Below I made reference to a hostage situation at the University of Louisville yesterday. It's interesting to note that the university issued alerts via e-mail, text messages, and a system that enables written and audio warnings to be sent to office and dorm phones. U of L also used its web site to warn those on campus. (Take note, Claudia Sanders, as discussed two items below.) Apparently, it all worked beautifully. (http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008803280467)
A university police officer arrived at Student Health Services at 8:39 a.m. on March 27 and made three phone calls to the dispatcher indicating a gun was involved. By 8:47, the center was evacuated. At 9:04, U of L began issuing alerts through multiple media: "There is a student armed with a weapon at Student Health Services on Belknap Campus. Please avoid the area. This is not a test." At 9:15, an all-clear message was sent.
While such systems might one day save lives, we can't fool ourselves into thinking that everyone who needs to know will receive timely and accurate information. A problem with text messages is that they go first to the carriers who may hold them for a while before forwarding them. The news article features one student who received the text warning at 9:14, one minute before the all-clear went out. Another student who was in his dorm room said he received a text message, e-mail, and phone call all at once.
No system is perfect. But using redundant communications methods seems to have worked very well in this instance.
Something else that's working very well these days is the U of L basketball team. Go Cards!
Friday, March 28, 2008
A Tale of Three Shootings and Multiple Unwary Victims
I perused The Courier-Journal this morning as I usually do. The world (and the news) is always full of problems, scandals, and trouble. But the number of crises today within a few pages of each other jumped from the newsprint:
- A Louisville student held a University of Louisville counselor hostage after shooting her own two children in their beds.
- In Columbus, Georgia, a retired teacher, angry with a hospital's level of care for his mother who died in 2004, shot a nurse and another person at the hospital before police wounded him. (Note: The gunman is being treated in a different hospital.)
- Two motorists were injured by a sniper in Charlottesville, Virginia. What will be the impact on businesses along that 20-mile stretch of road? Will frightened commuters stay home from work and shopping? Do school buses travel this highway and will parents keep their kids home out of fear? This could develop into a crisis for many entities.
Claudia Sanders Remains Closed; 115 Ill, One Unconfirmed Death
The Courier-Journal (Louisville) reports today that more people are reporting illnesses after eating from the Easter buffet at Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville, Kentucky (See item below). As Walt's comment points out, reputation can be very difficult to rebuild. Crises can be minimized, but not always prevented. Acts of nature and forces beyond your control can strike without warning. How well you are prepared and how effectively you respond can save you lots of money and might one day save your business.
This morning's news article says, "Restaurant Manager Louise Riley appeared briefly on the second-floor veranda of the plantation-style landmark yesterday afternoon. 'We just completed the training (50 workers reviewed food-safety procedures with the Health Department),' Riley said. 'I hope we can open soon.'"
Is that all she had to say to reporters? Safe food-handling training never hurts anybody. But we still don't know if the sickness was caused by an employee's mistake, so such training may be irrelevant to the crisis at hand. Better to have said, "I hope we can find what caused this tragedy and correct it. We won't reopen until we are 100% certain we can safeguard the health of our guests and again provide top-quality meals as we have done here for several decades."
The web site remains unchanged. This provides an opportunity to show photos or videos of employees sterilizing equipment and being trained under the watchful eye of the Health Department. Post these visuals on the web site and release them to reporters. Update actions taken and discuss lab tests and post the information several times a day. How much more confidence would that instill than yelling down to a reporter from a second-story balcony?
This morning's news article says, "Restaurant Manager Louise Riley appeared briefly on the second-floor veranda of the plantation-style landmark yesterday afternoon. 'We just completed the training (50 workers reviewed food-safety procedures with the Health Department),' Riley said. 'I hope we can open soon.'"
Is that all she had to say to reporters? Safe food-handling training never hurts anybody. But we still don't know if the sickness was caused by an employee's mistake, so such training may be irrelevant to the crisis at hand. Better to have said, "I hope we can find what caused this tragedy and correct it. We won't reopen until we are 100% certain we can safeguard the health of our guests and again provide top-quality meals as we have done here for several decades."
