Avoiding Panic: Learning from Planning and Preparedness in Earthquake and Tsunami Zones, plus Dark Humour | Host Tim Conrad, APR, with guest Dorit Mason

Tim Conrad (00:06):

And one day she discovered that she was fierce and strong and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears. Mark Anthony. There are times during crisis and emergencies when you need just the right person at the right time, and if the world allows it, they show up. This is what happened to me several years ago, and in a matter of one week, we moved mountains to prepare for whatever was next. This included significant evacuations, more structure, losses, potential loss of life, all the way to reentry and recovery. When I was in public relations school, I first heard the saying, a failure to plan is a plan to fail. It is during emergencies that I realized how important the planners were to avoiding failure. They need to predict the future plan for multiple scenarios and know what the impacts may be. Dorit Mason, along with her colleagues, demonstrated that a plan isn't made hidden in a room. It is created by talking to many in and around emergency operations and developing a full understanding of what could happen from there. Plans were made, calm was captured. I'm your host, Tim Conrad. Welcome back for the second season of the Wildfires, floods and Chaos Communications podcast with the third episode of this season and this week's guest, Dorit Mason.

(01:26):

Welcome, Dorit. It's great to see you. We met in 2017 when you joined the Cariboo Regional District to lead a big planning effort. And first off, tell us about the role of planning in emergency operations or the EOC.

Dorit Mason (01:42):

Well, Tim, first of all, it's been great to see you again. It has been a long time. And the planning section within the Emergency Operations Center is really, we can classify them as the thinkers, but they're the ones that are actually collecting information, situational information that can be shared throughout the emergency operation center. They're thinking about what could happen in the future, creating plans. They're managing documentation, they're managing briefing sessions and really bringing together and actually supporting every other section within the emergency operation center.

Tim Conrad (02:19):

And so a lot of work starts there, right? That's kind of when the order is given to get something done. Planning kind of takes over at that point, isn't that right?

Dorit Mason (02:29):

Yeah. Everything that we do within the Emergency Operation Center supports the activities in the fields. So when there is a decision to evacuate, the planning section creates those plans with input from operations, but it really provides that guide map for operations to implement.

Tim Conrad (02:48):

Yeah, it's a very important role in the EOC. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience? Back in 2017, you roll into Williams Lake, it's the middle of things. I think you were in the early part of August, if I remember correctly. And it was pretty chaotic at that point. I know, just thinking back, we had about 200 and 220 ish of wildfires going at that particular point in time, over a hundred evacuations I believe, at that point. And it was very intense. So tell me what your experience in that first bit of time that you were there.

Dorit Mason (03:27):

When I arrived, the fires were out, but we ended up doing a tour and I can still remember how hot the ground was, the chard branches and everything. It was hot. And what our role was was to safely help get people back into those areas. And when you have an evacuation, you can't actually let people in right away. You have to make sure that hydro is safe and if there's gas, that that's safe, that there's no contamination everywhere. And so the planning section, we actually ended up having to think about what are those hazards? How do we get those people in? And then you actually have to stage how people come in. So it's not, you just don't open the gates. You actually have to plan that. And that's what the planning section is really important for.

Tim Conrad (04:18):

Yeah, absolutely. And you say the fires were out, those were just, if I remember correctly, I remember taking you guys around. It was down the, what was White Rock Lake, white Rock Lake, something like that, east and west and Spoken Lake. And there was one other one we popped by too. I just can't remember which one it was. But those ones were out. The other ones were still, they burnt until winter, a bunch of them, correct. So it was a very long summer, but those fires that we went to see the area around those had caused the most damage in that area that summer. Yeah, so quite significant. I believe the strongest thinkers in the room must be in the planning role. And you mentioned that earlier about that it does require the thinkers. And I quickly discovered that you have this skill in the first meeting with you and Tim, big Tim, he was known as, and I knew we were in good hands. So can you tell me what qualities make up a good planner in the EOC,

Dorit Mason (05:22):

You have to actually have a little bit of that long range thinking as well as short range thinking. And you need to be aware of all the different hazards and risks that it's a bit of a risk assessment role and it's analyzing what could go wrong, what is needed, what about the logistics? Do we have the resources in making the plans around there? It's a bit of chess in some ways, chess with a natural hazard. And then as you get the situational awareness that's there at that time, the information you actually have to pivot and adjust those plans to respond to the environment as it's changing.

Tim Conrad (06:09):

And that was one of our biggest challenges that summer was I remember we had to meet multiple plans for a lot of different things because we just didn't know quite how things were going to roll in some cases and how the rest of the summer was going. I mean, when we reached that point early August, we were not even halfway through our season at that point. And a lot of time left ultimately to go. When you think about somebody in the planning role, what type of person and what kind of person would you look for to put in that role?

