EHCMA to hold crisis communications workshop for public information officers in April

In a region that’s home to hundreds of petrochemical manufacturers, refiners and related businesses, it’s impossible to overemphasize the importance of timely and effective crisis communications. That’s why the East Harris County Manufacturers Association (EHCMA) is hosting a crisis communications workshop on April 28.

The workshop is open to all EHCMA member companies, with other attendees representing Harris County, municipal groups, local emergency planners, Texas Chemical Council, American Chemistry Council, and crisis communications professionals. The event will be held at San Jacinto College’s Center for Petrochemical, Energy and Technology in Pasadena.

“Improving crisis communications is one of EHMCA’s critical goals for 2022,” says EHCMA Executive Director MaryJane Mudd. “Part of our strategy to achieve this is to provide basic information for non-traditional PIOs – particularly in our smaller to mid-size members – to better understand the responsibilities of those serving in the PIO role in an emergency situation.”

Participants can look forward to a fast-paced and informative day that starts with remarks by County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, a discussion about building better relationships between industry and municipalities; and a two-phase interactive response drill that addresses the key elements of crisis communications when an incident occurs.

“We really appreciate the grant from Shell to help make the workshop a reality,” Mudd says. “It further demonstrates Shell’s long-standing commitment to our communities by expanding emergency response capabilities.”