EMS Magazine Monthly Insider for December
Listen this month as PIO Josh Weiss and paramedic Sandra Williams of Southwest Ambulance share their insight on communicating with co-workers and family members in the event of a company tragedy. They share two poignant perspectives; Josh, as the member responsible for communications when tragedy struck their own company, and Sandy, as one of the victims of the tragedy.
On April 28, 2004, a Southwest ambulance was transporting a patient without lights or sirens. EMT Tammy Mundell was driving when the ambulance was struck head-on by a dump truck. Tammy, who was eight months pregnant, was killed, along with her unborn child. Sandy, who was riding in the back, was seriously injured. Their coworkers were the first to arrive on the scene. Alerted to the accident, news helicopters broadcast live coverage and television ground crews arrived soon after.
In the event of a tragedy, a company should have separate crisis communications plans for the media, the deceased victim’s family, those who are injured and their families, and the workforce as a whole, Josh writes in his December article, “Best Practices: Communicating Internally During a Tragedy.”
Listen to the podcast to learn more about Josh and Sandy’s experiences, and how they hope to prepare others to come through future tragedies.