BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL May 3, 2011 -- Leveraging Israel's experience in dealing with crises on a daily basis, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researcher, Dr. Zvi Reich, has launched a new online tool to help and evaluate and improve crisis preparedness and emergency communications.
Reich and his colleagues from several European Universities have developed the Crisis Communication Scorecard to help public authorities improve their communication before, during and after emergencies or disasters. The free online tool is available on the website www.crisiscommunication.fi
The Crisis Communication Scorecard is based on academic research comprised of reviews of the most recent literature in the field as well as empirical studies on stakeholder expectations, media relations and cooperation between crisis responders.
Dr. Reich, who headed the Israeli team, explains, "During crises, effective communication with the public becomes a matter of life or death, and the capacity to do so becomes a national security resource. Therefore, it's critical to equip the spokespeople with effective tools, such as this one which is largely based on Israeli experience, which will enable them to coordinate with the medical and rescue services."
The online audit tool offers:
The measurement instrument is intended for authorities such as rescue services, the police and healthcare, as well as municipalities and other kinds of organizations responsible for crisis management.
The research project "Developing a crisis scorecard" which led to the website launch has been funded as part of the European Community's Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 217889.
About American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision, creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. With some 20,000 students on campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boqer and Eilat in Israel's southern desert, BGU is a university with a conscience, where the highest academic standards are integrated with community involvement. AABGU is headquartered in Manhattan and has nine regional offices throughout the U.S. For more information, visit www.aabgu.org .