CARE-ing

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Response

We often think of crisis management as used in the work environment, but really it can be applied almost anywhere. The volunteers from the Fountain Hills-based CARE/FH team, a crisis response unit for traumatized victims, are more than familiar with the term. A quote from an interview with co-founder Victoria Caltabiano in the Arizona Republic sums it up.

Caltabiano and a team of 10 volunteers try to soften the blow. They provide phone numbers to call and places to visit to boost a victim’s chance of recovery.

“They have to make decisions at a time when not only can they not function to make the decision, but they’re not ready for it,” Caltabiano said.

The volunteers, who utilize an operations “bible,” a manual full of operating procedures for any possible situation, credit much of their success to preparation and training. Now celebrating their second successful year, the CARE team is a fine example of crisis management being put to good use.

JB

Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com