Principles of informing the population about threats and ways of proceeding.

Each crisis situation is assigned a leading institution (the authority responsible for the type of crisis situation) according to the National Crisis Management Plan, which, due to its substantive scope, specificity of action, and experience, oversees the management of the given crisis situation, including being responsible for coordinating the information policy.

The spokesperson or head of the organizational unit responsible for public communication (hereinafter referred to as the spokesperson) is responsible for coordinating communication with the public through the media.

Spokesperson of the leading institution:

§ is the coordinator of the information policy;

§ prepares, in cooperation with the spokesperson of the main executor, the assumptions regarding public communication in a given crisis situation (including defining the main messages, their frequency, tools, and communicating individuals) and upon obtaining the supervisor's approval – implements them through the spokesperson of the main executor.

The spokesperson of the authority responsible for the type of crisis situation is obliged to provide information to the Government Spokesperson at their request.

In the communication process, especially in a crisis situation, it is necessary for the information coming from all authorities involved in resolving the crisis situation to be consistent.Therefore, the spokesperson of the authority responsible for the type of crisis situation may appoint a Crisis Press Team, consisting of representatives of the press offices of the authorities involved in resolving the crisis situation, as well as other invited individuals depending on the needs (e.g., psychologists, experts in the area related to the crisis). It is the authority responsible for the type of crisis situation that decides whether and when to appoint the Crisis Press Team.

Members of the Crisis Press Team are obliged to provide all necessary assistance to the spokesperson of the authority responsible for the type of crisis situation.

Crisis Press Team, led by the spokesperson of the authority responsible for the type of crisis situation, develops and then implements the assumptions of the media policy in a crisis situation, including defining:

§ the main messages;

§ the communicating individuals;

§ the frequency of messages;

§ the communication tools.

In the event that there is no unified position of the Team – the deciding voice belongs to the spokesperson of the authority responsible for the type of crisis situation. The Team meets as needed.

While conducting communication activities, it should be remembered that they cannot be limited solely to communication through the media. They must also take place in other areas:

• communication with the public:

- individuals at risk of the crisis situation,

- the affected individuals and their families,

• internal communication within the institution;
• communication between institutions involved in resolving the crisis situation.

The authority responsible for the type of crisis situation ensures communication in all these areas by designating individuals responsible for each area.

The main executor is the institution playing a key role in resolving the crisis situation. It is subordinate to the leading authority, but it bears the majority of the tasks related to resolving the given situation. This applies to both operational activities and public communication – the press spokesperson of the main executor serves as the main communicator.

Spokesperson of the main executor:

• is the main communicator, unless the spokesperson of the leading institution decides otherwise,
• co-creates (together with the spokesperson of the leading authority) and implements the assumptions regarding communication in the given crisis situation (including defining the main messages, their frequency, tools, and communicating individuals), collaborates with the press spokespersons of the authorities involved in resolving crisis situations to ensure consistency of messages.

Other authorities involved in resolving the crisis situation communicate with the public within their competencies, while the main message is agreed upon with the spokesperson of the authority responsible for the type of crisis situation – the spokesperson of the leading institution. The spokespersons of the involved authorities collaborate with the spokesperson of the main executor and the leading institution to ensure message consistency.

In the event of the Crisis Press Team being appointed by the spokesperson of the authority responsible for the type of crisis situation (the leading institution), it consists of the spokespersons of the authorities involved in resolving the crisis situation and implements the information policy adopted by the Team.

Similarly, as in the case of the lead agency and the main contractor, communication with the public through the media is the responsibility of spokespersons. The heads of the agencies involved in resolving a crisis situation ensure communication in all areas by appointing individuals responsible for each area.

According to the provisions of the crisis management act, for the purpose of carrying out tasks related to crisis management, each agency creates a crisis management team. It is important that the team is mandatorily expanded to include the press spokesperson of the given institution. This way, the spokesperson will have current information about the development of the situation, which will facilitate active information policy management. The crisis management team is appointed in accordance with the procedures of the respective agency.

Press spokespersons should mandatorily have deputies. This is very important in the case of a prolonged crisis situation.

The Government Security Centre ensures coordination of the information policy in a crisis situation.In the event of the establishment of a Crisis Press Team, the spokesperson of the RCB, if necessary, is included in its composition. The Government Security Centre, in order to ensure coordination of the information policy, monitors the conduct and organization of the communication process by the agency responsible for the type of crisis situation.

If the press spokesperson of the RCB, as a result of actions by the relevant organizational units of the Government Security Centre, is the first to obtain information about the possibility of a crisis situation occurring, in order to ensure coordination of the information policy, they contact the press spokesperson of the agency responsible for the type of crisis situation to expedite the organization of the communication process. If necessary, the press spokesperson of the RCB recommends changing the communication method and supports the communication actions of the responsible agency (leading institution or main contractor) for the type of crisis situation, e.g. assists in preparing the communication process (what to say, where, who, and when), messages, or choosing tools. The Government Security Centre closely cooperates with the press spokespersons of the government, leading institution, main contractor, cooperating agencies, and voivodes. After meetings of the Government Crisis Management Team, it prepares press releases in consultation with the person chairing the meeting.

Communication before the occurrence of a crisisrequires a quick response, and media pressure can hinder decision-making. Therefore, it is crucial to take action before a crisis situation occurs. Proactive measures can help reduce the scale of the crisis. They must be taken by all agencies within their competencies and considered in two aspects – direct communication with the public and communication with the public through the media.

