Rescue of Chilean miners reminds us that crisis is a 24/7 operation

As rescuers reach the Chilean miners who have been trapped underground for two months, it’s timely to reflect that crisis communication is a 24/7/365 activity. Dealing with a life and death crisis requires this total commitment. But it’s relevant to communication too: assuming and retaining control of the communication agenda is one of the golden rules in a crisis, so taking a weekend break in the middle of an incident is simply impossible.

But in a prolonged crisis, it is essential that team members get time to re-charge their batteries. People run on adrenaline for long periods of time during a crisis, but will eventually hit a wall. It’s important to insist they take time out to eat, sleep and refresh themselves before this happens (you may need to implement a shift system to achieve this during the life of an extended crisis).

So, I send my best wishes to the communication teams in crisis management mode this weekend, especially those in Chile.

As this crisis nears its end, UK communication teams are dealing with their latest issues:

Morrisons: supermarket; wrong fuel leaves drivers stranded

Mobile phone manufacturers: renewed attention on health issues