PONY CLUB AUSTRALIA
CRISIS MANAGEMENT & RESPONSE
BUSINESS RISKS INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT 2011 - ORIGINAL
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OVERVIEW OF SERVICES
Pre-Departure Preparation
• Documentation Collection
• Packing Pointers
Procedures While on Tour
• Personal Safety Considerations
• Crime Awareness, Avoidance and Prevention
• Environmental and Health Concerns
Crisis Management and Response
• Crisis Management Team (CMT)
• Crisis Management Procedure and Response
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT DEFINITION
► A crisis is an event that significantly disrupts Pony Club
Australia’s normal operations, has caused or is likely to
cause severe distress or have severe consequences for
individual team members or Pony Club Australia, and
requires out of ordinary measures to restore order and
normality, thus demanding immediate action from Pony
Club Australia Senior Management.
► Crisis can come in various forms, and can include events
that threaten Pony Club Australia’s reputation, image,
assets, financial stability or more importantly the safety
and security of the touring team and support staff.
► With the touring team a crisis may be precipitated by a
critical or serious incident.
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT
► The aim of the Crisis Management Plan is for Pony Club
Australia to have a response in place prior to any
emergency, serious or critical incident.
► A critical incident or series of such incidents becomes a
crisis when its nature, severity or broader consequences
for an organisation warrant a response beyond the
capacity of routine programme management
mechanism, i.e. requiring leadership and coordination
for Pony Club Australia management.
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT
► Examples of an event or situation that would trigger the
Crisis Management Plan include but are not limited to:
► Missing player/team
► Any serious illness or injury
► Incident causing multiple causalities and requiring urgent
medical response (medical, operational evacuation)
► Arrest or detention
► Natural disasters requiring evacuation
► Terrorist event(s) or an extreme terror threat
► Political unrest
► Abduction, kidnap or hostage taking
► Other security situations or events causing a high degree
of threat to Pony Club Australia, event, player(s), team and
support staff
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM
► The Crisis Management Team manages a crisis situation
at senior level (Pony Club Australia). A CMT is activated
when a serious or critical incident or any other situation
is determined to be a crisis by Pony Club Australia senior
management.
► A Crisis Management Plan describes mechanisms,
responsibilities and protocols to be activated by Pony
Club Australia in the event of a crisis.
► Creation of a decision making structure and delineation
of responsibilities prior to an incident will make certain
that all involved are aware of their roles and are
prepared.
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RATIONALE & OBJECTIVES
► The objective of crisis preparedness is to mitigate the impact
of an incident. Strong capacity for crisis response and
preparedness is necessary in order to:
► Prevent (further) harm and ensure the health and/or safety of
the player(s), team and support staff affected by the crisis.
► Assure families of team members and support staff of a
responsible and effective response by Pony Club Australia.
► Ensure continued organisational management and output during
the crisis.
► Ensure programme and event continuity (if deemed appropriate)
► Fulfil Pony Club Australia’s responsibilities to team, support staff
and families.
► Safeguard the image and reputation of Pony Club Australia.
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT PLAN
► Whilst every incident is unique and will require a
tailored response, it is paramount that essential
capacities are in place before an incident occurs, this will
enable Pony Club Australia to adequately manage the
situation in real time. These capacities are stipulated in
the Crisis Management Plan, which outlines:
► Definitions of various types of crisis
► Decision making structures for activating (and terminating)
formal crisis response mechanisms, illustrated by
flowcharts for decision making and communications.
► Roles and responsibilities of the key people.
► Protocols and formats ( SOPs, guidelines, reporting,
journey management, checklists etc.)
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM - CMT
► CMTs form the core of Crisis Management Plans. A CMT
is automatically activated when a critical or serious
incident is classified as a crisis by the President of Pony
Club Australia. The CMT is exclusively dedicated to the
successful resolution of the crisis, and will operate
outside of the regular management structures of Pony
Club Australia and its associates. CMT members report
directly to the Head of the CMT rather than their regular
line managers.
► The composition and functioning of the CMT will be
defined by the following key characteristics:
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM – CONT..
► Due to the structure and management of Pony Club
Australia the CMT will be small as possible yet will
include the areas of expertise necessary to allow fast
decision making and information flows, as well as
efficient information management
► Diverse expertise, namely: Administration, Operations,
Human Resources, Financial, Security and
Communications. Input from other areas of expertise
and disciplines should be sought as required, although
these are not normally permanent CMT members.
► Ability to implement decisions; a problem solving, “cando” attitude.
