Wednesday September 10th

Holding the Line: Communication, Compassion, and Leadership After Loss

In April 2024, our mid-size agency experienced a tragic milestone: our first line-of-duty death of one of our own. This devastating experience tested our protocols, our people, and the adaptability of our admin and communication teams. While large agencies often have robust infrastructure and specialized units to manage such crises, smaller agencies face unique challenges—limited resources, overlapping roles, and an emotionally close-knit workforce. In this workshop, we will candidly share our agency’s experience navigating this tragedy. Participants will learn what strategies served us well, what we wish we had done differently, and how we adapted in real-time. A particular focus will be placed on the unexpected and evolving roles of our staff, who were called upon to serve as liaisons, memorial service planners, media managers, internal messengers, grief support coordinators, and more. The workshop will include: - A narrative walkthrough of the incident and response timeline. - Key takeaways and practical recommendations. - Interactive discussion prompts to reflect on attendees’ own preparedness.