Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Plan Updated
Date
11/15/2015
Name of Updater
Approved By
11/27/2015
Taylor Ratkiewicz
11/29/2015
Dylan Smith
12/02/2015
Sarah Dumont
12/04/2015
Bindiya Patel
12/10/2015
Taylor Ratkiewicz
12/12/2015
12/15/2015
Team
Team
Comments
Started creating crisis plan
Edited key messages to
various stakeholders
Established objectives and
goals for the plans
Created budget to help
implement the plan
Established safety protocols
and created emergency call
list
Created crisis team directory
Edited messages
Crisis plan presented &
tested
2. Acknowledgement Page
The crisis plan was created by the Yuppie Dog business manager, Katrina
Gnuechtel, and the public relations/Communications manager, Taylor
Ratkiewicz. As the public relations manager outlined the necessary actions in
the event of a natural disaster crisis, Yuppie Dog and other key constituents
of the dog daycare/boarding facility contributed the necessary information
and protocols that would be taken to ensure the safety of all dogs and staff
during our evacuation plan. The accounts/finance manager, Sarah Dumont,
calculated and set aside $__________ that will go towards transporting the
dogs to a safer location, as well as the various utilities and equipment
needed throughout the duration of a natural disaster crisis. The
operations/facilities manager, Dylan Smith, has developed and implemented
building protocols to ensure Yuppie Dog is protected and secured. He also
established our (natural disaster) hotline, which will be used to communicate
our messages to the dog owners and all employees. The crisis
communication plan was reviewed by the crisis communication team,
including Yuppie Dogs owner, the legal advisor and other various
representatives listed further below. The entire crisis team worked together
to revise the plan, utilizing each representatives expertise and experiences
relative to his or her job title. Therefore, various modifications and updates
were made to the plan as each member of the team reviewed the original
plan written by the business manager and public relations manager. For
example, the safety and security team revised the safety protocols section to
ensure that employees are aware of how to safely transport these dogs to a
safer location.
3. The Introduction
Our crisis communication plan focuses on the preparedness of Yuppie Dog
and Houston personnel in case of an emergency evacuation of all staff and
dogs due to a natural disaster, such as a flood, tropical storm or hurricane.
This plan is important, as Yuppie Dog is a popular doggie daycare, boarding
and grooming spa, where dogs are sometimes kept there for long periods of
time when their owners are out of town. Additionally, as majority of these
dog owners are out of town, it is important to be prepared to evacuate a
large number of dogs from Yuppie Dog to a safer location in such events as a
natural disaster. As Yuppie Dog is a smaller organization and is liable for
these animals in our care, it is critical to be fully prepared in the event of a
natural disaster crisis to ensure this safety. The goals of our plan are to
minimize harm and stress to the animals and staff, to calm owners who are
out of town, and to prepare our Yuppie Dog employees to be able to secure
the building and to work quickly to relocate all the dogs to a safer location.
The objectives of our plan are to ensure the safety of all involved, to
minimize damages, and to ensure the continuing safety protocols of our dog
boarding service. Our plan will allow us to quickly address the situation, to
send messages out quickly to our key publics, and to communicate efficiently
with the dog transportation service (fellow Yuppie Dog employees) and new
location where the dogs will be held. This plan also clearly defines the roles
and duties of each member of our crisis communication team so that we can
eliminate any additional stress and communicate effectively through our
messages. As Houston is down south in Texas and is a city constantly
bombarded by flash floods and even hurricanes, Yuppie Dog knows that our
plan is important in order to ensure safety of the animals and to
communicate clearly to our publics.
Our plan takes lessons from how various animal shelters reacted during
Hurricane Katrina. During this natural disaster crisis in 2005, rescue efforts
were predominately worried about evacuating people from the threatened
areas of the hurricane; however, thousands of dogs, cats, horses and other
animals were stranded to fend for themselves during the awful weather
conditions. Up until Hurricane Katrina, the protocol for pets had been
overlooked in disaster relief; therefore, as an organization that focuses on
keeping dogs safe while their owners are traveling, we will learn from the
mistakes made during Hurricane Katrina. One of the biggest lessons to take
away from this past crisis was that animals were not considered a priority
until after the event. By establishing this crisis plan, Yuppie Dog will be fully
prepared to rescue and evacuate the dogs before the natural disaster hits.
