Crisis Management
Crisis Management
The challenge in Crisis Management is seldom about not having the required expertise or experience – it is recognising:
- the potential of the situation to deteriorate,
- the activation of the right resources and
- the rapid building of the information picture.
Crisis Situations limit the time that organisations have to respond. We have learnt that as a society during recent events.
Where a Crisis Situation keeps reoccurring or there is no clear internal or external strategy from an organisation, the situation can rapidly get out of control causing, sometimes, irreparable damage.
Forestall specialises in preparing teams and identifying key risk scenarios that may face our client’s organisations. We help our clients identify resources, developing them through detailed preparations, focused training and at-tempo, highly realistic exercises employing a full range of experienced resources and specialised environments.
We work with client third parties, (specialist third parties retained by our clients – legal; PR; cyber; financial; regulatory and law enforcement advisors etc.), to ensure real-world experiences in the safety of an exercise-world environment. We have developed highly responsive teams in client organisations, so that they are confident in their ability to respond to a crisis, even in a world of ever-increasing uncertainties.
We can work with client incident management, notification and communications toolsets or third-party resources as required to prepare, exercise and respond your crisis management organisation.
Contingency Planning
While Crisis Management provides an overarching structure for preparing for and responding to crisis, there are key risk scenarios that require focus-specific plans, particularly where there are both internal and external resources involved. Forestall have helped our clients develop comprehensive and bespoke plans for key risks, integrating these with client resources, procedures and systems as required. We have trained, tested and exercised client organisations, together with their 3rd party service providers, so that they gain reassurance on the focus and function of these bespoke risk plans.
We have a wide network of subject matter experts, (SMEs), that we collaborate with so that planning is primed against current and emerging risks – the dynamics and the resources that these risks may have.
Examples of risk-specific plan development we have undertaken are:
- Cyberthreat Crisis Management Planning: As one of the foremost and ever-evolving threats, we focus on preparing our clients for dealing beyond the technology impacts of Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS). We assess how embedded and 3rd party cyber threat detection and defence resources inform and interact with the business process owners. We help clients bridge the gap between the technology of cyberthreat impacts, so that they can prepare for and develop their crisis response to safeguarding customers and the business. We are experienced at connecting process and information silos so that these can be as effective as possible when a cyberthreat materialises.
- Product Withdrawal and Recall Planning: Within the food and beverage industry, where food/ product safety is paramount and systems must be practical and effective, we have developed industry and client specific plans. We collaborate with client Quality, Procurement, Production, Commercial and Logistics, ensuring that there are clear and effective structures for detection, notification, escalation and action-taking. We train, test and exercise these plans, inclusive of their integration with crisis management and continuity planning, where large scale product recall scenarios may cause significant product disruption and resupply requirements.
- Special Risk Contingency Preparation: From time to time, clients have had to deal with more immediate and direct physical threats. These can range from direct protest action, through physical threat (site/workplace targeting), to asset disruption. We have both a practical approach and experience to help clients develop effective systems and resources so that they are prepared when these risks materialise. We undertake tailored planning, training and exercising – from the ground up – so that all personnel and resources understand and are prepared to deal with these potential risks.
Crisis Response
We have extensive experience in responding to crises, supporting our clients in situations of high risk and uncertainty. We provide resources to stabilise the situation, bring clarity and support decision making to brunt the impact of the crisis. We have worked with specialists, from law enforcement, through digital and financial forensics, to legal and human resource experts. Knowing whom to call and when, while maintaining control, is key.
When your team need support from a team who have the experience to deal with immediate threats or Crisis, the team at Forestall can step in. Whether it is an unforeseen Crisis situation or a planned for Risk we can augment your response with our expertise and resources. Independence can be invaluable in these circumstances, where being immersed in in the event can restrict the organisation’s view of the overall crisis picture and alternate responses that could reduce the impact.
Crisis Simulations
Simulations are about finding out, “What will you do?” in a crisis situation.
You need a person who has responded to Crisis in real life to deliver your simulations – they really understand what is required because they have lived it.
Forestall’s founder Niall Duffy has been at the centre of real life crisis situations and brings his vital experience and expertise to this area of Crisis Situation Training and Mentoring.
Forestall Risk Management have extensive experience in developing and facilitating exercises, from onsite/ virtual table-tops through to multi-team, full-scale simulations across timelines. We work with proven crisis responders, incorporating scenario subject matter expertise as and when required. We have the resources cultivated over many years to draw together a team that fits your company’s needs. Confidentiality is an intrinsic part of preparation for Crisis and this is part of why the Forestall team are invaluable and committed to all elements of their brief including discretion.
Our team of experts have experience of leading through Crisis situations and our skilled actors will deliver as real a Crisis Simulation as you require. Niall is a skilled crisis script writer in this area and together with our curated team, we deliver exercises with a focus on detail and a capacity to remain agile as the exercise develops.
The detail is the hidden part of exercise development – getting this right is fundamental to successfully Simulating, from operations level through key third parties, to the boardroom. Any scenario we create must reflect credible risks, the impact these will have on your stakeholders, assets and reputation, your response resources and your organisation’s planning. This is how your teams gain real experience and knowledge.
Our focus on developing and delivering bespoke exercises, whether they are table-top or full simulation, remains the same. As exercises scale, we have the experience and resources to provide environments that reflect real-world experience in the safety of an exercise-world environment. Full digital and social media simulation environments, allied to experienced role-players acting to client stakeholders’ profiles, provides the high-tempo, high credibility surroundings required to ensure your organisation is crisis-ready. Our role-play panel depth and experience allow us to localise exercises to reflect national and regional languages.
All exercises, whether lower scaled or full simulation, are debriefed and after-action review reports are provided to our clients.
Let’s meet to discuss planning towards your Crisis Simulation