This course is designed to provide the participant with the knowledge and skills that are necessary to effectively handle different types of disasters and crises in order to eliminate the adverse impacts of them.

After this course, the participants will be able to:

• Identify the main characteristics of disasters and crises and how they take place.
• Develop an effective capability plan to manage disasters and crises
• Properly plan and prepare for response and recovery
• Practice effective communication perm during and post disasters and crises
• Properly evaluate the organization’s performance regarding disasters and crises for continual improvement

Module One: Introduction

• Terms and definitions
• Understanding crises
• What is a crisis?
• The relationship between incidents and crises: structure and complexity
• The general characteristics of crises
• Understanding the potential origins of crises
• “Sudden” and “smoldering” crises
• How organizations can become vulnerable to crises
• How crises incubate within organizations
• Achieving higher levels of resilience
• Possible barriers to success

Module Two: Developing a Crisis Management Capability

• A framework
• Capability
• Setting the organization’s policy and direction
• Identifying roles and responsibilities
• Creating structures and processes
• Information management
• Situational awareness
• The commonly recognized information picture
• Supporting the decision-makers
• Dealing with dilemmas

Module Three: Planning and Preparing for Crisis Response and Recovery

• The crisis management plan
• Key elements of the plan
• Logistical factors
• The activities of the crisis management team
• Leadership
• Decisions in crises – key features
• Dealing with people
• Transition to recovery

Module Four: Communicating in a Crisis

• Communications strategy
• Formal and informal communications structures
• Communication methods
• Barriers to effective communication

Module Five: Evaluating Crisis Management Capability

• Training
• Exercise design considerations
• The “crisis-aware” organization

CDGA attendance certificate will be issued to all attendees completing minimum of 80% of the total course duration.