Dorit Mason (06:40):

I would look for somebody that can remain calm. Certainly anyone that comes into the Emergency operations center has to be able to stabilize their emotions because you have a task to do. The other thing that the planner has to do is actually be very organized and be able to work with a lot of different balls up in the air at that time. And so organizational skills, that ability to do some risk assessments and just again, back to organizing and creating those different scenarios and plans to support the field operations.

Tim Conrad (07:22):

Yeah, and it's quite a bit of, I enjoy, I always watch the planning group working. I watch all of the works because usually as the information role, we're in a pretty visible spot in the room. And so you can kind of watch what everybody's doing, hear what's going on. And I love particularly planning and logistics are my two favorites to listen to and what they're up to and what's going on. It gives you a sense of where things are going and where the challenges are before they get to us in information when we have to start to communicate with people. So yeah, it's a really, really important role.

Dorit Mason (07:55):

Well, and Tim actually, there is a connection between planning and information because planning is creating these ways of actually responding and yet there's a communications component in there. And so there is that close synergy communications. The information officer role definitely needs to hear what's happening in planning. They also provide input into that.

Tim Conrad (08:21):

Yeah, absolutely. And that's key, I think. Great that you brought that up, because we do have a sense of what is going on in the community because we're engaging with the community and residents. We're also part of a lot of responder groups, so we're communicating constantly with other agencies and getting information from them. So we actually have really a ton of information coming into us at all times. And so we can help to inform that. And that was something I remember, we had lots of discussions over that and often over supper after hours was when we were kind of filling in the blanks there. So

Dorit Mason (08:59):

I just love to raise, one of the things that I learned from you was the daily briefings that you did with the wildfire service. It was fantastic because it's so important, even when you're in the planning section or any other area within the emergency operation center that you're communicating to the residents that have been impacted, those that are evacuated, those that just want to know what's going on. And I really appreciated you doing those interviews and having the source provide that information. It is the true source and residents would come to listen to what your online presentations were. So it was really good.

Tim Conrad (09:44):

And I'll tell you, it worked out so well for us. We were one of the first to really ever do that.

Dorit Mason (09:52):

And

Tim Conrad (09:53):

We really had, unfortunately because of the length of the emergency that year being 70 seventies, we had lots of time to work and refine. And we actually reached a million views with those videos, which is kind of crazy given that we were serving a population, I think around 60, 66,000 at the time. And yeah, it was crazy. And I still walk into spots in the Cariboo and people walk up to me and introduce themselves and they of course recognize me. I'll have to get hugs. That's one thing that's really cool. And they're just like, you were part of the, I heard from a woman last summer, she said you were part of our supper table every night. And so between Emily and I, we were the two main hosts and it was just a cool experience. But one of the other stories I liked was I came down to Camloops to fly out one time and there was a fellow I got on the plane and of course I'm dead tired, I'm wanting to go home and get some rest.

(10:51):

And I was living back in Alberta then, and I get on the plane and this guy's sitting next to me, he says, I know who you are. And I'm like, oh, damn, it just didn't but did do wrong. And ended up having a great conversation. He was a helicopter mechanic and had an amazing conversation with him about his experience through the summer and what had gone on. And yeah, it was just a really neat, and so you don't realize how much you become part of people's lives when you're doing those sorts of things. So thanks for bringing that up. That's really

Dorit Mason (11:22):

Cool. Creates that sense of comradery.

Tim Conrad (11:28):

Hey there, I have a special offer for you. Jump over to www.canadiantraining.ca and subscribe to our newsletter, receive discounts and early access to our new training platform, which will launch this fall. What's more valuable is we will send Canadian training.ca subscribers, free guides, checklists and more that you can use in your homework or volunteer roles, Canadian training.ca, learning from mistakes, someone should sign up now for those free resources. So you also have a background in transit, airports and local government. Nothing unique there dot, and what is unique is that you've always worked in the Vancouver area and that's an earthquake zone and as proven by a 6.4 magnitude shaker off the coast of Totino on July 11th, which was a pretty good one. And so I'm just curious, what do listeners need to know if they're called to help with an earthquake?

