APCO Launches Emergency Response Offering to Complement Leading Crisis Communications Capabilities

Builds on Extensive Experience with Rail, Aviation, Petrochemical and Mine Safety Emergencies

Washington (July 30, 2015) – APCO Worldwide launched today its global emergency response offering, APCO ER, to better serve clients facing significant crisis events that require dedicated and immediate emergency response capabilities.

APCO ER builds on the company’s award-winning crisis communications, stakeholder engagement and social media capabilities to provide a team of trained communications first responders who are available to activate within 60 minutes of being notified of an emergency situation and capable of setting up a communications function within 60 minutes of arriving at the scene of an incident.

“When a material crisis happens today, news of the incident travels around the world in minutes, often first on social media before being covered by reporters,” said Brad Staples, CEO of APCO Worldwide. “Clients need a team of first responder communicators who quickly establish on-scene operations to implement the crisis plan and handle the communications overload that follows any crisis, and the scale of a full service agency to sustain engagement for days or weeks. Our dedicated team of APCO ER communications professionals train with the mindset of first responders. They deploy quickly and are experienced in setting up communications functions in challenging environments and weather conditions with the support and scale of a global team that applies local knowledge and experience to our clients’ most significant challenges.”

APCO ER’s experts include practitioners with firsthand experience responding to railroad derailments; chemical emergencies and evacuations; aviation disasters; incidents involving petrochemicals and oil spills; pipeline emergencies and explosions; and weather-related and marine emergencies. They are supported by and fully integrated into APCO’s global crisis team, which supports and sustains incident response capabilities for weeks. The team has significant experience practicing within the National Incident Management (NIMS) structure as well as in staffing Joint Information Centers (JICs).

APCO ER also has experience helping clients plan for material crises by simulating real-life emergencies and practicing how they can integrate seamlessly with the company’s first responders. The team works regularly with corporate first responders as well as other subject matter experts such as industrial hygienists, risk specialists, and air and water quality experts to help accurately convey complex scientific data to a broad spectrum of impacted persons.

“When people and families have been evacuated, or displaced as a result of an incident or emergency, they should expect reliable, verifiable information, about how to get help, and when the situation will improve,” said Mike Hotra, global practice lead for APCO ER and deputy managing director of the firm’s Washington, D.C., headquarters. “Immediate, authentic, informative and transparent communications and collaboration with all parties involved can help improve incident response, provide clarity, minimize disruptions, and provide critical information and needed assistance to displaced persons.”

For more information about APCO ER, please visit apcoworldwide.com/content/emergency-response or contact ER@apcoworldwide.com.