Once an organization has developed its emergency communications plans and acquired the necessary equipment to facilitate the plans’ implementation, it is time to develop and deliver training.
As in previous phases, training is intended to accomplish tasks in advance that we cannot perform well during an emergency, when pressure is high and time is short. Imagine if firefighters had to read the instruction manual for the Jaws of Life® at the scene of a car accident. The same principle applies to campus emergency communications.
In this context, training needs to cover two primary topics and be tailored for multiple audiences. Training includes all activities designed to teach the relevant players about 1) the organization’s plans and 2) the equipment they’re expected to use in carrying out those plans.
Who needs training?
The audiences include those employees with emergency responsibilities (note that this could include employees who don’t respond to “routine” emergencies), public safety agencies, partner organizations (e.g., the local school district, the American Red Cross), media outlets, and the public. In short, everyone who has a role in carrying out the institution’s emergency plans must know what is expected of them.
Training materials must be audience appropriate. Not everyone needs to know the plans at the same level of detail; the extent of training should be driven by roles and responsibilities. In some cases, having people read plans, user manuals, and other product documentation will suffice. In others, training materials will have to be developed that translate technical details into formats that are easier to understand. Think Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Technical Reference versus Windows for Dummies.
Plans
Investing in technology to ensure loud and clear transmission of instructions will be wasted unless the intended audience understands and can implement them quickly. Because most of the public is expected to follow instructions and to take care of itself during an emergency, it is essential to train the public to do so. For example, if a plan calls for dormitory evacuation, residents and employees must be taught how to evacuate, where to go, what to bring, under what circumstances, etc. Training is even more important for helping prepare people to shelter in-place, which though somewhat counter-intuitive, is sometimes much safer than evacuating into harm’s way.
Equipment
Last week we covered the acquisition of emergency communications equipment. As with any equipment, ease of use comes with familiarity. Relevant personnel must be trained to use this equipment and then allowed to practice with it. Knowing how to use these critical technologies (e.g, outdoor warning sirens, P.A. systems, mass e‑mail broadcasts, etc.) shouldn’t be the exclusive domain of any one person, who might be injured, killed, or just off-campus during an emergency.
Delivering training
Training cannot be a one-time event. Because both the student body and the institutional workforce are always changing, training must be offered regularly and updated to reflect recent modifications to plans and the acquisition, upgrading, or retirement of equipment. Training should be delivered through a mix of both “push” and “pull” mechanisms, including student and new employee orientation, presentations during required courses (Freshman English?), Web sites, kiosks, etc.
Once people are trained, it’s time to put the plans and equipment to the test. Next week, we’ll take a look at the benefits of a thoughtful program of emergency exercises.
Voltaire Santos Miran EVP, Web Strategy I've developed and implemented communication strategies in education for more than 20 years now. I think my team at mStoner is the smartest, funniest, and coolest group of colleagues ever, and I can't imagine being anywhere else. Except Barcelona. Or Paris. Or Istanbul. To quote Isak Dinesen, "the cure for everything is salt ... tears, sweat, and the sea."