SAFE SCHOOLS CONFERENCE 2019

SHARPENING THE AXE

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”  A disaster is often short lived, yet preparing for and recovering from the disaster can take significant time.  The preparedness phase is the period to examine successes and weaknesses of past response efforts.  By studying and understanding past incidents, we can implement strategies that increase our ability to respond to and recover from disasters and violent events.  This workshop will focus on lessons learned from emergencies throughout history, including how culture and behavior shape the possible response to and outcome of disasters.  It will provide strategies for enhancing campus preparedness, response and recovery. 

 Presenter

• Sherry Colgan Stone

Resources

• Powerpoint
• Resources in Google Docs

YOU MIGHT BE A CRISIS MANAGER IF...

Jonathan Bernstein, crisis management professional, humorously states, “You might be a Crisis Manager if……you can launch a blog, post multiple social media messages, and eat lunch…all in a half hour.” Today, that window seems like it might have been whittled down to minutes!  In the fast moving frenzy of today's digital ‘life,’ where every person with a smart device is a walking news reporter, your crisis communication must be proactive, thorough, correct and quick.  Communication to campus stakeholders before, during and after an emergency should be well-developed and the result of extensive internal and external collaboration long before the first photo of your crisis appears on Instagram.  Sherry, the emergency manager and Anthony, the director of communications for a large elementary school district will provide tools and recommendations for K-12 Schools and Institutions of Higher Education to enhance crisis communications through planning and coordination. Participants will leave with communication checklists, and valuable knowledge gained from table-top exercise scenarios and documents that can be modified for use at their institution.  

Presenters

• Anthony Millican 
• Melissa Minas

Resources

• Powerpoint
• Resources in Google Docs