Speaker Spotlight 

When an emergency, disaster, or crisis occurs, leaders in any organization seek to quickly put out the "fire" with whatever resources they have at their disposal. There are hundreds of strategies, mnemonics, best practices, and training courses available to instruct us on the best ways to respond to a crisis, but many don't address the single most important element of crisis communications success: preparedness. When crisis communicators do not adequately prepare and take advantage of data and information to understand their audiences, it is akin to trying to extinguish a fire with gasoline.  

Join Christopher Tarantino, MEP CMCP, for Into the Fire: Crisis Communications Starts with Preparedness, on Wednesday, October 19, from 2-3:30 p.m. In this session, we will outline the core elements to proactive crisis communications and identify key factors needed to properly develop strategies, messaging, and resources to manage communications before, during, and after a crisis.

Mr. Tarantino has more than 10 years' experience in emergency response/management and has acted in a variety of positions across the public- and private-sector, including roles at the volunteer, local, county, state, and federal levels. Mr. Tarantino serves on the NYS Type II Incident Management Team, is as a Subject Matter Expert/Instructor for the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, a Digital Communications Specialist for FEMA, and is the Chair of the International Association of Emergency Managers' Emerging Technology Caucus. Mr. Tarantino is the Founder/CEO of Epicenter Media & Training, a company specializing in training, exercises, and support services for the integration of technology in public safety and emergency management. He has trained thousands of emergency management professionals in more than 30 different states in the U.S. and frequently speaks across North America on disaster response, emerging technology, and crisis communications.