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DANIEL STESSEL

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS &
INCIDENT MANAGEMENT

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Not many places provide the opportunity to apply crisis communications skills in the real world more often—or more routinely—than a transit agency press office.

With two decades managing three of the busiest, there isn't much I haven't seen.

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Bald eagle on the tracks

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L'ENFANT PLAZA SMOKE INCIDENT

METRO
EMERGENCY
SHUTDOWN

THE NEW BOSS HAD SEEN ENOUGH.

OVERNIGHT, A "FLASH-BANG" ELECTRICAL INCIDENT IN A RAIL TUNNEL BENEATH DOWNTOWN BECAME THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF INCIDENTS TIED TO FAULTY HIGH-VOLTAGE CABLES.

BY MIDAFTERNOON, WITH UNRESOLVED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE QUALITY OF PRIOR INSPECTIONS, METRO'S NEW CEO PAUL J. WIEDEFELD NO LONGER FELT HE COULD CONFIDENTLY SAY THE SYSTEM WAS SAFE.

"I'M SHUTTING IT DOWN. "

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IN THE PRESS OFFICE, FOCUS QUICKLY TURNED TO URGENTLY NOTIFYING SOME 600K+ METRORAIL RIDERS, GIVING THEM AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE TO PREPARE.

REPORTERS AND THEIR CREWS -- MANY PULLED OFF OTHER STORIES -- RUSHED TO METRO'S DOWNTOWN HEADQUARTERS FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WOULD STUN THE CITY.

More from The Washington Post:

»

The untold story of Metro's 29-hour emergency shutdown
Washington Post

SEVERE WEATHER

POLICE/FIRE ACTIVITY

PANDEMIC RESPONSE

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