Historically, communications are always the weakest link in any crisis situation and if the system falls down, the ability to deal with the crisis effectively is seriously compromised.

It is vital, at the earliest possible stage, to relieve some of that pressure, especially from overloaded switchboards and telephone systems attempting to deal with a huge volume of calls.

All those calls are important, but they must be directed to the right place. The M&CM Specialist Response Unit can help.

Calls from the media and relatives of personnel usually account for the greater bulk of telephone traffic, especially in the early stages. Dealing effectively with these calls requires more than the standard mechanical call centre response.

Our responders are trained to deal with the very different demands of the media and relative inquiries and our fully equipped response centre can provide direct links to client incident rooms and HR departments by telephone or secure computer for rapid exchange of information.

The room telephone system operates on a “hunt” group to maximise telephone use. Room supervisors manage the team, collate log sheets, liaise with client operations and link with in-house PR and/or press offices to update media statements, pass on requests for additional press material and interviews and also issues regarding relatives.

The “pool” of retained responders is sufficient to sustain two or more shift changes during a long-running incident.