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Public Information Handbook for Elected Officials and Senior
Managers
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Attachment 2
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Public Information Handbook
Ewan
McGregor (at the time a Regional Councillor) helping with the clean up after
the 2011 storm
For use by:
Mayors and Regional Council Chairman
Local Government Elected Representatives
Council Managers
Contents
Contents. 2
Introduction. 3
Public Information in a Civil Defence Emergency
Management sense is: 3
The objectives of Public Information in a Civil Defence
emergency are to: 3
Communication tools. 3
The Mayors and Elected Representatives. 5
Mayors and Elected Representatives Roles in
Normal Times. 5
The Mayor or Deputy Mayor’s Role. 6
In a state of emergency. 6
Recovery phase. 7
The Elected Representatives’ Role. 8
In a state of emergency. 8
Recovery phase. 9
Mayoral and Elected Representative Media Liaison. 9
Senior Managers. 9
In normal times. 9
In a state of emergency. 10
Other Managers and
Team Leaders. 11
In normal times. 11
In a state of emergency. 11
Introduction
The
importance and value of local politicians in the public information process of
a Civil Defence emergency is well recognised.
This
booklet is for Mayors, Chairman of the
Regional Council and elected representatives in Hawke’s Bay as a quick, handy
reference, especially during an emergency. It provides an overview of the roles
needing to be taken by our elected representatives before, during and following
an emergency. It also covers the importance of providing consistent, accurate
and timely information to keep both representatives and the public well
informed.
More
information is available in the HBCDEM Group Plan, An Introduction to
Hawke’s Bay CDEM booklet and the website www.hbemergency.govt.nz.
Note:
for ease of reading this booklet, the title ‘Mayor’ includes the Regional
Council Chairman.
Public
Information in a Civil Defence Emergency Management sense is:
“The
deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual
understanding between those managing the response to an event and the public.”
It
means answering three questions relevant to people during an emergency:
1. What is
happening?
2. What to do?
3. What might
happen?
The
objectives of Public Information in a Civil Defence emergency are to:
8 Reduce uncertainty, confusion and
suffering
8 Show that as a Group, Hawke’s Bay
Civil Defence Emergency Management is in control of response and recovery
8 Support community recovery.
Communication
tools
During
a significant incident, the Civil Defence Controller, Mayor and Public
Information Manager will work closely together. Co-ordination of information
and consistency of messages is important to reduce the chances of confusion and
misinformation.
Taking
a ‘no surprises’ approach, some of the key communication tools and channels
that will be used in an emergency response are listed. The Public Information
Manager will aim to use these in a balanced, managed way to ensure the right
information gets to the right audiences, and Mayors and elected representatives
will be involved the process, with briefings, media opportunities and community
face-to- face meetings as necessary and appropriate.
8 Media releases
8 Media briefings or conferences –
updates on latest status, key issues
8 Social media – facebook, twitter
updates
8 Website updates on
www.hbemergency.govt.nz
8 Email posters, fact charts etc to
councils for community boards etc
8 Community meetings
8 Face-to-face meetings (with affected
property owners/residents/ businesses).
8 ‘On the ground’ tours – hosting VIPs,
showing media, encouraging volunteers and Council staff.
The Mayors and Elected Representatives
The
Mayor and elected representatives have key roles to fill in an emergency.
Only
the Mayor can make a declaration of state of emergency within their local
authority territory (or if unavailable, another elected representative).
It must
be stressed that, once a declaration of a state of emergency is made,
under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002, the Civil Defence
Controller is the ultimate decision maker in terms of information, public
statements, and response actions, and that the Mayors and elected
representatives are under the Controller’s jurisdiction for the extent of the
declaration.
Whether
a declaration is made or not, the Mayor’s presence at the scene of any
emergency can be reassuring for the community, and the information he/she
provides through the media is authoritative. Mayors also have an important
liaison role with central government and national leaders, the local community,
overseas interests and regional authorities.
Elected
representatives (including rural community board members) take on similar roles
within their community to encourage and assist the people in their
wards/constituencies.
Mayors and Elected Representatives Roles in Normal Times
8 Advocacy
8 Preparedness
8 Ensuring
plans for their community are sustainable
8 Mitigation.
Mayors
and elected representatives have an important role in the leadership and
advocacy for community safety issues, and providing a reality check on
community and city/district wide plans for handling major incidents. Their role
is ensuring risk management is a priority for and by the communities and to
encourage and support their communities to be well prepared.
Specifically
all Hawke’s Bay Mayors are members of the Joint Hawke’s Bay CDEM Committee
which sets and oversees the strategic direction of the Coordinating Executive
Group responsible for CDEM planning and implementation in Hawke’s Bay.
