1 Best Practice in Emergency Communications Shelly Raffle, Manager Emergency Response System Visiting Nurse Service of NY HCA Emergency Preparedness Annual Meeting June 10, 2010

2 Emergency Communications Begins Before Anything Happens

3 Train Staff Expectations and Response To pay attention and respond appropriately: Identifiable/Consistent Design/style Sender Repetition and Frequency Identify opportunities for communications Regular testing Reliable Accurate, current, helpful, truthful

4 Branding

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7 Planning Identify realistic, common scenarios Based on results of your Hazard Vulnerability Assessment Who needs the information and what do they need to know? Pre-plan anticipated responses Message mapping/pre-set communication templates Ensure redundancies Develop & test communications tools/messages/plans

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9 Who?

10 Who?

11 What? Information Outgoing? Incoming? Both? Instructional Are responses needed? Data Reporting/Sharing Event/Incident Management

12 Agency Level Tools Public Information/Risk Communications Program/Department Business Continuity Plans Broadcast or Voice mail- one way Employee Emergency Hotline – one way Intranet – one way Internet – one way Mass Notification System – two way RISK Hotline – one way, incoming Agency Coordination/Data Reporting

13 VNSNY Intranet – ERS Sharepoint Site

14 Program Business Continuity Communications Plans

15 Program Business Continuity Communications Plans

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18 AlertFind – MessageOne

19 AlertFind – MessageOne Broadcast Groups Pre-Set: Company Department/Program Location Region Field Staff

20 RISK Hotline Triggers Emergency Response Plan / Incident Command Team Activation Covered 24/7 On all employee ID cards Calling RISK incorporated into annual evacuation exercises Tested six times a year

21 Agency Coordination: Emergency HHA Bidding System

22 Agency Coordination: Data Reporting

23 Incident Management Communications Internal Outlook mailboxes by ICS Role & ERS documents Accessible in or out of office Text messaging on cell phones enabled for ICS Team ICS Contact Card – online and wallet versions Virtual or Physical EOC Activation Evacuation Team 2-way radios in multi-floor buildings Clinical and Admin Status Reports – annual testing

24 Outlook Mailboxes

25 ICS Contact Card

26 Emergency Status Reports Clinical Programs Administrative Programs HCCs From Outlook Forms or Hard Copy from Intranet

27 Incident Management Communications External 800 Mhz Radio – OEM GETS Connectivity OEM Advanced Warning System Home Based Care Liaison at NYC OEM NYS Health Provider Network

28 GETS Accounts – ICS Team

29 OEM / NYC DOHMH Advanced Warning System

30 Incident Command Team: Communications Roles Public Information Officer Media / Risk Communications Liaison Officer Agencies/Hospitals/OEM/Health Depts Interagency Conference Calls Safety and Security Officer NYPD Regional Branch Directors (Operations) Evacuation Teams (2 way radios) Clinical Programs Status Report

31 Incident Command Communications Roles Human Resources Section Chief All staff communications Creates/distributes broadcast s/voice messages Updates Employee Information Hotline Creates/distributes AlertFind notifications Planning Section Chief Monitoring situational reports including Advance Warning System postings & mailings Administration Section Chief Administration Units Status Reports HHA Status Data Collection

32 Incident Command Communications Roles ERS Manager Update and manage all plan documents, accounts and permissions Advises departmental BC planning Design and conduct tests of plans and procedures, including Communications Plans, Status Reports and RISK Hotline Notifications OEM HBCTF Representative Daily monitoring of 800 Mhz radio and primary agency HPN Coordinator

33 Communications Success Targeted planning – who? / what? / how? Identifiable & trustworthy spokespersons Well-developed BC Plans: default/alternate procedures clearly identified and understood by staff when systems/ communications goes down or facility becomes unavailable Staff trained and procedures tested routinely After Action: errors or problems identified quickly – plans modified and updates/changes communicated

34 Thank you! Shelly Raffle, Manager Emergency Response System Visiting Nurse Service of New York GETS URL: Information on Risk Communications and Message Mapping/Dr. Vincent Covello: