EMERGENCY PUBLIC INFORMATION: BUILDING AND MAINTAINING AN EFFECTIVE JOINT INFORMATION CENTER

摘要

Timely and accurate release of information is a fundamental requirement of any government public affairs program. The ability to carry out this requirement becomes critical when a crisis or emergency arises. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO), as administrator of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), has a policy to quickly communicate information about emergency events that could impact public and employee health and safety, and the environment. This policy is driven by DOE Order 151.1, Comprehensive Emergency Management, and is implemented through the CBFO Emergency Public Information Program’s Joint Information Center. This paper discusses the challenges faced and actions taken at CBFO to build its emergency public information program. Today, WIPP is open and the project operates a very effective Joint Information Center. In 2000, the CBFO Emergency Public Information Program passed a critical audit by DOE’s Office of Independent Oversight and Performance Assurance, and the Joint Information Center was successfully activated twice in response to actual events.