The Mayor or Deputy Mayor’s Role
In a
state of emergency
8 Support
the Controller
8 Demonstrate
leadership
8 Represent
the city politically
8 Make or
extend a formal declarations
8 Make
media statements
8 Reassure
the community
8 Liaise
with external agencies
8 Receive
VIPs and dignitaries
8 Maintain
liaison with other regional mayors.
During
a significant event, two different information flows exist:
1. Information
and details on the incident and what the Council is doing to manage the
situation will come from the Controller.
2. Leadership
and morale boosting information will most likely come from the Mayor.
The
Civil Defence Controller, Mayor and Public Information Manager will work
closely together. Co-ordination of information and consistency of messages is
important to reduce the chances of confusion and misinformation.
The
Controller is ultimately responsible for ensuring elected officials are
regularly briefed and kept informed of the situation. A Liaison Officer will be
responsible for the timely and accurate distribution of information to the
Mayor under the direction of the Public Information Manager and Controller.
During
a declared emergency the main responsibility of the Mayor will be to
demonstrate leadership for their community and keep the public informed about
what is happening on a regular basis.
The
Mayor [or Deputy] will also be the political spokesperson for their Council and
host Cabinet Ministers and other key political or government officials, plus
hazard experts. The Mayor will be briefed with accurate and timely information
so that a confident response can be provided to visiting VIPs and any attendant
media.
The
relevant Mayor, as community figurehead, will announce if there is a
declaration of state of emergency within their local authority territory.
During
a declared or non-declared incident, the Mayor may act as the official
spokesperson (to be agreed in discussion with the Controller). However the
Mayor is likely to be approached by the media for comment on the situation. The
media focus will, of course, depend on the type of incident but a united front
should be presented on behalf of CDEM Group.
Reassurance
of the community is a key role for the Mayor and elected representatives. Co-operation
between the Controller and the Mayor during this time will ensure the Mayor can
provide authoritative information by being properly briefed on the response and
information the community needs.
Regular
liaison by telephone conferences or meetings with the region’s mayors (whether
or not their district is affected by the emergency) will ensure they understand
the emergency and what is being achieved at a political level; this will help
them to inform their communities. They will also be getting information from
their Emergency Management Officers and via their Emergency operations Centre..
The
facts of an emergency may change rapidly over time, placing the well-being of
the community at further risk. It is critical for the Controller, Mayor and
Public Information Manager to continue to co-ordinate information and
communication throughout the event. This can be time-consuming and tiring, and
Mayors may need to step back from time to time to assess the overall situation.
Recovery
phase
The
recovery phase will usually officially commence after a declaration of a state
of emergency is lifted. However a Recovery Manager will have started work
within the Group Emergency Coordination Centre as soon as the state of
emergency is declared, and may be required to brief the Mayor on potential
recovery matters while the emergency is still in response mode as the community
and media can turn their focus to ‘what next?’.
While
HBCDEM will still be involved in recovery, the focus will often return to
individual councils and organisations as they implement their own disaster
recovery or business continuance plans. The Mayor should be aware of the
importance of working within these plans.
During
the recovery phase, the Mayor may be asked to attend and participate in public
meetings to provide information to and support for the affected community. The
Mayor is likely to be regularly contacted by media for comments on the recovery
process. Continuous information and briefings will be necessary.
The Elected Representatives’ Role
In a state of emergency
The
Elected Representative reassures their community by:
8 Acting
as the public face of civil defence
8 Providing
reassurance
8 Conveying
accurate information from the Emergency Operations Centre via the Public
Information Manager to the community
8 Staying
in touch with the community
8 Reporting
information gathered
8 Assisting
in the prioritisation of actions and decisions from the community’s perspective
8 Dispelling
and reducing confusion
8 Providing
a vital communication link.
Elected
representatives have an important role during an incident through their
position in the community. The most valuable contribution they can make is to
be in the community, reassuring the public and passing on correct, relevant
information to help reduce the confusion that can arise. It is therefore
important that elected representatives are kept informed and have an
understanding of CDEM and Council policies.
During
significant incidents the Public Information Manager (or team) will provide
information to elected representatives and senior managers before or at the
same time as the media. This may be by way of an elected officials briefing,
email, fax or other agreed method. The aim will be to keep elected
representatives well informed with the latest media releases or
summaries.
Elected
representatives are requested to report any information gathered from the
community to the
Public Information Management team in the GECC/EOCs (Group Emergency
Coordination Centre/Emergency Operations Centres) which will pass on
any relevant information to the Controller through the proper channels.
Elected
representatives are likely to be involved in fronting at community meetings,
where a large group of local people can be briefed or supported in their
efforts to respond. It will be essential for the elected representatives to be
well informed by the PIM team and to ask for specific information where
necessary.
Recovery
phase
While
CDEM will still be involved in recovery, the focus will often return to
individual councils and organisations as they implement their disaster recovery
or business continuance plans. Elected representatives should be aware of the
importance of working within these plans.
