Welcome to episode #057 of The Crisis Intelligence Podcast, with Melissa Agnes and Garth Rowan
The wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada have been blazing since the start of May and have so far destroyed over 2400 buildings, including homes and businesses, and have resulted in an evacuation of approximately 90,000 citizens. Having yet to be completely tamed by fire fighters, the truly exceptional part is that, of the approximate 90,000 evacuees, not one person has died on account of the fires (there have been accidents that have unfortunately resulted in fatalities, but the fire itself has not taken one human life).
As first responders and emergency managers know, this is quite an exceptional crisis management feat. So what is it about the evacuation and the crisis communications of the first responders, the authorities and the local organizations (employers) that has resulted in such an exceptional and successful evacuation?
Tune in to this week’s episode of the crisis intelligence podcast, where Garth Rowan and I embark in a preliminary discussion regarding the crisis communications of those involved in the evacuation and emergency response in Fort McMurray.
Tune in to this episode of The Crisis Intelligence Podcast here
Running time: 30:53
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About host, Melissa Agnes
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About guest, Garth Rowan
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Email Garth directly: garth@beready.ca
Check out Garth’s blog posts on The Crisis Intelligence Blog
Listen to another great podcast with Garth: TCIP #036 – How To Conduct a Crisis Simulation with Garth Rowan
Garth also wrote this interesting article for the Calgary Herald: There’s a reason residents kept their cool when they fled Fort McMurray
A big thanks to Garth for taking the time to have this interesting discussion with me. And a sincere and heart-filled thank you to all the first responders and emergency managers out in Alberta who have put their lives on the line to help and care for the people of Fort McMurray.
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted keynote speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. Learn more about Melissa and her work here.
One lesson learned is that the two Alberta based airlines did well West Jet and Canadian North looked great in the eyes of everyone. The other Canadian airline had a mess to deal with when they put on facebook that they were providing partial refunds for those they had flown out. They would have been better off not to post that information.
I missed this. Very interesting, indeed. I’ll have to go and take a look at all three airlines and how they chose to communicate. What was the third airline that had a mess to deal with?
Air Canada
Thanks, Gerald. I’ll take a look.