AGENDA #5b

MEMORANDUM

TO:	Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
FROM:	Catherine Lazorko, Town Information Officer Communicators Work Group Members
DATE:	January 8, 2007
SUBJECT:	Report from the Communicators Work Group

INTRODUCTION

The Communicators Work Group, an informal working group of communications professional staff from primarily public agencies across Orange County, is pleased to submit this report summarizing:

• who we are;
• our discussions and actions to date; and
• our plans to continue meeting periodically to share information and collaborate on items of mutual interest in the future.

One of our principal goals is to strengthen communications among the agencies we represent.

This group comprises the following members: Police Capt. Joel Booker, Town of Carrboro; Jane Cousins, Police Analyst, Chapel Hill Police Department; Stephanie Crayton, Media Relations Manager, UNC Health Care System; Anne D’Annunzio, Public Information Officer, Orange County Public Schools; Drew Cummings, Assistant to the Town Manager, Town of Carrboro; David Hunt, Deputy Clerk/Information Specialist, Orange County; Greg Feller, Public Affairs Administrator, OWASA; Stephanie Knott, Assistant to the Superintendent for Community Relations, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools; Suzanne Herman, Director of Public Affairs and Marketing, UNC Health Care System; Lisa Katz, News Director, UNC-Chapel Hill; Donna King, Director of Health Promotion and Education Services, Orange County Health Department; Catherine Lazorko, Information Officer, Town of Chapel Hill; Mike McFarland, Director of University Communications, UNC-Chapel Hill; Davis Montgomery, Community Relations Manager, Duke Energy Carolinas; Kurt Neufang, Assistant Director, Chapel Hill Transit; Wendy Smith, Stormwater Management Environmental Education Coordinator, Town of Chapel Hill; Rosetta Wash, Orange County Chapter American Red Cross; Capt. Susanna Williams, Chapel Hill Fire Department; Lynn Wooten, Public Affairs and Marketing Assistant Director, UNC Health Care System; Catherine Wright, Public Information Officer, Town of Hillsborough; and Randy Young, Information Specialist, UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Public Safety.

We welcome any comments and questions about this report and our work.

BACKGROUND

In the fall of 2005, Catherine Lazorko, information officer for the Town of Chapel Hill, and Jane Cousins, analyst for the Chapel Hill Police Department, invited several of us to share ideas about working together to communicate with the public, especially during times of emergencies and inclement weather, and when there are large-scale events and celebrations.

We believe that coordinated communications are critical in all phases of a disaster. In a time of crisis, a high level of information sharing among the key public, private and non-profit organizations and excellent communications with the public are invaluable.  In both Incident Command Systems (ICS) and National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) training, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security emphasizes the importance of coordinated information sharing. 

We met initially on Nov. 2, 2005, to discuss needs, opportunities and initiatives that we might work together on.

Since then, we have met seven times (Nov. 29, 2005; Jan. 10, Feb. 21, May 9, Aug. 16, Oct. 3, and Dec. 12, 2006) to discuss strategies for communicating with the public during emergencies in Orange County. We have also organized ad hoc subcommittees that met to work on various tasks.

ACTIONS TO DATE

• Strengthened our working relationships by exchanging contact information, discussing challenges and opportunities that we have in common, and sharing information on our organizations’ options for communicating with citizens.
• Developed an inventory of communications technologies and methods that can be used in the future as circumstances require.
• Developed a master list of contact information for local and regional news media, and local organizations that we will or may need to contact in the future.
• Prepared an informal protocol (attached), which we call the Emergency Communications Resource Guide, for sharing information and working together during emergency events.
• Provided information and advice to Orange County staff in developing public information about emergency preparedness.
• Committee goals included items such as identifying means of communication utilizing non-electronic means, development of communication protocols, and emergency preparedness year-round messages.
• Established a routine of sharing, by e-mail, our respective news releases and other notices.

GOALS FOR THE FUTURE

• Investigate new communications technologies as they become available and pursue opportunities to collaborate on public communication projects.
• When and if our information messages may overlap during emergencies, we will inform and coordinate with each other.
• Continue to enhance working relationships within our group and with community agencies and organizations who will be our partners in the future.
• Periodically develop plans of action to address needs as they arise, and update those plans as needed.
• Keep our respective organizations informed about our work.

CONCLUSION

We believe there is value in the group process of learning about shared issues and needs, expanding our network of partners, and recognizing and dealing with new challenges and opportunities that the future will bring.

We look forward to continuing our work and discussions so that we can each improve our communications services to the public.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Emergency Communications Resource Guide for sharing information and working together during emergency events (begin new page 1).