“Don’t worry about being on call.”
That was the advice from my colleague and boss, Ben.
by Ben Raza and Girlie Garduce Burn
“You might get something come through every few months. Maybe a tree that’s fallen near by a country road and you need to post on Facebook that one lane is closed.”
Instead, it was my second (!) weekend on being on call for Bedford Borough Council and, before I had even logged off on Friday afternoon, we’d had a call to say there had been a rail incident which turned out to be the first fatal collision between two passenger trains on Britain’s mainline railway network in more than 25 years.
Ben had already been through a few major incidents – including the Cleat Hill explosion which won the Council an UnAward as part of the Bedfordshire Local Resilience Forum for Best Emergency Comms – so we came at this from very different angles.
Here’s our top four lessons from our comms response to the tragedy, whether you’ve yet to have your first major incident, or you’re a gnarled comms veteran who still knows how much these can surprise you.
1. It’s happening, so let’s go with it. Ideally with a cup of tea
Feeling nervous? Scrambling to get a grip of what follows each stage? That’s natural. But don’t worry. Even if it’s your first rodeo, almost everybody else will have done this several times already.
That doesn’t mean you can cruise. But it does mean that the battle rhythm of TCGs, Communications Cells, and all the practical measures on the ground are being put in place already.
So don’t let your pen and pad out of your sight, put the kettle on if you can, and settle down to do this.
2. You’ve got two ears and one mouth
Nobody expects you to be the centre of attention. But at least one somebody might ask you afterwards what was discussed or agreed at the meeting.
That pen and pad you didn’t let out of your sight? Listen and take notes. Our Communications Cell lasted a week, with me taking Friday evening, Ben picking up the slack on Saturday, and then back to me on Sunday and through the week. Initially every two hours, then every four hours. It was a lot easier to have handovers when we had good notes.
3. Speak up when you need to
Around us we had emergency services, rail companies and government bodies including the Department of Transport (DfT). But at the first Communications Cell it was Ben who piped up with something nobody else had realised at that point: “How close is this to the £7.3billion Universal project that’s being built?” Nobody, it turned out, had realised how close the two sites were.
Luckily there was no significant impact on Universal, other than some short-lived road closures. And also reminding the Communications Cell to include the elected Mayor of Bedford in a DfT statement to be sent to MPs in the affected railway track area. This all underlined how the most important part of Comms can be being the people who don’t think or work in silos.
4. Communicate with your team too!
And this one isn’t just about making sure there’s a good handover. Feeling stressed? Your team are there to support you. Wondering what happens next or if you’re doing OK? Your team will make themselves available.
Ben and I spoke after each of my Comms Cells on Friday, throughout Sunday (Happy Father’s Day – quite poignant and most definitely memorable as it was my first without my late dad) and then consistently during the week too.
Trust your staff, trust your boss, and a major incident becomes a great learning experience rather than something to put you off comms altogether…
Ben Raza is manager for communications and engagement, and Girlie Garduce Burn is communications officer, at Bedford Borough Council.
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