► All members are able to fulfil their respective roles and
responsibilities (experienced, fully trained and
available), which are clearly delineated
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CMT RESPONSIBILITES
► Key responsibilities of the CMT include:
► Operational decision-making concerning the crisis and the
effected person(s), team
► Defining and implementing a response strategy
► Authority to ensure implementation of the strategy
► Defining and implementing a media strategy (if needed)
► Managing team, family support and liaison
► Consulting with all relevant international and external
stakeholders
► Managing all information during the crisis
► Defining the moment the crisis ends, dismantling the CMT,
and handing-over to regular Pony Club Australia
management.
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CMT COMPOSITION
► CMT members are pre-identified based on their skill and
competencies.
► Every CMT member should have at least one
shadow/replacement to ensure presence when the
primary CMT member is unavailable due to work
commitments, personal commitments, illness, holidays
etc.
► Replacements must also be pre-identified for the regular
roles of CMT members, to guarantee continued
functionality of Pony Club Australia during the crisis.
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COMPOSITION OF THE CMT
The composition of the CMT may vary depending on the
type of crisis, but will always include:
► CMT Leader which will be the President of Pony Club
Australia or nominated person
► Crisis Coordinator
► Crisis Assistant
► Human Resources
► Communications
► Financial
► Logistics
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COMPOSITION – CONT…..
► Depending on the type of crisis, input and expertise
may be sought from:
► Security and Risk Specialist
► Head of operations in the country concerned
► Subject Matter Expert (SME)
► Bio security
► Medical specialist
► Legal specialist
► Human Resource specialist
► Government
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM
Pony Club President
Business Risks
International
Senior
Management
Crisis Coordinator
Crisis Assistant
Communications
HR
Logistics
Financial
CMT Responsibilities
24/7 On-Call Protocol
Overseas Communication
point of contact
Reporting Incidents to
managers
Maintaining communication
network throughout the club
Administration
Team Support
Family Support
Welfare
Follow up support
Preparation and
control of the
itinerary
Maintain
emergency travel
and accommodation
contingency plans
Maintain necessary
insurance coverage
Emergency funding
protocols
CMT POSITIONS
► Senior Management
► Pony Club Australia President
► The decision maker of Pony Club Australia and determines
the activation of the Crisis Management Plan and the
direction and management of the crisis.
► Crisis Coordinator (this position can rotate but must always be filled)
► Liaison between CMT members and President
► Stays at crisis centre and coordinates all activities of CMT
decisions.
► Crisis Assistance
► Reports directly to Crisis Coordinator and attends to any
administration needs of CMT
► During CMP activation maintains crisis log with all
discussions, occurrences, decisions and task allocation.
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CMT POSITIONS – CONT….
► Security – Business Risks International
► Provides professional security, emergency and crisis
management expertise and advice on request of Pony Club
Australia.
► Crisis Management Team Members
► Communications
► Maintains communication with Team Manager and point
of contact for family, stakeholders and media.
► Human Resources
► Maintain overall group well being and organise
appropriate services
► Logistics
► Determine, prepare and maintain groups travel and
prepare emergency travel/accommodation contingency.
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CMT POSITIONS – CONT….
► Financial
► Maintain and authorises emergency funding
► Provide CMT with legal and financial advice
► Travelling Group Manager
► Coordinates all activities in Country
► Point of contact for CMT members
► Liaison and contact for event host
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MEDIA MANAGEMENT
► The following measures are sensible during most crisis
(regardless of the level of media interest)
► Instruct all Pony Club Australia staff not to speak to media.
► Contain “info-leakage’’ by briefing staff on what
information they can and cannot share with family
members, Pony Club members, associations and
stakeholders.
► Monitor local, national and international media reporting
on the incident.
► Remain acutely aware, and try to influence, relationships
between the various stakeholders and pony club
associations and the media.
► Instruct all media inquiries to the Communication
Manager.
► Communication Manager to deliver media briefings.
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COMMUNICATING WITH THE MEDIA
► Provide information in a timely manner
► Never speculate on any aspect of the situation and be familiar
with all current events prior to speaking with the media.
► Provide facts, sources and relevant material
► Decide if the issues are causing high concern locally, nationally or
internationally and tailor your response accordingly.
► Be sure to safe guards Pony Club Australia’s privacy and that of the
team members, support staff and effected families.
► Provide readily available points of contact
►
►
►
►
Correct any information errors immediately
Comment only on Pony Club Australia’s business
Try to avoid answering hypothetical questions
Maintain an open and positive demeanour
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POST-CRISIS FOLLOW-UP
► Although the extent of follow up is dependent on the
incident type, all crisis interventions require some
degree of follow-up
► Aftercare
► Pony Club Australia will ensure that effected team
members, support staff, colleagues and family members
who were effected or witnessed the incident, others who
may be psychologically affected by the incident, crisis
team members, all receive appropriate aftercare.