The web site remains unchanged. This provides an opportunity to show photos or videos of employees sterilizing equipment and being trained under the watchful eye of the Health Department. Post these visuals on the web site and release them to reporters. Update actions taken and discuss lab tests and post the information several times a day. How much more confidence would that instill than yelling down to a reporter from a second-story balcony?
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Col. Sanders' Kentucky Restaurant Closed by Illness
Kentucky and KFC are forever linked. What many outside the Louisville area may not know is that after Colonel Sanders sold Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1964, he and wife Claudia opened a restaurant in Shelbyville, Kentucky (the colonel was a spry 74 at the time). Claudia Sanders Dinner House burned to the ground in 1999, but was rebuilt and reopened. Now the restaurant is in the midst of another sudden crisis. Dozens of people became ill after eating Easter dinner at the restaurant. The Health Department's Nancy Sanders (She couldn't be kin, could she?) said there wasn't enough information to close the restaurant, so it reopened Tuesday morning. (It's always closed on Mondays.) Management made the right decision a few hours later to close until an investigation is complete.
I was concerned on Monday when news reports said the restaurant was closed and no one was available for comment. Someone proactively should have made him/herself available to reporters. When Claudia Sanders opened Tuesday, it was as if management decided to pretend nothing happened and go on as normal. I wouldn't eat there right now, would you? General Manager Louise Riley finally commented on Tuesday. And when she did, she did a good job. She expressed remorse to those who became ill. She explained they believe one sick guest went to the restroom and then used the spoons on the buffet line. "This is heartfelt. We want to do the right thing," she said on Fox-41 news (http://www.fox41.com/article/view/17107/?tf=wdrbarticleview.tpl). She added that the restaurant has asked the Health Department to investigate fully and check out all the food to find the cause and "even vindicate us." Her closing words come across as a little defensive and self serving, but she basically said what needed said. I will be watching to see how long Claudia Sanders remains closed and how Riley will get out the word that it's safe to eat there again.
One action item that should be taken immediately is to update the restaurant's web site (http://www.claudiasanders.com/index.html). It needs to contain the latest information on the investigation and reassurance that the restaurant won't reopen until it can assure the safety of its food. And by all means, take off the link to the Easter Buffet!
Remember Chi-Chi's? A hepatitis A outbreak in a Monaca, Pennsylvania, restaurant in 2003 was the last nail on the struggling chain's coffin. It took too long to find the cause, restaurants stayed closed too long, and the company couldn't restore its reputation. The next year, it went out of business. Claudia Sanders has some great-tasting food. I hope it manages this crisis better than Chi-Chi's did.
I was concerned on Monday when news reports said the restaurant was closed and no one was available for comment. Someone proactively should have made him/herself available to reporters. When Claudia Sanders opened Tuesday, it was as if management decided to pretend nothing happened and go on as normal. I wouldn't eat there right now, would you? General Manager Louise Riley finally commented on Tuesday. And when she did, she did a good job. She expressed remorse to those who became ill. She explained they believe one sick guest went to the restroom and then used the spoons on the buffet line. "This is heartfelt. We want to do the right thing," she said on Fox-41 news (http://www.fox41.com/article/view/17107/?tf=wdrbarticleview.tpl). She added that the restaurant has asked the Health Department to investigate fully and check out all the food to find the cause and "even vindicate us." Her closing words come across as a little defensive and self serving, but she basically said what needed said. I will be watching to see how long Claudia Sanders remains closed and how Riley will get out the word that it's safe to eat there again.
One action item that should be taken immediately is to update the restaurant's web site (http://www.claudiasanders.com/index.html). It needs to contain the latest information on the investigation and reassurance that the restaurant won't reopen until it can assure the safety of its food. And by all means, take off the link to the Easter Buffet!
Remember Chi-Chi's? A hepatitis A outbreak in a Monaca, Pennsylvania, restaurant in 2003 was the last nail on the struggling chain's coffin. It took too long to find the cause, restaurants stayed closed too long, and the company couldn't restore its reputation. The next year, it went out of business. Claudia Sanders has some great-tasting food. I hope it manages this crisis better than Chi-Chi's did.
