees, and designated Accountability Officers. At any point, you can quickly export the consolidated as a PDF with charts and graphs to communicate out.
AtHoc Connect accounts for the fact that emergencies don't happen in isolation. AtHoc Connect bridges the communication gap between organizations during a crisis.
It allows organizations to share authoritative information with external targeted organizations, agencies, and the public in real time during crises. This empowers the connected community to collectively assess situations and provide a coordinated response to protect lives and property.
