Crisis Communications: Being Ready When Prevention Is Not Enough
Prevention is the goal, but no destination can promise a season without incident. When a wildfire or other disaster strikes, the way your DMO communicates in the first hours shapes how the story is told and how quickly your community recovers.
Who handles each of these steps will vary from one community to the next. In some destinations, the DMO might have a central role in the response; in others, a county emergency manager, a public information officer, or a partner agency will take the lead. Use this as a guide to your role in that effort, and coordinate early so everyone speaks with one voice.
The focus here is communicating with the news media, but the same principles can also guide how you communicate with residents and visitors.
Start with a Holding or “Buy-Time” Statement
A holding statement, sometimes called a buy-time statement, is a short, pre-written message you can deliver while the details are still unknown. It does two things at once: it tells reporters you have a plan and intend to engage, and it gives you the first word in shaping how the story unfolds. Develop one for your destination now and keep it close enough to deliver almost from memory.
Use it to open the conversation, not to fill every silence. Lean on it once to signal that you are engaged and organized, then move to confirmed facts as they become available. Overusing it reads as stalling.
Fill-in-the-blank template: Keep a version like this on hand so anyone authorized to speak can deliver it in the early stages, even before the facts are clear.
My name is ________. I am [title] with [name of organization].
I can confirm that there has been an incident. [If appropriate, give limited facts related to the time, place, and nature of the incident.] We want to help you with your story. We don’t have enough information to answer your questions right now. Our spokesperson will be back in contact with you as soon as we have an update. Go to our website or our [social media] for the latest information.
A second example, ready to adapt:
We are aware of the situation in [location] and are working closely with [local fire authorities and emergency management]. The safety of our visitors, residents, and staff is our first priority. We are gathering accurate information and will share more as soon as we are able to confirm it.
Establish a Staging Area
When reporters and camera crews arrive, give them a single, clearly marked place to gather for updates and interviews. A media staging area keeps the scene organized, gives the press a predictable point of contact, and lets you manage access on your terms rather than react to it. Where you locate it matters as much as having one.
If you set up a media staging area, keep these points in mind:
Position it away from victims and their families so people are not approached during the worst moment of their lives.
Let victims and families know where the media are gathered, so anyone who wants to give an interview can choose to do so on their terms.
Do not separate the media from the areas the public can already access. Reasonable access keeps the relationship cooperative.
Know How the News Media will Behave
Reporters covering a crisis are remarkably predictable, and that predictability is an advantage. When you know the moves coming, you can prepare for them rather than react to them.
Expect the media to:
Try to get as close to the action as possible.
Talk to anyone who is willing to talk, on or off the record.
Research past incidents at or near your destination.
Seek out third-party experts to comment on cause and response.
Identify with the victims and tell the story through their eyes.
Work to establish a cause, and often, someone to blame.
Craft Your Message
Every statement you give is a chance to communicate something deliberate. A strong crisis message is built on three characteristics:
Directed to a target audience. Decide who you most need to reach, visitors on the ground, prospective visitors, residents, or partners, and speak to them.
Relevant to that audience. Lead with what matters to them, such as safety, access, and what to do next.
Tied to your brand or mission. If you are only going to get one quote into a story, make sure your destination’s name is in it.
In the moment, four building blocks cover most of what you need to say, and you can combine all of them in a single statement:
Express sympathy. Acknowledge the people affected before anything else.
Acknowledge the impact. Name what has happened plainly and honestly.
Emphasize safety. Make clear that protecting people is the priority.
Show how you are helping. Point to the concrete steps underway.
Resist the urge to point out rules that visitors or others failed to follow. That moment is for empathy, not blame, and any finger-pointing will become the story. Redirect to the people affected and the response underway.
Plan ahead for cancellations: If your destination hosts ticketed events, draft cancellation messaging now so it is ready to send the moment a decision is made.
Managing the Media Exchange
Keep this short list close. It captures the habits that protect your credibility in the moments when there is no time to think them through:
Get the facts.
If reporters contact you, deliver the Buy Time Statement and direct them to the media staging area.
Express empathy for those affected by the incident.
Avoid saying “No Comment.” Tell reporters why you can’t answer the question. “I don’t know,” “That is part of the investigation,” or “You will need to talk to [outside organization] for that.”
Be thoughtful with your words. Use clear, concise, and consistent language.
Do not speculate. Stick to confirmed facts.
Nothing is “off the record.” Assume anything you say can be quoted and reported.
Protect people’s privacy. Do not release names or personal details of those affected.
Monitor social media and consider posting updates online.
Provide regular updates.
Set Your Own Agenda
The media will arrive with an agenda already in mind. Bring your own. Going in, prepare two high-level talking points, and only two. Offering a long list lets the reporter decide which point matters most, and it may not be the one you would choose. Build out each talking point with:
Proof points. Concrete support for your message, such as the steps you have taken to prevent wildfire or what you are doing to help those affected.
Facts you will share. Decide ahead of time exactly what you will confirm and what you will hold back.
Answers to the tough questions. Anticipate what you will be asked, including the hardest questions. A useful exercise: ask yourself what questions you would ask if you were the reporter.
Avoid Saying “No-comment”
“No comment” is one of the most damaging things you can say. It suggests you are hiding something, implies guilt, signals a lack of command and control, and can even be read as confirming a fact you never meant to confirm.
When you genuinely cannot answer, say so, and say why. For example:
“We don’t know that yet, and we won’t speculate.”
“We don’t have that information at this time.”
“That question is best answered by [the agency with authority], it’s outside our purview.”
Respond to Misinformation
In a fast-moving crisis, rumors fill any space you leave empty. Stay ahead of them with a few habits:
Speak with one voice. Agree internally on who communicates and what the message is.
Communicate often, so there is no information gap for misinformation to fill.
Be transparent about what you know and what you are still confirming.
Avoid playing defense. Lead with your message rather than reacting point by point.
Say what is next, so people know when to expect more from you.
Monitor public sentiment so you can respond to what people are actually saying, and adjust as the situation changes.
From Coverage to Recovery
Crisis coverage tends to move through four stages. Knowing where you are helps you anticipate what comes next:
The crisis itself. Coverage focuses on what happened.
Focus on the victims. The story turns to the people affected.
Placing blame. Attention shifts to cause and responsibility.
Resolution. If this is your crisis, this is where you step in to acknowledge what happened, offer an apology, and explain what you are doing to prevent it from happening again. Handle the apology thoughtfully: people want accountability, and you need to be careful and measured about accepting responsibility.
When the immediate emergency passes, your communications shift from response to recovery. Move at the pace of your community:
Be sensitive to your community and read the room before resuming promotional messaging.
Give victims time to grieve.
Honor those who were lost, hurt, or affected.
Set expectations for what recovery will look like and how long it may take.
Lean toward the positive as the community is ready to hear it.
Prepare before you need it
The single most valuable thing a DMO can do with this guidance is act on it now, while there is no crisis. Draft your holding statement, decide who speaks for your destination, pre-write cancellation messaging for your events, and keep it all somewhere your team can reach in minutes. When something does happen, you will be communicating from a plan instead of scrambling to build one.
The insights above were gathered at a crisis communications workshop led by the Colorado Tourism Office and Rockford Gray Consulting, and adapted for Colorado DMOs.