Conference organized by:

Center for Biosecurity of UPMC

World Health Organization Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response Office

Conference sponsored by:

The Nuclear Threat Initiative

Training for Crisis Management Dilemmas in Europe
Presenter: Jesper Grönvall, M.S.

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The hallmarks of a crisis are a threat to core values, an urgency to resolve the threat, and uncertainty about how to do so. Crises are stressful; there are consequences to be resolved that often include difficult choices, such as those between public good and individual well-being. Yet, crises also present opportunities for organizations to make societal and/or cultural improvements. 

The key challenge of effective crisis management is incident characterization, or defining the crisis. When a crisis is framed, limitations are set. An ineffective response is often the result of a limited initial assessment.

Innovative crisis management depends upon team efforts that improve awareness, enhance skills, increase "horizon scanning," create effective networking, and make use of functional planning tools such as scenario training exercises. Decision-makers must have experience in planning and in exercising plans, because in practice, organizational vulnerabilities will be revealed and capabilities can be improved.

During exercises in the management of a crisis and in situations of "near misses," it is essential to document the lessons learned, and to both evaluate and share them. In most instances, effective crisis management will require coordination, leadership, and solidarity of cause across multiple organizations.

There are several opportunities for getting onto a productive track:

• Communication: A plan for public communication is essential; effective response is both the "correct" decision and the "correct" communication.
• Resources: An accurate assessment of resource limitation and distribution is essential. 
• Local level: Identifying the important planning questions tailored to each organization is essential. 
• Public's role: There are new constellations for public participation- "the civil/military, the public/private, and the governmental /nongovernmental organizations." 

If done well, effective training and education for crisis management can lead to more functional organizations.

- Summary by Penny Hitchcock, D.V.M., M.S.

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