Friday, March 21, 2008
What You Say and How You Say It Reveals Your Attitude About a Crisis
Atlantic Wire in Branford, Connecticut, has a history of environmental violations. Apparently, the company chose not to change the culture of the organization to make environmental responsibility a core value. Now it has received more than a slap on the wrist. Nevertheless, an interesting quote (I'll get to that in a moment) displays the same cavalier, unrepentant attitude.
In January, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal sued Atlantic Wire for hundreds of thousands of dollars for 21 alleged illegal discharges all the way back to December 2005. One release of acid waste last September killed hundreds of blue crabs. Between 2003 and 2006, state and federal records show the company exceeded the toxin limits in its discharge permit during five of 12 quarters.
On March 10, Blumenthal won an injunction against Atlantic Wire that forced the company to add an automatic shutoff and other equipment. The company was given 48 hours to install the equipment and four days to make it functional. See the attorney general's press release at http://www.ct.gov/ag/cwp/view.asp?Q=411552&A=2795. Blumenthal's language is harsh: "Our action compels the company to do what it should have done years ago -- install a shutoff automatically stopping discharges that exceed state permits. The company's failure to take these steps is shocking, showing callous contempt for state law, the environment, and human health.
We will continue to vigorously and aggressively pursue our lawsuit against Atlantic Wire, fighting for fines and tough conditions. I will battle to hold the company accountable for poisoning the Branford River in bold, barefaced defiance of state law."
What I find interesting is the response of Atlantic Wire's vice president, Scott Thayer (http://www.courant.com/news/local/sr/hc-cttaintedwater.artmar11,0,4118870.story). "Far be it from me to argue with the attorney general's words." What a way to tell your side of the story! Thayer goes on to make a bland comment that the company is "working very vigorously" to obey the law. A check of the company website (http://www.atlanticwireco.com/) reveals no mention of the law suit, the injunction, corrective actions being pursued...nothing.
What could Thayer have said to put his company in a better light? "Our past environmental practices don't meet our own internal standards or those of the community. For that, we apologize profusely and vow to make serious changes in how we do business. We will comply with the injunction. We will in good faith negotiate a settlement to the fine levied in the January law suit. We will seek and consider funding Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) that will go beyond cleaning up our own discharges and make a significant improvement to water quality in and downriver from Branford. We pledge to make our environmental efforts transparent to the state, EPA, and our neighbors." Of course the VP would have to mean all those things and then be sure to follow through. If Atlantic Wire plans business as usual, saying otherwise would make matters worse.
Wouldn't such a statement make the company sound more repentant and responsible than, "Hey, who am I to argue with the AG?" An effective crisis plan would help a company like Atlantic Wire reduce at least some of the tarnish from its image. And good media communications counseling would be far less expensive than letting a distrusting attorney general's office, regulators, community leaders, seafood industry, and environmentalists keep their guards up against the company's operations.
In January, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal sued Atlantic Wire for hundreds of thousands of dollars for 21 alleged illegal discharges all the way back to December 2005. One release of acid waste last September killed hundreds of blue crabs. Between 2003 and 2006, state and federal records show the company exceeded the toxin limits in its discharge permit during five of 12 quarters.
On March 10, Blumenthal won an injunction against Atlantic Wire that forced the company to add an automatic shutoff and other equipment. The company was given 48 hours to install the equipment and four days to make it functional. See the attorney general's press release at http://www.ct.gov/ag/cwp/view.asp?Q=411552&A=2795. Blumenthal's language is harsh: "Our action compels the company to do what it should have done years ago -- install a shutoff automatically stopping discharges that exceed state permits. The company's failure to take these steps is shocking, showing callous contempt for state law, the environment, and human health.
We will continue to vigorously and aggressively pursue our lawsuit against Atlantic Wire, fighting for fines and tough conditions. I will battle to hold the company accountable for poisoning the Branford River in bold, barefaced defiance of state law."