► The appointment of a case manager may facilitate and
streamline coordination of the aftercare process.
► Information Management
► All relevant documents and electronic data related to the
incident will be filed at Pony Club Australia’s head office.
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POST CRISIS FOLLOW UP – CONT….
► Debrief and Evaluation
► A thorough operational debrief will be had with all
involved in the crisis and the management.
► This will allow for a proper analysis of the incident, and a
review of quality in the crisis management.
► The debriefing will be documented, and lessons learnt
will feed into the review of the Pony Club Australia crisis
response planning.
► Follow-Up with External Stakeholders
► Pony Club Australia will make provisions for the extension
of gratitude to all relevant parties for their efforts in
helping to resolve the incident.
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POST CRISIS FOLLOW UP – CONT….
► Operational Implications
► The crisis or incident is likely to alter Pony Club Australia’s
risk profile in the context in which the crisis or incident
that occurred. Perceptions, organisational image, relations
with key stakeholders and associations, and potentially
organisational risk thresholds in particular contexts, may
have shifted. Thus, a review of the risk analysis maybe
necessary. Pony Club Australia will liaise with Business
Risks International to review the implications and best
course of action(s).
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT - TRAINING AND
DRILLS
► Training and drills are essential to have an effective
response during a time of crisis.
► Pony Club Australia will train each CMT member in their
roles and responsibilities.
► Exercises, drills and tests will be utilised for continued best
practice once the CMT had been trained in the proper
procedures and their respective roles.
► As part of best practice and ongoing standards Pony Club
Australia will conduct training scenarios and drills to
maintain standards and operational readiness.
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW
► Pony Club Australia has provided an overall Crisis
Management Plan to handle any unforseen incident or
emergency involving travelling teams. Included in the
plan are:
► Creation of a framework for CMT members
responsibilities.
► Creation of specific Pony Club Australia procedures for
travelling teams.
► The implementation of a Travelling Team Manager and
their responsibilities.
► Provisions to call on the experience of outside resources.
► Implementation of training sessions and drills to ensure
the Crisis Management Plans readiness.
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CRISIS RESPONSE FLOW CHART
Incident or
Emergency
No
Club President declares
emergency
Yes, CMP Initiated
Team Manager Briefings and
Situation Reports
Arrive at Operations
Center
CMT
Contacted
Plan of action determined and
operations coordinated
Communication
•Regular Reports
for CMT
•Keeps group
appraised of
developments
Return to Business as
Usual
HR
•Notify families as
necessary
•Welfare
Compile Incident Report and
Debrief
Contact Risk Consultant
Logistics
•Determine and
prepare travel and
accommodation
contingencies
Finance
•Prepare for release
of emergency funds
•Confirm Insurance
Policies
Return to Business as
Usual
•Assess immediate
response requirements
•Liaise with Pony Club
CMT
•Deploy Incident
Coordinator
•Place additional
resources on standby as
needed
•Liaise with Emergency
Authorities
MISSING TEAM MEMBER(S) FLOW CHART
Activation of missing team
member(s) procedure by Team
Manager
Pony Club Australia
Management notified
Security Consultant notified
Team Manager to obtain all necessary information and
make initial inquiries to locate member. Brief Pony Club
Australia - President
Member/Team located
Yes
No
Travelling Team Manager to de-brief
with Senior Management
Commence Preliminary Investigation
Obtain all information from Team Manager
Liaise with President Pony Club Australia
Contact Hotel security manager or billeted family
Contact any other persons whom the team member
had contact with
Contact Australian High Commission and DFAT
Senior Management activate
CMT
Return to business as usual
CHECKLIST
► GENERAL
► Crisis response plan updated and distributed to relevant
persons.
► CMT members, including shadows/replacements
identified.
► CMT training/workshops conducted at regular intervals
and roles and responsibilities of CMT members clearly
identified and well understood.
► Mechanisms in place to ensure the presence of at least
one CMT member of each discipline at all times.
► 24 hour access to a suitable office.
► Office should have all necessary equipment available.
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CHECKLIST CONTINUED
► Human Resources Management
► Have all necessary personnel information available.
► Have contact details for next of kin and emergency contact
details.
► Insurance policies and travel documentation available.
► Health information (subject to privacy issues).
► Contact details of all stakeholders.
► Contact details for welfare support.
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CHECKLIST CONTINUED
► Protocols, Flowcharts and Formats
► Crisis Management Team Composition
► Decision making flowchart.
► Crisis response protocol.
► Operations
► Human Resources
► Communications
► Logistics
► Security
► Financial
► Travelling Team Manager protocol and communication
► Missing team member protocol.
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