Crisis Management for Public Utilities

Public utility manager and operation's staff generally have no problem responding operationally to extraordinary events; however, crisis management is not necessarily intrinsic to the operator or superintendent. They often experience a struggle determining how to proceed when actions or inactions result in adverse public scrutiny and/or negative media attention. Topics covered will include management response failure; five phases of crisis management; attributes of a crisis, companion formula, and discuss the decision checklist used to handle the crisis. In addition to this, the course will cover media relations relating to the public works utility while allaying fears and restoring trust and confidence in the facility.