The First Strike: A Resource for Emergency Communicators

Background:  During public health emergency events such as natural disasters, infectious disease outbreaks, or acts of terrorism, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activates the Joint Information Center (JIC) to serve as CDC′s hub for emergency communication response to reduce risks to the public′s health. Following Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) principles, the JIC provides vital health prevention and protection information to the public, the media, and emergency partners. In the fall of 2016, the JIC developed an approach to standardize strategic communications planning. This effort, also framed with CERC principles, featured a series of planning templates and support documents, including the First Strike Communication Plan approach. Coincidentally, a FEMA-sponsored national level emergency management exercise was announced for April 2017.  Known as Gotham Shield (GS), this functional exercise centered on the detonation of 10-kiloton improvised nuclear devices (IND). More than 20 U.S. government agencies (federal, state, and local), private sector, academic and international emergency management agency partners, including CDC, agreed to participate in this major initiative. 

Program background:  The JIC, in conjunction with CDC′s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), including the Radiation Studies Branch (RSB), joined forces to develop a communication approach that could be tested during GS. Senior health communicators in CDC′s NCEH and RSB agreed to use the JIC′s First Strike Communication Plan approach in anticipation that it would extend the effectiveness of their expertise in radiation emergencies. Specifically, the First Strike Communication Plan approach was designed to serve as a consistent emergency communications roadmap—to sharpen the planning focus, reduce planning errors and omissions, create strategic alignment among health communicators, optimize resources, and save time. The First Strike Communication Plan approach includes a plan template for development within two to four hours of the activation. The plan could be viable for several days or more, depending on the event. The approach also includes a key messages document (prepared from cleared message content that NCEH and RSB had developed previously), and a checklist detailing activation tasks to help JIC leadership remain on track during the early, often frenzied hours of a response.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  Evaluation objectives include assessing JIC leadership′s ability to develop a First Strike Communication Plan, including a set of key messages, during the first 72 hours after activation. Observations will also be made on how well the staff worked together, shared ideas, and completed the First Strike Communication Plan template and key message document while displaying focus and time sensitivity.

Conclusions:  We anticipate this approach will prove helpful to those responsible for communications during an emergency response. Evaluation results, while not available until after exercise completion in late April 2017, will be used to inform future planning effectiveness.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Lessons learned will be incorporated into the First Strike Communication Plan approach for use in other CDC emergency health events. Following the templates presented, audience members will be encouraged to customize their own First Strike Communication Plan approach.