HOUSTON ASIS CHAPTER MINUTES

MARCH 26, 2003

The Chapter held a luncheon meeting at the Renaissance Hotel. Chairman Mike Crocker CPP presided. Forty-six members and guests attended.

Opening Pledge: Mike Crocker

Opening Prayer: Carlos Manning CPP

Committee Activities:

C.P.P.: This has been renamed the Certifications Committee to reflect the three review programs available: CPP, PCI, PCP

Treasurer’s Report: Bob Cascino presented the report and copies were distributed.

Membership: We now have 174 local Chapter members

Golf Tournament: Bob Cascino announced the annual tournament will be held May 12 at the Willowcreek Golf Course. Registrations forms are on the luncheon table and on the web page. To see details about Willowcreek, look for the link on our web site. On May 8, we will be hosting a new, catered Appreciation Reception for the golfers and sponsors.

WEB: Mike Crocker thanked our current sponsors of the web site and encouraged others to support its operation. Please contact Mike if you can help.

ASIS Foundation: Greg Walker explained that the Foundation provides scholarships and other benefits to the Chapter. The Houston Chapter has purchased a table (10 seats) for the Foundation Dinner at the National Conference. We were the first Chapter to reserve a table and will be given preferential placement. Members may purchase a seat back from our Chapter for $180. The Neville Brothers will be appearing.

Annual Seminar: Richard Hill reminded us to mark our calendars for August 12 & 13. The program is Homeland Security and several speakers have already been scheduled. Greg Walker will instruct a one-hour ethics course, available both days.

Law Enforcement Recognition Award: Presented by Mike Mallon

Our awardee, HPD Officer Scott Girard, was introduced by his supervisor Sgt Dell.

On Sunday, February 3, 2002, Officer Scott Girard, while off-duty, was traveling in the 800 block of the North Sam Houston Parkway East. He was returning to his house, at approximately 3 a.m., when he came upon a three-car pile-up. This tragic accident resulted in the deaths of three people and injury of four others. Officer Girard was the first person to drive up on the accident. No medical or law enforcement units had yet arrived. Officer Girard used his personal police radio to notify the HPD Northeast dispatcher of the accident and to request an ambulance. He then positioned his personal vehicle in such a way that it would not also contribute to a continuation of the accident.

Officer Girard located a victim, unconscious and not breathing. Although this victim was lying on the roadway, the vehicles were scattered across the various lanes of traffic, causing traffic to stop. Officer Girard took advantage of this situation to provide first responder care to the unconscious victim without unduly placing his own life in danger. An unknown citizen assisted Officer Girard by wiping the blood from the face of the victim. Officer Girard then performed CPR on the victim, reviving him. Harris County Sheriff’s deputies and Houston Fire Department ambulances soon arrived and transported the victims to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Officer Girard followed up on the condition of the victim on whom he had performed CPR. The victim was treated at the hospital and released by Sunday afternoon. Thanks in large part to the quick thinking and unselfish actions of Officer Girard, this life was preserved.

Officer Girard’s actions bring great credit upon himself and upon the Houston Police Department. Officer Girard received a Life Saving Award from the Houston Police Department; the second one in his career. The Houston ASIS Chapter awarded Officer Girard a plaque in recognition of his exceptional work performance.

Speakers: Melanie Miller, President; Chuck Wolf, Vice President

Media Consultants.

Topic: What Do You Say When Something Happens? Crisis Communications

Ms. Miller has spent over 25 years in TV and Radio and additionally has worked closely with the Coast Guard handling media relations for oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Wolf has over 30 years of media experience and has worked intimately with the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the Communication Awareness and Emergency Response System (CAER). In addition to severe weather alerts, EAS provides Amber Alerts to the local area. Since 12/2000, the Amber Alert System has warned of 16 child abductions. Fourteen of these children were recovered, one was murdered and one remains missing. CAER is a notification program of potential hazardous situations to inhabitants along the ship channel, averaging 80,000 calls placed each year.

