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9 Essential Crisis Survival Factors

Eric Dezenhall in his book, Damage Control: The Essential Lessons of Crisis Management, outlines 9 essential factors that all companies in crises tend to have.  Reading through this book, I couldn't help but think that we, in the fire service, are supposed to be the damage control/crisis experts, yet how many of our leaders, and departments lack in these 9 areas for survival.  Lately, the fire department seems to be under attack by the media.  Strengthening ourselves and our departments in these 9 critical areas, will only further our resilience to times of crisis.  This applies to the media and the fire scene.
  1. Strong leadership - with broad authority to make decisions
  2. Ignores conventional PR wisdom - do not espouse "reputation management"
  3. Flexible - able to change course when the operating climate shifts
  4. Significant resources - these are committed to crisis resolution with no guarantee of results
  5. High threshold for pain - things may get worse before they get better
  6. Thinks in terms of baby steps - as opposed to grandiose gestures
  7. Knows themselves - are honest about what actions can and cannot be sustained
  8. Exercises moral authority - doing what is right even when it seems wrong
  9. Luck - often catch unexpected breaks via God, nature, or fortune.