As part of the preparation for media contacts, it is necessary to:

• prepare a communication strategy for the crisis situation for your agency along with algorithms for the most frequently occurring situations relevant to that agency;
• within your agency, select a group of people who will cooperate with the media, divide tasks (media monitoring; phone duty, preparing press releases, press conferences), and identify main communicators;
• determine the types of tools used and the frequency of contacts with journalists;
• establish alternative communication channels between the spokespersons of the agencies involved in resolving the crisis situation;
• prepare a database of external experts and identify internal experts who will comment on the given crisis situation;
• organize training and exercises for individuals involved in communication;
• update the media and communication responsibility database of cooperating agencies.

As part of actions directed at the public, it is necessary to:

• Implement educational and informational initiatives:

- create and disseminate educational programs on preventing all types of crisis events. Such actions can prepare society for potential threats,

while also conveying knowledge about how to mitigate the effects of crisis situations;

- inform about how to act in situations of threat to shape appropriate social attitudes;

- organize training and exercises, and informational campaigns promoting appropriate actions in specific crisis situations.

• As part of the preparation for direct communication with the public during a crisis, it is necessary to:

- to select individuals who have the training and skills to communicate with the families of the affected, such as psychologists, who will contact the families of the victims and other groups affected by the crisis;

- to prepare for informational actions aimed at securing the health and property of the population or potential evacuation;

- to verify and update the contact database to ensure communication with emergency services and information points, remembering to gather alternative contacts in case, for example, the primary phone number is constantly busy.

During a crisis actions by the appropriate authorities are often taken before all the circumstances indicated in the statutory definition of a crisis situation occur. Also, in public perception, a crisis situation arises much more quickly – therefore, along with the actions taken by public administration, including rescue actions, communication with society should begin.

Cooperation with the media in a crisis situation is crucial, as a lack of information creates rumors, breeds anxiety, and causes informational chaos. And it is precisely the media in a crisis situation that can often support the actions of rescue services, with good cooperation with them.

The dissemination of information should be systematic, but in accordance with the principles set by the individuals designated for contacts with journalists. At the same time, press spokespeople and individuals cooperating with the media should remember the specifics of media work and, as far as possible, meet their needs (e.g., regularly providing information about the course of the crisis situation, ensuring, in agreement with the person directing rescue actions, access to the scene or – if not possible – providing photos or videos prepared by press services, preparing a place from which they can report on the event without interfering with the rescue operation, etc.).

When preparing the first messages directed to the media it is necessary to strive for the principle that the families of the victims receive information first. However, there may be situations where adherence to this principle becomes impossible, especially when it involves a large group of people. Generally, in such cases, the media become a tool through which information about the situation is communicated. There are also situations, such as a terrorist incident, where communication with society has a special character, and decisions on when and what to communicate must be consulted with the person in charge of the actions.

The spokesperson or individuals designated for communication through the media should convey to the public information about the necessity of specific actions in a given situation and what assistance, in what size, where, when, and under what conditions the affected population can expect, as well as what actions are being taken to resolve the crisis situation.

To ensure effective communication with society through the media, it is necessary to:

• implement a previously prepared communication strategy;
• establish an internal crisis communication team, consisting of representatives of the management of the authority involved in resolving the crisis situation, the spokesperson, and experts in the relevant field. The team determines what to communicate from the perspective of the authority, remembering that the main messages are established with the spokesperson of the authority responsible for the type of crisis situation;
• regularly issue press releases, preferably at strictly defined and previously announced times, containing the latest information about the current situation. In cases that attract particularly high media interest, it is recommended to organize a press briefing, but the choice of tools depends on the development of the situation and the spokesperson's decision;
• designate a media area at the scene where journalists could report on the developments without interfering with the operations;
• identify individuals for media contact at the scene;
• invite representatives of the involved authorities or experts to participate in press conferences, depending on the issues discussed;
• ensure close cooperation between the press spokespeople of the involved authorities and services,
• monitor the media continuously, promptly refute false, inaccurate, or panic-inducing information, and if necessary, correct messages and verify the communication approach;
• in the case of a prolonged crisis requiring full activity and availability of the spokesperson, appoint deputies for the spokesperson, both from the authority responsible for the type of crisis situation and from other involved authorities and services;
• ensure 24/7 telephone contact for the media with the spokesperson (or their deputy/deputies).

As part of direct communication with society.Those designated for this purpose continuously inform the public about the necessity of specific actions in a given situation, e.g., what kind of assistance, in what amount, where, when, and under what conditions the affected population can expect, and what actions are being taken to eliminate the crisis situation. These activities should be conducted through direct communication tools, such as organizing a hotline, a permanent information point, establishing direct contact with the affected individuals and their families, or launching a dedicated website.

In most crisis situations, those responsible for public communication forget to convey information after the response phase has ended.It should be kept in mind that it is very rare for all problems to be resolved once the response phase is over. The lack of communication, especially direct communication, with the affected individuals can evoke a sense of abandonment.

Often, affected individuals then turn to the media for help, which undermines trust in public administration and may contribute to the resurgence of a crisis that was already resolved. Therefore, after the direct actions related to the crisis situation have ended, that is, in the recovery phase, it is essential to continue active communication with society,both directly and through the media, providing current information.

In media communication, it is necessary to:

• regularly provide information on how the phase of eliminating the consequences of the crisis situation is progressing and what assistance from public administration the affected individuals can expect;
• present a summary of the actions taken by various bodies involved in resolving the crisis situation to the public;
• prepare an analysis of communication efforts to improve/enhance the communication process.

In direct communication with society, those designated for this purpose should maintain (time depending on the situation) the functioning of all direct communication tools that were used during the crisis situation, such as a hotline, which should be staffed by lawyers, psychologists, sociologists, social workers, and other specialists as needed.[1].

Table 3.3.1.Warning and alerting about threats[2].

Table 3.3.2.Declaration and cancellation of an alert[3].

Table 3.3.3.Warning messages, alerts about threats[4].  

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