Crisis Communication Lessons From the Fireground

Greg Barta | Fire Captain and Public Information Officer | Orange County Fire Authority

As a fire captain and public information officer with the Orange County Fire Authority, I’ve learned that some of our most important messages go out while we’re still trying to understand what’s happening. People want answers when their family, home, or neighborhood may be affected. We may not have every answer yet, but we still have a responsibility to help them make safe decisions.

The setting may be different for a business, but that responsibility will sound familiar to anyone communicating through a crisis.

Here’s how I think about it: READY, SET, GO!

The framework at a glance:

• READY: Prepare before trouble hits
• SET: Spot the signals early
• GO: Give people something useful right away

READY: Preparing long before trouble hits

In the fire service, preparation is part of the job. We train and work through scenarios because an emergency is a difficult time to figure out who’s responsible for what. Communications deserves that same attention.

I’ve developed our PIO handbook, crisis communications plan, and press conference checklist. Those tools provide a starting point when the pace picks up. Who needs to be notified? Who can confirm information? Who approves a message? Who covers communications if the primary person is unavailable?

Preparation also depends on relationships. Knowing operational leaders, partner agencies, and media contacts makes it easier to coordinate when everyone is busy.

Meltwater is part of our ongoing awareness through media monitoring and daily coverage reports. Following coverage regularly helps us understand what’s receiving attention and gives us context when something changes.

For training, I like scenarios that put someone in the PIO seat before all the facts are available. What would you communicate right now? What needs confirmation? What does the public need to do?

For a company, apply that same preparation across communications, operations, leadership, and customer service. Establish approval paths and backups, practice an incomplete-information scenario, and monitor coverage of your organization and industry routinely. Those habits make it easier to respond when employees or customers need answers.

SET: Recognizing when the situation is changing

An incident doesn’t have to be national news before it deserves attention. Early signals may include a changing hazard, possible evacuations, several agencies becoming involved, or an increase in questions from residents and reporters.

I’m looking at whether people’s safety could be affected and whether their need for information is growing. That’s a reason to bring in communications support early.

In those first minutes, stay close to the people managing the incident. Confirm what happened, where it happened, what hazards are known, and whether protective actions have been ordered. Keep confirmed information separate from preliminary reports.

During the GKN hazardous materials incident, our communication needs grew as the incident escalated. Protective actions, shelters, concerns about a possible explosion, and intense media interest required coordination across agencies.

Monitoring through Meltwater helps us follow media coverage alongside the operational picture. That outside view helps us see how an incident is being described and what may need clarification. We still confirm incident facts through the people managing the response.

For businesses, the early signal might be repeated customer complaints, an employee concern, or growing coverage of a service disruption. Decide in advance which signals trigger escalation. Bring the right people together early, verify the issue internally, and use monitoring to understand what your audiences are hearing.

GO! Giving people something useful right away

When safety is at stake, the first message should help people act. Acknowledge the situation, explain what is confirmed, and clearly state any instructions for those affected.

A simple example might be: “Firefighters are responding to a hazardous materials incident near [location]. If you are in [area], [confirmed protective action]. We know this is concerning. Crews are assessing the hazard, and we’ll share updates here as more information is confirmed.”

The first hour matters, but urgent safety instructions may need to go out much sooner. Verify the facts that affect people’s decisions and communicate them promptly. When we don’t know something, say so and explain what’s being done to find out.

Partner agencies should work from the same confirmed facts and protective actions. Social media, emergency alerts, media briefings, and community outreach reach different people. One post won’t reach everyone.

As messages go out, Meltwater helps us follow coverage, including broadcast reporting. Monitoring gives us a way to assess whether our information is being reflected accurately and identify gaps to address in subsequent updates.

For a business, that first message should recognize the impact on employees or customers, explain what they should do, and tell them where to get updates. Coordinate across your channels and keep checking how the message is being received. People can understand that a situation is unfolding. They need honesty, care, and useful direction while you work toward a resolution