Case Studies

HEATHROW EXPRESS

Operated by BAA, Heathrow Express carries an average of 15,000 passengers every day on its non- stop rail link between Paddington Station and London Heathrow airport.

With safety a high priority for the company, Heathrow Express regularly tests its response to major incidents.

Media First, alongside the emergency services and the Heathrow Express team, played a vital role in a crisis exercise held in January of this year. We provided a team of journalists and camera crews to simulate the media interest that a rail disaster would inevitably attract. The exercise ran in real time from 23:00 to 05:00.

Throughout the night our team kept the pressure on, showing the Heathrow Express team what it's really like to handle intense media attention whilst dealing with an emergency situation.

"By regularly testing our response to an incident we can be sure our procedures are water-tight should the real thing ever happen. How we handle the public interest generated by a serious accident can be make or break for our business - we have a duty of care to our passengers and their families to communicate the right information, fast. The Media First team really tested our mettle. To remain confident and in control under the sometimes hostile questioning of a pack of journalists is a real test - especially during an emergency situation - but is a skill like any other that needs to be honed."

Olivia Lacey, Head of PR and Communications, Heathrow Express

MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY

The Maritime and Coastguard agency is responsible for maritime safety throughout the United Kingdom. In Feb 2005 they needed to test their response to a major incident happening off the UK coastline. Media First provided a team of journalists and camera crews to simulate the media interest in a ship wreck disaster drill involving all the emergency services, two oil companies and the whole of the island of Stornoway, Scotland. For three days we produced daily TV bulletins and newspaper articles, as the crisis unfolded, to show the kind of media coverage they could expect. All of those involved found the exercise invaluable in understanding how the media react to a crisis and how they should handle the pressure of intense media attention whilst dealing with an emergency situation.

"Media First really put us through our paces. it was invaluable training. It really helped us to realise what to expect from the media and how to handle them in a crisis. The MCA deals with many thousands of differing incidents throughout the United Kingdom each year, however the one constant is the rising demand from the media for us to deliver a fast, effective and accurate response to media queries within minutes of a story breaking. Media First honed those skills for us and we're delighted to recommend them for key media exercises."

Mark Clark - PR & Media Manager