Be honest: When was the last time you read the safety card in the airplane seat pocket or looked at the office evacuation wall chart? Recent shootings and bomb placements in public settings – churches, synagogues, retail stores – have made us all more aware of the need for emergency evacuation procedures and drills. This follows recent hurricanes and forest fires in which people may not have known the best ways to escape a home or community.
Communicators have an opportunity here. It’s time for internal comms leaders to become better friends with the organization’s security teams. Use the spate of recent incidents to meet with your security personnel and figure out creative ways to communicate rapid and safety emergency procedures.
In the spirit of, “It can’t happen here,” most employees, shoppers, travelers, and worshippers don’t think ahead about how they would respond. Yet, without being paranoid, the risk of an incident is increasing.
Drills at most places are perfunctory at best – a chance to stand outside and chat with a colleague on another floor that you haven’t seen for months; or people lagging at their desks because they are too busy to leave when everyone else is participating in a safety exercise.
CommCore has praised the creative efforts of airlines to get us to pay attention to their safety announcements. We advise clients on cyber security. Communicators should be elevating physical security communications.
Look for resources for how to get the message out. The Department of Homeland Security has suggestions on key message development for issues like bomb threats. OSHA publishes an Evacuation Plans and Procedures eTool.
When a New York City office was evacuated after a bomb threat, a media executive said, “I promise not to ignore the fire and safety drills anymore. I have renewed respect for those that work hard for our safety.”
Communicators can take advantage of the current awareness and help us all to be more alert and responsive.
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