Also, during Hurricane Katrina, another lesson learned was that some people
brought their pets with them when evacuating their homes showing the
importance that animals have to families. Therefore, we want to be clear and
consistent with our messaging to the owners of the dogs with us, so that
they are fully aware of the situation and what we are doing to keep their
dogs safe.
For these reasons, we are presenting this crisis communication plan in
order to show our preparedness in dealing with situations that come out of a
natural disaster crisis affecting Yuppie Dog.
4. Crisis Communication Team
Yuppie Dog Owner John Smith *
Yuppie Dog Business Manager Katrina Gnuechtel
Public Relations/Communications Manager & Primary Spokesperson
Taylor Ratkiewicz
Accounts/Finance Manager Sarah Dumont *
Operations/Facilities Manager Dylan Smith *
Safety & Security Bindiya Patel *
Legal Advisor John Robertson *
*Names listed are pseudonyms.
Note- The Yuppie Dog Business Manager, PR/Communications Manager, Accounts/Finance Manager,
Operations/Facilities Manager, and Safety & Security are all working Yuppie Dog employees. In such
event as a natural disaster, these employees will serve on the crisis communication team as well.
If they are not already at work, each employees cell phone will be called first,
home phone number will be called second, and an email will be sent alerting
them to pack quickly and report to Yuppie in event of the natural disaster.
For the employees already at Yuppie Dog, they were already made aware of
possible evacuation before they came to work, and are well equipped with
what they need (personal items and not) for the evacuation.
Dog Owners
SMS Emergency Text Alert to registered cell phone number, email sent to
listed email address on their Yuppie Dog registration form, All Yuppie Dog
social media including Facebook and Twitter.
Safer Location
Depending on the severity and timeliness of the natural disaster, the dogs
will either be transported to the owners ranch in Dripping Springs or to Town
& Country Hospital and Boarding in Kerrville, Texas.
An alert message will be sent to both locations (just in case) through text,
phone, or email.
Fire Department
Houston Fire Department | 600 Jefferson, 7th Floor, Houston, TX 77002| 9-1-1 or Media
Relations: 832-394-6700| Teri A. Garrison (Fire Chief) | Twitter: @houstonfire | Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/HoustonFireDept/?fref=ts
Taylor Ratkiewicz
Katrina Gnuechtel
Sarah Dumont
Accounts/Finance Manager
713-054-5000
s.dumont@yuppiedog.com
Dylan Smith
Operations/Facilities Manager
281-398-4567
Dylan.Smith@yuppiedog.com
Bindiya Patel
John Robertson
Legal Advisor
713-818-9034
john.robertson@jrhtx.com
Katrina Gnuechtel
Step 10: Equipment and Supplies for the Crisis Control Room
The designated Safety & Security Coordinator will be responsible for
gathering supplies and materials and checking off items on the crisis plan
list. These will be always be ready in the time of a natural disaster crisis for
the other people (listed previously) to transport.
Site of control room: Depends on which safer location the dogs are
transported to either the owners ranch in Dripping Springs, Texas or the
Town and Country Hospital and Boarding in Kerrville, Texas.
Overall, the safety & security coordinator and fellow Yuppie Dog employees
will handle the equipment and supplies for the control room. Dylan Smith will
handle the (natural disaster) hotline and disseminating messages, and
Bindiya Patel will manage supplies and equipment that pertain to the dogs
wellbeing. The safety & security coordinator and Yuppie Dog employees will
be involved in getting supplies for security and shelter-related items needed
in the safe location and crisis control room. Volunteers and staff can aid as
needed for transportation, allocation, etc.
* Two commercial vans will always be onsite at the Yuppie Dog location in
Houston, TX for the transportation of the dogs to the safer location. These
vans will be used for grooming, delivering, pick-ups, etc. during normal
business days.
Emergency Resources
o
o
Emergency Notification
o
o
o
o
Weather Information
Yuppie Dog will monitor Houston and surrounding areas weather to fully
anticipate a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, tropical storm or flash flood,
from occurring. Additionally, safety protocols and constant monitoring are in
place during Houstons hurricane, tropical storm, and flash flood season,
which occurs throughout June to November. Therefore, Yuppie Dog is trained
and fully prepared to act accordingly during such natural disaster crisis, and
when it is crucial to evacuate the animals to a safer location.