Dorit Mason (12:29):

Well, first of all, I would like to do a little public service announcement and get people to actually think about how to prepare for any emergency. So everyone needs to be personally prepared. They need to have a plan, they need to know who relies on them, has supplies. And the most important thing is you have that because if you're on your own when the earthquake hits, you're going to be on your own. That's one of the messages that we've, as in local government always were trying to communicate out, is that the resources are going to be very, very stretched during an emergency, especially in earthquake. And so you'll be on your own. So have those kits, have those supplies once that happens, take care of yourself, take care of your family. There are some workers that are essential. So essential workers, hospital workers, we need them to get into work as quickly as possible. You might end up just being a citizen or a resident in an area which has had damage. You may need to go and help your neighbors. We have to help each other during these events. And Tim, I think even in the wildfires, earthquakes, any emergency, you see neighbors starting to help each other. You see the volunteerism coming up. But one of the things is make sure that everything you do is safe.

Tim Conrad (13:52):

Yeah, absolutely. That's so important. You don't need to, if the folks out there that have never been an emergency responder, so fire paramedics, police, one of the biggest things that you get as a message is not to become the patient to make sure that you're not adding to the problem. So it's always important to make sure that you are thinking your own safety before you jump into something else. And that's often hard in the moment to do that. So what sorts of things do those that come to help with an earthquake need to think

Dorit Mason (14:31):

About? So often local governments will ask for volunteers, and it's important to know that you have the capability to help make sure that you don't start to get in the way of the responders. We all want to help, but sometimes it is having to stand back a little bit, help your neighbors listen to what the local governments need for that type of support. So I don't want to say don't come and volunteer. Everyone's going to want to volunteer, but really be cognizant of what is needed out there and the local governments will ask you for your help.

Tim Conrad (15:13):

Yeah, absolutely. And so what do you think for someone like me that I have a lot of emergency experience doing lots of other things. I've never done an earthquake, so what would I need to know as a responder if I was coming to help out in the emergency management side of things and doing the role that I normally do as a public information officer?

Dorit Mason (15:33):

Well, we would probably love to take you on as a volunteer because having communications is really important. But in an earthquake, things that you need to be aware of is that there's aftershocks. You could have the initial collapse of buildings or infrastructure and aftershocks come and they change the environment. So it is an ongoing hazardous environment. So again, Tim, if you were to come and volunteer or others, you need to think about your safety. You need to follow the directions of the officials that are helping to coordinate the volunteers and just really making sure that we contribute in a safe way, but also one that is supporting the response not against it. There's some examples in the Canterbury, Christchurch earthquake where they had the volunteer student army come out and they were essentially a group of students that were strong physical arms. They could move sand wherever they wanted to, but they ended up counterbalancing or getting in the way of the responders. And so the volunteers do need to become part of that emergency operation center, respond and working together not in conflict with the responders.

Tim Conrad (17:00):

Yeah, absolutely. So I've been a visitor in earthquake zones like many other people I've been to spots like San Francisco or along the west coast of British Columbia. And you can see directions on road signs and buildings and airports. And whenever you're visiting a spot, you kind of see some sort of information to help you get ready for the potential of an earthquake. And these include everything from what to do at that site if there's an earthquake, the evacuation routes and if there's a tsunami threat in the area. So while that may stress some people, to me it's calming to show that there is a plan, there's something there. And can you tell us more about some of those things that people would see in an earthquake zone when they're visiting?

Dorit Mason (17:52):

So you mentioned tsunami warning signage. We know that on the west coast of Vancouver Island, if there is a mega thrust earthquake, so that's that big one, the coastal communities have around 15 to 20 minutes before a tsunami would end up coming to shore. And so the coastal communities have actually identified those higher areas where you would want to evacuate to. And the signage, the tsunami signage points you in that direction. And so if you ever go to visit some of those communities, make yourself aware of what the hazards are. If you are in a tsunami zone, understand where the evacuation point is and if you feel the earth move during an earthquake event, don't stay and gather your things and actually move quickly to that evacuation zone. And you'll see a lot of other people that are going there in Japan, they practice this all the time. And a lot of people survived in that recent earthquake because they ended up having such strong planning and exercising and they moved to the evacuation zones.

Tim Conrad (19:10):

It really quite tremendous. I very much observed the year that the Fukushima disaster happened around that earthquake, and I had a few friends that I was helping to deliver information to them. And it was just fascinating looking at how they as a culture prepare and live with earthquakes on a regular basis. So really interesting. And I do want to just really jump on a point that you said, these roots that you go and something that I did. So I am obviously somebody that wants to be prepared for whatever. And so when I was visiting Tofino with my family for the first time, we saw the evacuation routes and so we got ourselves settled at the campsite and I was like, let's go for a drive. I want to see where I actually have to drive if I had to, that's

Dorit Mason (19:55):

Great

Tim Conrad (19:56):

Because I've never been here before and it was a little bit of a windy route, but it was well marked and I understood where to go. So I felt like it was a good spot and actually had a nice view when I got there. So it was great from that perspective. So it's good to do those little things to make sure that you're that little bit extra ready. So

Dorit Mason (20:18):

I have to ask you, Tim, you go to a hotel, do you ever go walk down the fire, exit down the

Tim Conrad (20:24):

Stairs? Yes, I do. Yeah, I tend to,

Dorit Mason (20:27):

Me too.

