TCIP #060 – Managing The Fort McMurray Wildfire Crisis, With Jordan Redshaw

The Horse River Wildfire that took place in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, in May 2016, was unprecedented in Canadian history. Eighty-eight thousand people needed to be evacuated in the span of only a few hours, for a month-long evacuation. This wildfire was so catastrophic that its economic impact actually impacted Canada’s GDP.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jordan Redshaw, one of the communications managers with the recovery task force at the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (a.k.a. Fort McMurray), to discuss his experience in being one of only two people responsible for communicating with the Fort McMurray community, to help 88,000 people evacuate safely. Throughout this conversation, Jordan generously shares his biggest lessons and takeaways from this experience. It’s an insightful and engaging conversation that I know you’ll enjoy!

This episode of The Crisis Intelligence Podcast discusses: The crisis communication strategies Jordan and his team used to effectively evacuate 88,000 people in only a few hours. How Jordan and his team leveraged monitoring tools to help expand the reach of their crisis communications. The biggest lessons Jordan learned while managing this crisis. The after effects that this crisis had on both those who were part of the emergency management and the community at large. Jordan’s tips for being crisis ready for emergency management situations within your own community.

Running time: 47:20

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In this episode, I mention a previous episode of The Crisis Intelligence Podcast, where Garth Rowan and I discussed the management of this crisis as it unfolded. Listen to this podcast here.

Connect with Melissa and Jordan About host, Melissa Agnes

Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in This Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks.

Learn more about Melissa Agnes
Follow Melissa on Twitter: @melissa_agnes

About guest, Jordan Redshaw

Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn.
Follow Jordan on Twitter: @JordanRedshaw.

I’d like to extend a big thanks to Jordan for the important work you do, as well as for taking the time to discuss your experience and the important lessons you’ve learned with us.