In event of a natural disaster crisis in Houston, visit @abc13weather on Twitter
or abc13.com for more weather information.
Safety Tips
o Be aware of surroundings at all times.
o Secure all windows and doors.
o Make sure grooming equipment is properly safeguarded in the building.
o Remain calm while executing the evacuation plan in the most efficient
way possible.
o Make sure to quickly load the dogs in a quick yet safe manner onto the
commercials vans for transportation.
o Turn around; do not drown. Look up a safer driving route to the location
if road is submerged.
*These phone numbers were simulated for this particular crisis plan project.
Backgrounders:
http://yuppiedog.com
Mission: Yuppie Dogs primary focus is to give dog owners peace of mind
while they are traveling, and offer our doggie guests a clean, sanitized, safe,
and fun place to stay.
o Therefore, in event of a natural disaster crisis, we will continue to keep
our promise and protect customers dogs by evacuating them to a
safer location.
Yuppie Dog Services include:
o Boarding
o Day Care
o Grooming
o Training
Photos/Maps of site(s):
Driving Directions to Town & Country Animal Hospital (From Houston, TX)
Location of offices:
Yuppie Dog
2203 Durham Dr.
Houston, TX 77007
http://yuppiedog.com/index.php
Twitter: @YuppieDog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YuppieDog
For general weather or safety concerns: @houstonpolice or @abc13weather
disaster) hits. Since Yuppie Dog strives to maintain the mission set by
you when founding the company, we will continue to give our
customers peace of mind knowing their dogs are in a safe place during
the (natural disaster).
There is no need for you (the owner) to come to the Yuppie Dog
location as your staff is fully prepared and trained to execute the
evacuation plan in an efficient and safe manner. Additionally, due to
the severity and size of (the natural disaster), we are transporting the
dogs to Town & Country Animal Hospital in Kerrville because its a safer
distance from Houston and the storm.
As more information is accumulated and when the dogs reach Kerrville,
we will update you through text messaging, phone calls, or email.
Dog Owners
Prior to Evacuation
o After monitoring Houstons weather reports and (natural disaster)
warnings, Yuppie Dog has implemented the evacuation plan to
o
o
transport your dog(s) in care (at this time) to a safer location (insert
location here). Yuppie Dogs main mission is to offer you, our loyal
customers, peace of mind knowing that your dogs are in a safe,
peaceful place while you are traveling.
Therefore due to this impending (natural disaster), we are continuing
our mission at Yuppie Dog by implementing our (natural disaster)
evacuation plan and moving your dog(s) safely out of Houston and the
posing weather threat.
As noted on the liability form you signed when dropping off your
dog(s), the safer location will either be at the owners ranch in Dripping
Springs (list address) or Town & Country Animal Hospital and Boarding
in Kerrville depending on the severity of the storm and the amount of
time we have to evacuate.
At these locations, we assure you that your dog(s) will continue to be
well taken care of by our entire Yuppie Dog staff with plenty of food,
water, toys, etc.
As we drive from Houston to (safer location), we will send you
continuous updates on your dog(s) whereabouts through the SMS text
message alert. In the meantime, for further information or questions,
please contact our (natural disaster) hotline at (877) 362-4367.
Please do not worry about further costs if your dog(s) are in our care
for longer than the agreed time. We appreciate your loyal business and
constant trust in our organization, and we will safely return your dog(s)
home once the (natural disaster) passes.
addressed at his company through text messaging, phone number, and email; the
owner of Yuppie Dog established these as the best forms of communication for him.
The employees already at Yuppie Dog were previously made aware of the potential
evacuation before their shift. For the employees off duty, we will send out a
company wide text message alert, as well as call their cell phone numbers and then
home phone numbers. For dog owners (our customers), Yuppie Dog will send out an
SMS emergency text alert to their registered cell phone numbers and an email to
the listed email address on their Yuppie Dog registration form to inform them of the
situation. Also, as Yuppie Dog is present on social media, such as Facebook and
Twitter, we will use those channels to update the dog owners with the weather
information and their dog(s) whereabouts/safety.
The following people are responsible for communicating with the key publics:
Step 14: Review Draft of the Crisis Plan and Make Corrections.
Step 15: Distribute Plan to All Members of the Crisis Team
Step 16: Review and Update the Plan at least Once a Year or as
Needed
Updated on December 15, 2015 after hearing further critiques from class
presentation.