MASSCRISCOM

Janek Laev, Director, ERC getting intervjued about the project and the seminar.

 

 

 

MASSCRISCOM addresses the need for improved protection of the public and infrastructure and two way crisis communication between authorities and the public. The Project will focus on nuclear accidents and other very serious emergency situations or crises, which lead to mass crisis communication situations, i.e. situations:

 

- when the public needs to be warned and receive far more information than in connection with everyday accidents

 

- when a great number of people may require immediate help at the same time and

 

- when many people are seeking information from the emergency services about the event and what action to take.

 

Requirements will be analysed and identified for ensuring efficient communications, also by implementing new media, for warning of people in defined affected geographi-cal areas and providing information on adequate action to take.

 

The objective is furthermore to improve the reliability of risk communication and mass crisis communication in general. A model for the introduction of a separate information service number and managing a service for exchanging information with the public will be considered with the aim of lessening the burden on the 112 Emergency Call services in crises situations. The received information from the public can provide an input to the situation awareness of the involved crisis management authorities.

 

 

 

11.00 Opening Session

Welcome address and presentation of the MASSCRISCOM Project by Stig Ekberg, Project Coordinator and Manager, Civil Defence Director of the Uppsala County Ad-ministrative Board/Ulf Bjurman, Senior Advisor (presentation)

 

Overall crisis communication policies - Opening Speakers

- Lauri Lugna, Head of Department, Ministry of Interior, Estonia
- Björn Sola, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Defence, Sweden (presentation)
- Rainer Åkerblom, Head of the Police and Rescue Unit, Åland Government
- Silvio Mascagna, European Commission DG HOME - Commission crisis management system

 

Silvio Mascagna, European Commission DG HOME - Commission crisis management system

 

12.30 Lunch

 

Collaboration in crisis communication between different actors/recent and on-going structural changes affecting crisis communication

 

(Changes in procedures and administration of crisis management and communication for instance by integration and co-localisation of the services of different actors to improve collaboration have been introduced or are under way. This has been or can be facilitated by the use of modern technology. Also needs for rationalisation and improved efficiency of the public administration lead to structural changes primarily the regional level which affects crisis management and communication.)

 

13.30 Finland - Janne Koivukoski, Head of Unit, Rescue Department (presentation)

 

13.50 Sweden – Svante Werger, Director of Communication, MSB. (presentation)

 

14.10 Estonia – Eleka Rugam Rebane, Estonian State Chancellery, Goverment Crisis Communication Department, Advisor.

Crisis communication in Estonia. (presentation)
Project Masscriscom: Estonian results. (presentation)

 

14.30 SOS Alarm - a new strategy, organisational structure and working methodology for SOS Alarm introduced on 1 October 2010 – Gunnar Bergström. (presentation)

 

Gunnar Bergström, SOS Alarm, Sweden.

 

14.50 Coffee break

 

Experiences from crisis communication
(In recent years a number of crises, such as the vulcano eruption and its effects, severe weather conditions and the pandemies, combined with a more proactive behaviour and requirement by the public for receiving and being able to find information in crisis situations has underlined the urgent need for improved crisis communication.)

 

15.10 Vulcano eruption, Iceland – Kristin Thordardottir, Deputy Chief of Police Department

 

Kristin Thordardottir, Deputy Chief of Police Department, Iceland

 

 

15.30 Thunderstorm with severe consequences, Estonia - Janek Laev, Director, ERC (presentation)

 

15.50 Storms with heavy rain/high sea level (Gothenburg and Malmö) affecting 112 services, Sweden - Rune Forsell, Senior Advisor, SOS Alarm

16.10 A survey focused on the perception of crisis communication information by the citizens, who experienced real-life crisis events in Estonia (Pärnu city flooding in 2005). This survey also showed how people reacted to the crisis communication messages and what type of actions were taken by different social and age groups. - Triin Vihalemm, Tartu University. (presentation)

 

Triin Vihalemm - Tartu University, Estonia

 

16.30 A survey of "state officials’ opinions on crisis communication" - Eleka Rugam, Estonian State Chancellery.

 

18.00 Demonstration/Study visit, The Estonian Emergency Response Centre (presentation)

 

19.30 Common dinner

 

09.00 General development and other experiences of crisis communication in the Baltic Sea States - a brief presentation by each Baltic Sea State of the development of crisis communication.

 

Dr. Peer Rechenbach - Head of Civil Protection, Hamburg, Germany. Crisis Communication to the Public. (presentation)

 

Rune Forsell - Senior Advisor, SOS Alarm. The stream outside the SOS Centre in Gothenburg. (presentation)

 

10.00 Coffee

 

Experiences and introduction of information number(s)
(The increasing use since a few years  in Estonia of information numbers, handled in a separate service, co-located with the 112 Emergency Call service, has decreased the burden on the 112 service. Responding to non emergency calls has decreased. This Estonian service is expected to be developed further and perhaps even merge into a single information number. Also in other countries the introduction of a information number(s) to improve the 112 and crisis communication capacity can be expected.)

 

10.30 experiences from the implementation of information numbers in Estonia and possible further development of the service – Herve Merivald and Kaur Sarv, ERC. (presentation)

 

Kaur Sarv - Estonian Emergency Response Centre (ERC)

 

10.50 plan for introduction of information number in Sweden – Inger Frendel, MSB (presentation)

 

11.10 other experiences of information number(s) in the Baltic Sea States

 

11.30 general discussion

 

12.30 Lunch

 

 

13.30 presentation of WP 3 outline – Håkan Marcusson, WP Leader, MSB

 

13.50 presentation of WP 4 outline - Björn Skoglund, WP Leader, SOS Alarm

 

14.10 presentation: Design of individualized weather warnings - Per-Olof Hårsmar, SMHI

 

14.30 presentation of WP 5 outline - Gunnar Bergström, WP Leader, SOS Alarm

 

14.50 presentation of demonstration planning - Mats Stewart Ardbreck, WP Leader, MSB

 

15.10 Coffee

 

15.40 final panel discussion of the needs for continued/enhanced development of crisis communication

 

16.30 Closure of the Seminar