During
the recovery phase, elected representatives will continue to have an important
role in communicating information to the community. They may be asked to help
gather information from the community on specific needs requiring Council
assistance, or pass on recovery information from the Council to the community.
Mayoral and Elected Representative Media Liaison
8 Clarity
8 Accuracy
8 Relevance
8 Timeliness
Communication
with the news media should be centralised to ensure the supply of timely,
consistent and accurate information and help establish good relationships with
the media. All media enquiries should be referred to the Public Information
Manager or PIM team.
When
an emergency covers more than one council territory, the Joint Committee may
need to make an early decision as to who is the primary spokesperson for
Hawke’s Bay. Where this occurs it will be necessary to ensure that all Mayors
and elected officials are kept informed of events and the response effort. The
Controller (or the Mayor) may act as the Civil Defence spokesperson.
The
Public Information Manager will establish a process for briefing the Mayor or
any elected representatives who may need to front to the media, ensuring
planning for media conferences, public meetings and VIP visits is done in an
efficient, timely way.
Senior Managers
In normal times
8 Support staff CDEM training
8 Informed on the plan
8 Business continuity
8 Staff safety
Senior
Managers (Heads of Department/ Group Managers) at city, district or regional
councils have an important role in endorsing the development and maintenance of
a trained and staffed GECC/EOC which may involve releasing staff for CDEM
training and exercises.
Senior
Managers will be kept informed by the PIM team. It is important they have an
understanding of the CDEM Plan and their own council procedures and have
appropriate business continuity plans in place for their areas of
responsibility so services can return to normal as soon as possible. Senior
Managers will also ensure that their staff/ teams can be safe at work in an
emergency, and know what do to do regarding evacuations, etc
In a state of emergency
8 Take on CDEM role
8 Resume business as normal for Council
services
8 Release staff
8 Ensure information flow both ways.
Selected
Senior Managers may be alternate Controllers for an emergency incident. Their
first priority will be the role of Controller, if required. Their second
priority will be to resume, as far as possible, business as normal for the
services they are usually responsible for.
Senior
Managers will be releasing trained staff to work at the GECC or EOC during the
emergency. This may disrupt normal Council work programmes.
Unless
they are acting as a Controller, Senior Managers do not have a direct role in
distributing public information. However during escalating incidents the Public
Information Manager will convey information to the Senior Managers at the same
time as the media so that council staff are well informed about the latest
situation and any key messages.
Senior
Managers are requested to report any information gathered from the community or
their staff to the Public Information Management team, who will pass on any
relevant information to the Controller.
During
a declared or non-declared incident, the media may approach Senior Managers,
particularly in relation to their specific programmes or staff. It is
important that all media enquiries are forwarded to the Public Information
Manager to deal with to ensure the supply of timely, consistent
and accurate information, and help establish good relationships with the
media. However,
if this is not possible, it will be essential for Senior Managers to use key
messages provided by the Public Information Team to present a consistent
message.
Other Managers and Team Leaders
A vital
task for Managers and Team Leaders during an emergency incident is keeping
their staff and others informed and safe. Owing to the focus on the media and
public, Council employees and their families, contractors or others working
closely with the Council who need to be kept informed, may be overlooked.
It is
important that Council managers keep their staff directly informed throughout
the incident, not via the media, so that those affected hear directly from the
Council without the filtration, inaccuracy, or emotional reports the media may
bring to situations.
In
normal times
8 Preparedness
8 Ensuring
business continuance plans are sustainable
8 Mitigation
and risk reduction
Managers
provide
leadership and guidance for council staff and a reality check on community and
city/district-wide plans for handling major incidents. The effectiveness of a
manager’s role lies in encouraging preparedness activities and ensuring risk
management is a priority for and by the staff and the community.
It is
important for Managers to have an understanding of the role of communications
in risk management and the importance of involving a communications team in all
risk management activities.
In a state of emergency
8 Keep up information flow both ways
8 Release staff for CDEM duties
With
regards to public information dissemination, Managers are key to keeping
staff informed.
During
escalating incidents the Public Information Manager, via the PIM team, will
convey information to Council Managers at the same time as the media. The aim
will be to keep Managers well informed with the latest media releases or
summaries and to provide them with up to date key messages.
The
Public Information Manager may ask Managers to pass this information directly
on to their staff by calling a meeting and may also provide Managers with key
messages, public notices or posters for distribution.
During
a declared or non-declared emergency the media may approach individual
Managers, particularly in relation to their work area, programmes and staff.
It is essential that all media enquiries related to the emergency are forwarded
to the Public Information Manager to deal with to ensure the
supply of timely, consistent and accurate information, and help establish good
relationships with the media. However, if this is not possible Managers must use the
key messages provided to present a consistent message.
