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7538

Crisis Communications - Developing a Workable Strategy and Plan

6.0

Drinking Water and Wastewater

American Water Works Association - PA Section

Melanie Greene

melanie@paawwa.org

717-774-8870 Ext.

Partner Website

The Flint, MI water crisis exemplifies the need for water/wastewater systems to have a thorough Crisis Communications Plan in place. Water system employees along with others were criminally charged due to operational errors but also due to ineffective communications that resulted in inaccurate data being released, resulting in a public outcry. This course provides guidance for water/wastewater systems to develop a comprehensive plan AND strategy before a crisis occurs. Being prepared is the key component to handling a crisis in a professional and ethical manner.

Basic thru Intermediate

--Defining Crisis Communications: requires a different approach than normal public relations --Case Studies: Bradford City Water Authority’s prolonged water outage; PA American Water (chloramines) and others --Developing a Communications Plan: the structure needed to address a crisis situation in a professional and compassionate manner --Insurance Options: the forgotten component for water/wastewater systems to avoid unforeseen cost expenditures -- Hands-On Exercise: Participants will learn how to practice making public statements using current technology such as cell phone videotaping. ---Lessons Learned: Open discussion on the lessons learned from the course.

--Chief Operators, Supervisors, Superintendents, Managers, Executive Directors and Public Relations personnel. This course is designed for anyone who may be put in a decision-making role during a crisis situation. This includes operators who may find themselves in a decision-making role due to vacations, etc.

Classroom