|
This is a full transcript of the online presentation. For the
presentation itself, go here. Presented
by:
Alan Becker, BHS, MPH, PhD
Chemical Surveillance Toxicologist
Division of Environmental Health
Contact Number: 850-245-4117
Hello my name is Alan Becker and I am an Environmental Consultant
Toxicologist here is the Division of Environmental Health and I work with
the division and preparedness coordinator on chemical preparedness. In this
section I will be speaking on an overview on communication.
Chemical events are complex and require a large set of responders and
support personnel. The following guidelines should help you begin to plan
for a response chemical event. In addition to the health response and
analysis functions environmental health one of its responsibilities is
communication. To that end this section will focus on risk communication in
a chemical event.
Make sure you know you can partner with chemical production and storage
facilities, review their disaster plans, and make them a partner in
creating your plan.
Make sure you can provide verbal, written, and online accurate
information about an event rapidly. CDC is developing fact sheet templates
for local agencies to use and the state and Environmental Health can help
you get these and help you also create new ones. Develop this information
before hand, or at least as much of it as you can, allocate resources to
distribute it in case of an event, publicize its availability, because the
demand from the public will be very high in the event of a chemical event.
And you need to allocate resources for peak capacity as well.
Most counties and areas have designated public information officer. Its
important that this person have the training they need. Once in place the
PIO should be the contact point for all information to the public. This
communication has to be simple and under a minute in length, or very short.
However complex the situation the PIOs job is to
condense it understandably to what the public needs to know in a short
amount of time.
There are some guidelines the PO should
follow to make this happen. Be honest about what you know and dont know.
Remember that message are both factual and relational, it matter how you
phrase them and who is speaking. CDC recommends that a medical expert share
the microphone with a prominent public figure, like a broadcaster both
figures together enhance trust.
Communication begins well before an event. Create citizen action plans
for multiple types of chemical events. Should people stay at home? Be
evacuated? Or should they stockpile food? This way when you announce a
decision you can back it up with reasoning and documentation for citizens.
This helps calm the public and make them more willing to listen to your
message.
Use graphic displays, multi-lingual audience, tell what not too do, and
you know make it very short and succinct.
Document the communication plans for your area, local county health
departments are often on camera, and make sure this plan is based on
personal knowledge.
To create the trust that good communication, needs send agencies staff
out too do the research. Let them discover group leaders and partner
relationships. Informal relationships are key to
successful collaboration.
Try to involve partners. Perform exercises yearly then evaluate and
change information as needed. Recruit members of the general public to test
reaction to communications, and you need to have as many partner contacts
and specific plans as possible. Since chemical events touch so many people
communication is vital. Focus on locally available agents as well as
possible terrorist agents.
Remember to communicate proactive and try and educate the population
before an event. To do this use you public information officer beginning
well before the event occurs. Thank you very much for your time and if you
have any comments about this presentation feel free to contact me, thanks.
| 