What I find interesting is the response of Atlantic Wire's vice president, Scott Thayer (http://www.courant.com/news/local/sr/hc-cttaintedwater.artmar11,0,4118870.story). "Far be it from me to argue with the attorney general's words." What a way to tell your side of the story! Thayer goes on to make a bland comment that the company is "working very vigorously" to obey the law. A check of the company website (http://www.atlanticwireco.com/) reveals no mention of the law suit, the injunction, corrective actions being pursued...nothing.
What could Thayer have said to put his company in a better light? "Our past environmental practices don't meet our own internal standards or those of the community. For that, we apologize profusely and vow to make serious changes in how we do business. We will comply with the injunction. We will in good faith negotiate a settlement to the fine levied in the January law suit. We will seek and consider funding Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) that will go beyond cleaning up our own discharges and make a significant improvement to water quality in and downriver from Branford. We pledge to make our environmental efforts transparent to the state, EPA, and our neighbors." Of course the VP would have to mean all those things and then be sure to follow through. If Atlantic Wire plans business as usual, saying otherwise would make matters worse.
Wouldn't such a statement make the company sound more repentant and responsible than, "Hey, who am I to argue with the AG?" An effective crisis plan would help a company like Atlantic Wire reduce at least some of the tarnish from its image. And good media communications counseling would be far less expensive than letting a distrusting attorney general's office, regulators, community leaders, seafood industry, and environmentalists keep their guards up against the company's operations.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
School Shooting Drills Must Include Communications Component Or the Job Is Half Done
I see a news item in The Courier-Journal today that describes a drill at Clarkstown, Indiana, High School this weekend. Dozens of police officers will respond to an imaginary shooting at the school. About 50 teachers and students will join in the drill. Sellersburg's deputy police chief said recent shootings at colleges and other schools, including last month's lockdown at Fern Creek High School in Kentucky (see item below) show the need to train first responders on how to handle such crises until specialized police units arrive.
Good idea! Well done! But if the southern Indiana police agencies aren't going to practice how to communicate during a shooting crisis, they're only doing half the job. No matter how effectively a school and police department respond to protect the safety of kids during any weapons incident, their response will be publicly criticized if they don't have a plan to communicate immediately with parents, school board members, the superintendent, neighbors living near the school, the news media, and certainly faculty, staff and students inside the school building. Please refer to my February 21 post about the Fern Creek High School incident to see communications problems that can bite you.
Sorry to brag, but the Institute for Crisis Management has worked with schools and successfully dealt with workplace shooting incidents. It's hard to plan for every communications contingency if you haven't lived through a gunman scare or created a life-like drill. Ask your local school board member and superintendent: How are you going to assure me, as a parent or guardian or grandparent, that my child is safe following a school shooting or weapons scare? What instant communications vehicles are in place? "Instant" is the key word when your child's school goes on lockdown. "Instant" is the key word when you are scared for your kid's safety.
Good idea! Well done! But if the southern Indiana police agencies aren't going to practice how to communicate during a shooting crisis, they're only doing half the job. No matter how effectively a school and police department respond to protect the safety of kids during any weapons incident, their response will be publicly criticized if they don't have a plan to communicate immediately with parents, school board members, the superintendent, neighbors living near the school, the news media, and certainly faculty, staff and students inside the school building. Please refer to my February 21 post about the Fern Creek High School incident to see communications problems that can bite you.
Sorry to brag, but the Institute for Crisis Management has worked with schools and successfully dealt with workplace shooting incidents. It's hard to plan for every communications contingency if you haven't lived through a gunman scare or created a life-like drill. Ask your local school board member and superintendent: How are you going to assure me, as a parent or guardian or grandparent, that my child is safe following a school shooting or weapons scare? What instant communications vehicles are in place? "Instant" is the key word when your child's school goes on lockdown. "Instant" is the key word when you are scared for your kid's safety.
Day Care License Revoked and Unchallenged
The Growing Place day care (see below) has willingly withdrawn its license. That didn't have to happen if the facility had had a plan on how to deal with a crisis. If you operate a day care or preschool and don't have a plan on how to deal with a crisis such as employing someone registered as a sex offender, please call us. I care very much about kids and want to ensure their parents have safe places to enroll their little ones.
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