Tim Conrad (20:30):

I tend to use the stairs anyway, but I will, I think it's the firefighter in me. I can usually tell you where the exits are, where the fire extinguisher, if there's a hose, and the fire alarm pull station is when I first walk in. So that is something that I just kind of automatically do. And if I can't figure it out sometimes like you stay at a hotel like the Empress in Victoria, it's a little bit of a maze. It's kind of neat to go for a walk and see it. Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, no, it's important part I think. And I'm just curious. Sometimes for me, I'm a little bit weird that way, but I suppose, but it is really interesting. So I'm curious as to what we could adapt from earthquakes to other emergencies such as wildfires and floods, no signs for wildfires, there's none for floods, and yeah, what do you think we could maybe adopt there?

Dorit Mason (21:26):

Well, we often think of earthquake as the big overarching hazard that we have to respond to because not only do you have potential building collapse, you might have hazardous material spills, you might have fires that end up happening, fuel spills, et cetera. So you actually can learn a lot and prepare for other hazards through planning for an earthquake. It is that big event that has pieces that we actually need to prepare for. So evacuation planning ends up happening, the crisis communications, it's just a little tweak to what you're doing when you're responding to different hazards. So the earthquake hazard, when you're planning for that, it actually sets you up for a lot of different hazards that you end up needing to respond and plan for.

Tim Conrad (22:27):

Hello to our listeners in Saudi Arabia and listeners in these cities. Caslow, British Columbia, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Adelaide, Australia, south Work, England, Rome, Italy. Thank you for listening to our podcast. We have a global audience with listeners in over 30 countries and nearly 300 cities. Wherever you listen, whether it's Spotify, iTunes or Amazon Music, please subscribe and give us a review. Of course, please share with a friend by sending them communications podcast.com where you can also sign up for our newsletter. It's fascinating too that we do so well at earthquake pre communication those signs and those things of what to do. But we don't do anything for events like localized flooding that happens regularly and low and below. You'll always see a vehicle underwater below an underpass or a low lying area. And it's kind of strange that we don't do something to say, Hey, this area's a flood zone when it's we get a flash flood or something like that.

(23:31):

And a little strange, but so it's widely known that people who work for emergencies often have a little bit of a darker side of humor, and it's our way of dealing with stress. And when you work large emergencies, you see lots of people come through EOCs and you're kind of busy, and so you don't have much time to get to know people. But we didn't take long you and I to get to know each other. And I think both we're both, even though it's maybe not showing right now. We're a little hyper energetic and a little fast moving, we think pretty rapidly. And credit to A DHD for me for sure. And this is the dark part is coffee

(24:17):

Me. Yeah. So here's the dark part is there, there's a great coffee shop right next to the Cariboo Emergency Operation Center, but I never drink coffee, I just don't like taste of coffee. And they have these great treats though, and dot returns one day with these bag of chocolate coffee beans and begs me to have some to see if I might, I guess, turn into Sonic the Hedgehog. And Tim, if he's listening out there at least pretended to worry about what may happen because there is the A DHD and it's dialed pretty high at that point in time. So anyway, all of this to say what are ways that we can bring humor into emergencies and why is it so important? Because that one, obviously that one stuck with me. I've always laughed at that. And my son has a DHD, and when he was diagnosed, I was up in the Cariboo and I brought him back a bag of those chocolate coffee beans to give to 'em. So just as a joke to pass it along.

Dorit Mason (25:23):

Oh, Tim, these events, when you respond to an emergency, they can be so incredibly stressful and it impacts psychological health of the responders and also of the people that are impacted and the amount of stress that builds up. Humor is actually one way to alleviate that stress. And I think as I mentioned before, it creates comradery between the people that are responding and this connection. And we as humans need that. And laughter helps you get through a lot of things. And you're right, sometimes it is black humor and you do not want people to hear what you're laughing about, but it is a way to relieve that incredible stress. People might be dying, people are losing their homes, and it is so distressing that the laughter can sometimes break through and allow you to keep going.

