Dear Simon,
It’s an interesting topic 
. A few more comments on yr OP regarding difference between crisis management (CM), emergency response (ER), business continuity plan (BCP).
FWIW, SQF seems (it’s not 100% clear) to place the BCP at the top of the tree with “Crisis Management” elements below and Emergency Response not present as a specific component.
I saw these "definitions" in the general sphere –
Crisis vs Emergency
(1) There is a difference between an emergency and a crisis. An “emergency” is defined as a sudden, unexpected event requiring immediate action to protect people, the environment or property. Examples include fires, natural disasters, or chemical spills. Emergencies are handled by “first responders” such as fire departments and Freescale Emergency Response Teams.
A “crisis” is much broader event, with a larger impact. It may be sudden and unexpected, or it may develop over a period of time. A crisis is defined as an event which, if not handled in an appropriate manner, may have a major negative impact on the company’s profitability or reputation. Examples include major emergencies, human resource issues, ethical issues, product safety issues, civil unrest or third-party attacks. Crisis events typically require actions by multiple departments, communications to employees and other stakeholders, and a response to both the short-term and long-term impacts of an event
(2) Understanding the difference between emergency and crisis is a critical factor in managing both. Defining the exact difference in a generic sense is not easy because a crisis for a small organization may be appropriately handled as an emergency for a larger one. Each organization should have its own criteria for defining when an emergency might become a crisis, and the transition from emergency response to crisis incident management is one of the more hazardous elements in management.
In the above type of scenarios, BC is typically not on top and may even be regarded as within the Crisis Management Plan, eg see this (other) forum conversation -
(3) Looking for differences between crisis & emergency
What are the differences between a crisis management plan and an emergency response plan? It seems that both can be used interchangeably. Please advise. Thank you.
Jack
Looking for differences between crisis & emergency
An Emergency Response plan is designed to address response orientated issues such as: life, health, safety, evacuation, floor warden, emergency notification, etc. Consider it an OSHA type of plan required for any organization having 11 or more individuals.
A Crisis Management Plan is more comprehensive in nature in that it is a singular plan that addresses: response, recovery, and resumption of business. It could be considered more akin to a Business Continuity Plan or a Continuity of Operations Plan.
Norm Koehler
Looking for differences between crisis & emergency
To Norm's fine definition, I would add that crisis management is often typically an executive level activity, particularly in cases where the reputation of the enterprise, as perceived by its marketplace and stockholders, may be at issue. At this level, the people directly accountable for the enterprise can gather, weigh the issues at hand, and make the necessary, and often tough strategic and tactical decisions. Crisis is not a time for buck-passing.
grewjac
Looking for differences between crisis & emergency
It doesn't really matter what each of US thinks the difference is, it matters what your organization thinks. Try though we might, we don't have a standard on this stuff so every company, agency, etc. has defined them differently.
Tess
Looking for differences between crisis & emergency
> Tess:
Your reply brings up an aspect I hadn't considered: the variability in roles we play as practitioners. I am a contingency planning consultant, currently on contract to a large client. They have me here because they perceive their need for my knowledge is temporary, and that's how they funded it. In this role, I can assert my position as "resident expert" and establish what the definitions are, to the extent they haven't been defined by my client already.
For an in-house practitioner, the freedom to define the terminology is dependent upon the employer's willingness to let him/her be the "resident expert." (BTW, this is where having a certification, though not selling your wares, has merit.)
All that said, in either circumstance, I will always attempt to persuade the adoption of DRII/DRJ definitions, the premise being that deriving benefit from "best practices" and lessons learned is made easier if a "common language" is used. When you read many articles in business continuity, the misuse of terminology is, at once, confusing and irritating, and makes the task of applying the practices being expounded upon more difficult.
grewjac
Looking for differences between crisis & emergency
Unfortunately, in my experience at least, that's exactly what happens. The company has the wording of the last "expert", and that may or may not match with what is currently in vogue. That last expert might be 3 consultants back, might be the guy who is now the manager of something else, etc. so the ability to shift the name may just not be a battle that can be won. On the other hand, in a lot of companies they may not care one bit what you call it since managment isn't engaged anyway.
Ah, the joys of our jobs eh?
Tess
Sources(1)
h07 - Freescale Crisis Management Plan.pdf 154.81KB
751 downloads(2)
h08 - Crisis Management - Relational model PRR.pdf 114.43KB
706 downloads(3)
http://www.drj.com/f...c.php?f=7&t=173 I guess the reality is that there are so many hierarchies / permutations in use, it’s really just a personal choice.
PS - BTW, as you may well know, there is a British Standard for Business Continuity Plan (BS 25999) and also a new (2011) PAS 200 document for Crisis Management. Plus one book on Crisis Management specifically oriented to Food (Colin Doeg).
PPS an example of the (SQF 2000) contents list for a BCP which included the CM function within it is here -
http://www.ifsqn.com...dpost__p__43237Charles
