The Office of Marketing and Communications has developed a plan to help El Camino College respond to emergency situations.
The Crisis Communication Plan would help El Camino effectively communicate to the campus during a time of threat through specific steps and protocols.
Scenarios identified in the plan as crises include terrorist acts, protests, riots, shootings, power failures, explosions and fires.
Ann O’Brien, executive director of marketing and communications, presented an overview of the plan during the Board of Trustees meeting on May 20.
“Quick Response,” “Resources” and “Communication Strategy” make up the three sections of the plan, each containing templates, checklists, guides and charts to help with sending out a message during a crisis.
“In order to ensure a smooth and reliable communications response during a crisis, we follow a step-by-step process outlined in the plan,” O’Brien said.
Steps in the “Quick Response” section include verifying the crisis, notifying officials, assessing the crisis level and developing messages.
O’Brien said the development of the plan was something she was passionate about since she has previous training experience in communicating during a crisis.
“Being able to share [information] in a timely manner helps people feel that they’re in control of their situation,” O’Brien said. “The last thing we need people to feel is that they are not hearing from us.”