Tim Conrad (26:29):

Yeah, that's it, right? It, it's hard to imagine what that stress level is like. I remember that week that you were there, it was intense, very intense. As we were getting ready for what was to come, and we weren't as frantic in that particular week. We had a period of two weeks after that that was really frantic and thanks to your plans. It wasn't as frantic though, to be honest. We had an idea of what we needed to do. It was just the speed at which we were doing things and yeah, we were always doing funny little things. I might remember one fellow, Phil with Modi, one of his things was he would put on a dust mask and then he would be on the outside of this one window and then just zombie out there in the evening some. So it just spooked some of us

Dorit Mason (27:20):

Silly things.

Tim Conrad (27:21):

I mean, just ridiculous stuff. And you have to keep that humor. And I think it's important if people ever hear that, and I know it can seem insensitive sometimes, but it's like put yourself in the people's shoes that they're in because they're going through a lot right now themselves, and this is their way of that one split moment where they can actually have a little bit of laughter and have a different emotion rather than just stress.

Dorit Mason (27:45):

Stress and sadness. Sometimes

Tim Conrad (27:47):

Anger

Dorit Mason (27:49):

And all of the emotions the responders are going through that as are the evacuees and those people that are impacted.

Tim Conrad (27:57):

Absolutely. It's a lot. And yeah, you're right, it's a lot on your mind. I mean, you touch on the sadness and I don't think people realize how much sadness that someone has that even like myself, I'm not from Williams Lake, but when you're talking to people on the phone every day and meeting them in person and hearing their stories, it is hard. And so you want to get through that and those people help you too. There was a wonderful joke from one woman that we went out to see and she not had a good run and life recently, and things were all going bad, and then her hosts partially burnt down and she made just a phenomenal joke in front of everyone that was just perfect. And there were people there that some of the media were there and they started crying because it was just so much, even what they had seen, it allowed them that moment to let go. And so it went from humor to crying and it was a really special moment.

Dorit Mason (28:57):

Bit of catharsism allowing that to happen.

Tim Conrad (29:01):

Yeah, absolutely. You got to allow it to happen. Yeah. Alright, so next up are three quicker questions I'm supposed to have quicker answers to. So are you ready?

Dorit Mason (29:13):

Okay, I'll try.

Tim Conrad (29:14):

Okay. Okay. Alright. What is one book, documentary or resource that you can recommend for those Learning about crises and emergency management?

Dorit Mason (29:22):

Although it's a little bit older, I would suggest CBC's Fault Lines. It's from 2016, but it's a great overarching thing on earthquakes and the response.

Tim Conrad (29:34):

Excellent. Great one. That one is not one I don't think I've seen, so I will go and catch that one myself. So awesome. What advice could you give information officers or communicators managing crisis or emergencies that would help them do their job better?

Dorit Mason (29:48):

Oh, when people are in stress, they can't hear you, so keep it simple. Use action words that are positive, such as stay calm, don't say don't panic, because people will panic. So keep it very clear and action oriented and concise.

Tim Conrad (30:10):

Excellent. And how do you maintain your mental wellbeing during the most intense response moments?

Dorit Mason (30:18):

This is critical for everyone. Our psychological health is really important. I would say take a deep breath. You're going to be running off your feet all the time, every once in a while, take a deep breath and drink some water.

Tim Conrad (30:37):

Yeah, absolutely. And I'll add that we probably had a milkshake the one time I think was what the choice was when we were drink something. Yeah, exactly. But we did, if you remember, we went to that diner and it was kind of time off and we made a choice to not talk about work while we were there and just have some fun and take that moment because it had been a really intense week. So yeah, thanks so much. Dot, it's been great to chat with you. I really appreciate you joining me and sharing your incredible wisdom. I mean, I have such respect for you and the work that you do. I got to see so much of it up in Williams Lake back in 2017, and we stayed in touch since. Thank you for joining me for an episode of Wildfires, floods and Chaos Communications and Side of Earthquake.

Dorit Mason (31:29):

Thanks, Tim. It's great to see you and all the best to you and your listeners.

Tim Conrad (31:37):

Thank you for listening. I really appreciate you taking the time to learn from us. Do you have suggestions for a guest or a topic or maybe some feedback? You can write to us communicationspodcast.com where you can also leave a review wherever you listen, whether it's Spotify, iTunes, or Amazon Music, please subscribe and share with a colleague or friend. Remember, we also have a newsletter that will give you more information and we put up transcripts, links, and information from our podcast on our website. Thank you for joining the Wildfires, floods and Chaos Communications podcast. If you like this episode, check out season one, episode five with Kendra Stoner communicationspodcast.com. Goodbye, hear me later.