Media Consultants started in 1988. They provide media training, crisis plans, drill and exercise scripting, videos and electronic communications. They work closely with ECHMA (East Harris County Manufacturers Association) which has 7 zones of plants, refineries, terminals, railroads and delivery services. ECHMA has a security committee that works closely with the FBI and other L.E. agencies to do site surveys, vulnerability assessments, tiered threat response and notification systems. There are primarily two types of notification: Advisory (not time sensitive) provides guidance information and intelligence about non-specific threats. An advisory is e-mailed to work locations and posted on a password-protected web-site. Alert: is a time-sensitive notification for incidents such as bomb threats, shootings, or terrorist acts. It includes a pager notification and voice messages on work, home and cell phones. ECHMA can provide 500 contacts at 125 member facilities in 10 minutes. Last year, they conducted 17 monthly tests, 28 advisories, 1 alert, posted 5 USCG Port Security Bulletins and e-mailed 53 security-sensitive documents.

What DO you say to employees, security staff, the community and the news media since 9/11 or any specific incident? There is a better choice of words than “No Comment”. “No Comment” means you DO know something but are hiding or covering it up. You can talk about increased security and patrols, such as perimeter surveillance and lighting, new visitor screening processes, mail and package screening and training. For further guidelines, please check out www.ehcma.com/security.htm.

The worst thing you can do is ignore the media with the thinking that bad news will eventually go away. The Media is not an audience, but a conduit to the community. Ignoring them makes them more aggressive and persistent and they will seek out other sources. The media is not “out to get you”. They are not your P.R. agency. They are not “seeking the truth”. They ARE telling a story with multiple viewpoints. They view it as a business transaction; a job. It is important for you to “manage” the communication by being productive not reactive; always telling the truth; and work the story WITH the media, admitting that you may not have all the answers at that time. In the media response, words speak louder than action! Provide access to a fact sheet, access to the scene (you pick a safe photo ops site rather than putting the reporter at risk) and access to a spokesperson.

Follow this guideline:

A: Attitude

Friendly, honest, concerned, polite, professional, fair

B: Ball Control

Control yourself, your messages, and your emotions. Be the best source of information about your incident.

C: Choice of Words

How you say it

What you say

Poor examples:

No comment. I could be fired talking to you.

It was really bad. I heard three or four people were really hurt

Better choice:

I’ll be glad to help. Let me connect you with our company spokesperson who can provide you with the latest, most accurate information.

There is a “golden hour” from the time of an incident until the first news release, the first interview, and the first impressions. The media usually arrive within twenty minutes and will use “filler” material until there is something to report.

How do you brief a reporter?

Introduce yourself. Spell out unusual names.

Define the time frame (I have ____ minutes available for this briefing)

You be in control. (Please hold your questions until I finish my opening statement as it should answer most of your questions)

Tell what happened: how you responded; who is coordinating; what danger, if any; what the public should do; and state that the cause is under investigation (never voice an opinion or guess). It is your top priority to protect the safety of employees and responders; to minimize the impact on the public and the environment; and to bring the incident under control as quickly and safely as possible. Good Q&A ground rules are:

One question per reporter

Go around the room in a structured order, with fairness to all

Have the reporter stand up and state their name and affiliation before asking the question

As time runs out, have a moderator or assistant notify you (I have time for 2 more questions; then one last question)

Make a closing statement (I have to go to the Command Center to get updates. I’ll find answers to the questions you’ve asked and I will be back at _______ to brief you again. My assistant will remain here to write down any other questions. Let us know of any deadlines you are facing or special requests. Thank you)

During the Q&A be sure to listen, answer each question, give 10 SECOND answers (the length of a sound-bite) and bridge to your response (what info do YOU want out that is not being asked). NEVER lie or cover up. NEVER talk cause, blame or speculate. NEVER estimate monetary loss. NEVER talk “off the record”. NEVER lose your composure. It is wise to record your own interviews and their newscasts. Verify new information. ALWAYS correct any factual errors (“maybe you misunderstood so you can update your next news release”).

And one final comment: “the news media writes the first “

Ms. Miller and Mr. Wolf were awarded plaques in appreciation for their time and presentation.

Our next luncheon meeting is April 3, 2003. The anticipated speaker is Dr. Richard Bradley. Please see the web page for details.