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The Colab Brief - 150: Crisis Comms Gone Wrong: The LA Fire Drama 🔥

Welcome to The Colab Brief.

Author

Ash + Lizzy
January 11, 2025

In partnership with

Okay, let's talk about what happens when crisis communications go completely off the rails. Picture this: LA is literally on fire, and where's the mayor? At an inauguration. In Ghana. Meanwhile, residents are learning about evacuation orders from... checks notes... Twitter?

Yeah, it's been that kind of month in Los Angeles.

Well, That Escalated Quickly 📱

Look, we've seen our share of crisis communications mishaps, but the LA fires situation is giving us a masterclass in what not to do. When Rick Caruso calls into late-night TV and bashes the local government, you know things have gone wrong.

The "Please Don't Do This" Playbook ⚠️

The Ghost Mayor Situation

Here's a pro tip: When your city is facing a major emergency, maybe skip the international travel? When Mayor Bass chose to attend an inauguration in Ghana during active wildfires, she didn't just create an absence – she created a story. And not the good kind.

The "Nothing to See Here" Strategy

Upon her return, when asked about that pesky $17.6 million LAFD budget cut, Mayor Bass went with the classic "there were no reductions that would have impacted the situation" and basically dropped the mic. Spoiler alert: That approach rarely works out well.

The Digital Divide Disaster

Sure, the government was pushing updates through Twitter and their websites. Great! Except... what about everyone who isn't glued to their iPhone 15 Pro Max? You know, like grandma who's still rocking a flip phone and needs to know if she should evacuate?

How to Actually Handle a Crisis (You Know, If You're Into That Sort of Thing) 💡

Keep It Real

When stuff goes wrong (and it will), try this revolutionary approach: Tell the truth. Wild concept, we know. Instead of dodging questions about budget cuts, imagine if the response had been:

"Yes, there were budget adjustments. Here's exactly what they affected, here's what we're doing to address any gaps, and here's the data to back it up."

Crazy, right?

Meet People Where They Are

Your crisis communications need to reach everyone, not just the Twitter-obsessed crowd. That means:

  • Good old-fashioned TV news (yes, people still watch it)

  • Radio (especially for people in cars fleeing fires)

  • Actual human beings knocking on doors

  • Multiple languages (because LA isn't just English-speaking)

  • Community leaders who people actually trust

Have One Clear Voice

When everyone's trying to be the hero, nobody is. Pick a spokesperson, stick with them, and make sure they're actually, you know... speaking.

The Bottom Line 🎯

Here's the thing about crisis communications: You're not writing a novel or crafting your political legacy. You're trying to keep people safe and informed during a crisis. That's it. That's the job.

The LA fires are teaching us that:

  • Being present (physically and communicatively) actually matters

  • Transparency isn't just nice – it's necessary

  • Your audience isn't just people with blue checkmarks

  • Sometimes the old ways (like door-to-door) still work best

Remember: In a crisis, you're not a spin doctor – you're a public servant. Act like one.

Until next time -

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