Playbook · When it matters
When something goes wrong
A storm, a strike, an accident or an emergency near your travelers. What to do in the first hour, and after.
Severe weather (example)
- For
- Leaders on call, trip leaders
- Monitoring
- Incident monitoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Urgent calls
- Acknowledged within 5 minutes
- First contact
- Within 30 minutes of an incident being confirmed
Before you start
Decide these first
Decisions to make
- Who in your organization is told, and who decides
- Who speaks to families, the board and the press
- Your insurer or assistance provider's number
People to involve
- Executive director or head
- Safety or duty-of-care lead
- Trip or program leader
- Communications lead
The plan
A workable timeline
Our suggested lead times. Adjust them to your organization; shorter is possible, but costs and stress go up.
Minutes 0–15
Account for people
- Emergency services first if anyone is in danger
- Ask: who is in the area? (silentVIP matches the incident to itineraries)
Minutes 15–30
Contact
- silentVIP makes a first contact attempt within 30 minutes of an incident being confirmed
- Your leader contacts their own team in parallel
Minutes 30–60
Decide
- Stay, move or come home: your organization decides
- Rebook travel as needed (silentVIP)
- Call your insurer or assistance provider for medical or evacuation needs
First hour
Communicate
- Families and emergency contacts (your organization)
- Board or leadership briefing
- One spokesperson for any outside questions
After
Document and learn
- Record what happened and what was done
- Track everyone until all are accounted for
- Review the plan; update policy
Who does what
Your part, and ours
| Task | Your organization | silentVIP |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency services | Travelers call first | — |
| Finding who is affected | Confirms the list | Matches incidents to itineraries |
| Contacting travelers | Leaders contact their teams | First contact attempt within 30 minutes of an incident being confirmed |
| Decisions | Decides | Advises on travel options |
| Rebooking | Approves | Rebooks flights and hotels |
| Families, board, press | Communicates | — |
| Medical, security, evacuation | Insurer or assistance provider | — |
Checklists
Copy these into your plan
Print this page or copy the lists into your own template.
Have ready before anyone travels
- Traveler list with emergency contacts
- Your decision-maker and a deputy
- Urgent travel numbers: +1 (212) 347 5600 (US), +61 2 9100 0800 (Australia)
- Insurer or assistance provider number
- Template message for families
Record during the incident
- Time of each call and who was reached
- Decisions and who made them
- Changes to travel
- Messages sent to families and the board
Common mistakes
What usually goes wrong
Waiting for certainty
Start accounting for people while the facts are still coming in.
Too many voices
Families should hear from one person, with one message.
Stopping too early
Track everyone until all are accounted for, including people who traveled separately.
Questions
Common questions
What number do travelers call?
For travel help, +1 (212) 347 5600 (US) or +61 2 9100 0800 (Australia), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In danger, local emergency services first.
Related
Tools and guides
More in Playbooks
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