Manufacturing
Crisis Communications
Messaging
Epic PR received an urgent call from a client regarding an explosion that took place in their company’s facility. Emergency personnel and five fire trucks were en route and the entire building block had been safely evacuated with no reported injuries or fatalities. The CEO–also the lead spokesperson–was in Europe and unreachable at the time, and the company’s staff were still absorbing what had just happened.
It was anticipated that media would arrive on location soon. Bystanders were already taking photos and video footage with their iPhones (likely destined for social media channels), and stakeholders were asking questions that the company was unable to answer just yet.
Since Epic PR had only been working with this client for a couple of months on a limited budget, a crisis plan was not part of our initial scope of work. Nonetheless, armed with past crisis experience and knowledge of the company, we were able to respond in a rapid, thoughtful manner.
Provide senior personnel with on-the-spot crisis communication counsel to help manage the crisis and minimize negative media attention.
Epic PR participated in a thorough phone briefing to assess the situation, prepared a public statement, provided media coaching, and arranged to have the statement posted on the company’s website via the firm’s web developer. The messaging emphasized known facts and that all employees were safely evacuated with no injuries. We also monitored the internet for traditional and social media coverage, prepared to liaise with the media and stayed in regular communication with senior executives as the situation evolved.
Epic PR was able to provide the assistance needed in a timely manner. We thought of possible outcomes, prepared tentative responses, and adapted responses as the situation changed. Fortunately the company was kept out of the media spotlight and business resumed shortly after. The company was also able to review what happened and prepare a more detailed operations risk plan as well as a basic crisis communication plan to use going forward based on this recent event.
