Campground Crisis Management: Being proactive in a reactive world.
A crisis can happen fast. Whether or not today's most pressing pandemic - the spread of the COVID-19 (the coronavirus) - gets under control soon or has a longer-lasting effect, the importance of having a crisis management strategy at your campground has never been greater. If you don't already have a crisis management policy in place, we would like to share with you a few points for consideration.
Most importantly, be proactive. The best crisis planning happens long before the event. Once a crisis presents itself, your team and your guests will be looking to you for guidance and leadership. For you to best serve them, you need to be prepared in advance.
Most importantly, be proactive. The best crisis planning happens long before the event.
5-Steps to Get Started
Here are five of the most important planning steps to
ensure your campground is prepared for an emergency event:
1. Emergency Contact List
2. Crisis Cancellation Policy
3. Team Member Attendance Policy
4. On-Site Guest Policy
5. On-Site Supplies Policy
Emergency Contact List
This list should include, at minimum, the name, phone number and email for the following resources. During a crisis, this list should be posted throughout your campground, on your campground's website and on your campground's social media (e.g., Facebook)
Campground Manager
Campground front desk
Local fire department
Local police department
Local hospital or clinic
Other numbers to consider: poison control, ambulance service, sheriff's department, towing companies
Crisis Cancellation Policy
A crisis can require a change to your typical cancellation policies. For example, if a guest calls in and says they have symptoms of a highly-contagious form of the flu and would like to cancel their reservation, it would make sense to allow them to cancel without penalty. Whatever your decision, your policy should be clearly communicated to your team and to your guests by phone and through email, your website, and social media.
Team Member Attendance Policy
Depending on the crisis, you may or may not want your team members on-hand to assist. For a highly contagious health-related crisis, having fewer people on-site is often better. For a flood-related crisis, having extra-hands on-site may be helpful to escort guests quickly and safely from the campground. It would benefit you and your team to think through these potential crisis situations in advance and to be in alignment on how you'll deal with them as a team should any become a reality.
On-Site Guest Policy
Already have guests on-site? Contact each of them to let them know how you plan to handle the crisis. If you don't have all of your guests' phone numbers and contact information easily available, you should put that list together now.
For a health-related crisis like COVID-19, we encourage you to provide all guests with relevant resources like the CDC's Recommended Steps to Prevent Illness. We recommend posting signage throughout your campground encouraging guests to regularly wash their hands, reminding them that soap is available free-of-charge in the campground's restrooms, and asking them to alert campground staff (by phone) if they or anyone they have come into contact with is experiencing symptoms.
On-Site Supplies Policy
Below are a few of the items we recommend keeping in "emergency stock" at all times.
Food & water: Dry/non-perishable food and bottled water
First aid kits: Bandaids, bandages, disinfectants, gauze, tape
Fire starters: This is an easy one for most campgrounds!
Cleaning products: Soaps, sanitizers, trash bags, face masks and gloves
While the above is intended as a starting point only, we do highly recommend that you take the time to work through a campground crisis policy of your own. You won't need it until you do, and at that point, it is likely too late.
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