County News

At 11:21 a.m. on April 20, the Jefferson County, Colo. Sheriff’s Office received a report of shots fired at a school. It was the first inkling county officials had of the worst school shooting in U.S. history.

"There were ear-piercing sirens going off, you couldn’t communicate – it was a scenario out of hell," said John Stone, sheriff of Jefferson County, Colo., who was one of three county officials who addressed a packed workshop called "Stopping a Media Fire Before It Starts," July 19.

Two students wearing black trench coats and armed with guns and bombs killed 13 people and injured 28.

Frantic calls seeking help overloaded the county’s 911 system, as well as the area’s cell phone network. "We didn’t know how many there were, who they were or why here?" Stone said. After receiving word of the overload from the sheriff, County Administrator Ron Holiday contacted U.S. West, which responded by setting up a temporary cell tower and giving the county 100 telephones.

Judy Madden, from Greene County, Ohio, asks a question in the July 19 workshop Stopping a Media Fire Before It Starts.

County officials can prepare for such an emergency by having compatible radio frequencies, digital cell phones and planning in advance for a 911 overload. "It is crucial for all agencies to be able to communicate," Stone said.

Stone’s first priority was to seal the school, get medical people in and keep frenzied parents out, he said. Most of the shooting occurred before Stone got there. It took two to three days to clear out bombs planted by the killers.

Coordinating 300 local, state and federal lawmen and dealing with a clammering media and distraught parents was a huge challenge for the county. Stone told NACo delegates that even if a county has a plan in place for such an emergency, "don’t expect one recipe will cover every detail."

The media set up a "tent city" close to the school in a nearby parking lot and park. Steve Davis, Jefferson County public information officer, said a county needs to provide basic necessities when the media is in a remote area coordinating if possible with relief agencies to provide food, and supply port-a-potties and canopies in case of rain.

The group demanded information around-the-clock. "They’re like sharks – as long as you’ve got ‘food’ to feed ’em, you’ll be OK," Davis said. Other county PIOs faced with a similar media feeding frenzy should remember three things, he noted:

In the first two days of the tragedy, Davis conducted 134 on-camera interviews and more print and radio interviews. He held hourly news conferences attended by between 400 and 500 reporters. About 20 to 25 TV crews were on the scene from other countries.

Holding a news conference every hour, dispensing information about breaking news, had both advantages and disadvantages, he said. "You keep the media contained that way." (Davis also advised that you tape your own news conferences. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) helped by taping them, typing up notes and dispensing the notes to volunteers manning phone banks taking calls from concerned citizens.)

A disadvantage of holding an hourly news conference was that reporters would follow Davis after it was over to ask follow-up questions and he would be left with a two-minute turnaround time between news conferences. So after a few days, he decided to not take any questions after the official press conference was over. "Don’t spend time trying to please every reporter," he said. "Hold your news conference, then get out. You have to establish ground rules."

One way to keep reporters happy is to "slowly feed" them and not release all your news at once, Davis said. For example, reporters wanted to hear 911 tapes. "Spread it out. The tape kept ’em busy for awhile. I’d never hold anything back, but ration it out."

Another rule: Don’t pick fights or "take the bait" from testy reporters. "I refused to fight with them," Davis said. "They saw it wasn’t going to happen and it was dropped."

Another problem that could crop up was coordinating the release of information with other agencies, "especially if there is something perceived as negative." "Remember," he noted, "you are in charge of ‘official’ information. Be certain of your facts."

Ron Holiday, county administrator of Jefferson County, said there were lessons to be learned from the tragedy in his job, as well, including:

Before such a catastrophe strikes, be prepared by taking advantage of emergency management training, he said. Another way to prepare is to know the players – professional, social and business – beforehand. "That way you’re dealing with a known quantity when you need them for something," he said.

The county has spent about $1.5 million and expects the figure to continue to rise. About 75 percent of the funds were spent on overtime costs.