August 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 19

and agencies that can be useful in
the healing process, including faith
communities, mental health agencies, local nonprofits, hospitals and
volunteer organizations, like Volunteers of America.
During difficult times, leadership
that is strong, fair and compassionate is critical. It's a time when people are pulled in multiple directions
based on interests, needs and emotions, and it can be difficult to not
get swept up in the chaos. So, make
decisions now that you can use to
support your actions later.
Based on some experiences of the
Columbine High School community,
following are a few things to consider:

Media
When the shootings at Columbine
High School occurred, nearby
Clement Park, a regional 300-acre
park, became the location where
media set up camp. By Wednesday,
April 21, 60 media trucks and their
various pieces of equipment began
a more than three-week-long occupation of one of the southeast lots
of the park. The size and number of
trucks caused damage to the parking-lot curbing and asphalt. An assertive staff member from the parks
and recreation district requested financial support from multiple media outlets to help with the necessary repairs, and approximately 80
percent of the parking-lot damage
costs were recovered.
Having a policy in place regarding damage caused by on-site media trucks and traffic could help
protect your budget. In addition,
during the time of the media
encampment, district staff provided utility hookups, sanitary
facilities, snow removal, trash
collection and crowd manage-

Research from the American
Psychological Association and
multiple law enforcement agencies shows clear
differences in response for individuals who have
ongoing crisis-response training:
Trained
1. Startle, fear
2. Feel anxious
3. Recall what they have
learned
4. Prepared to act as
rehearsed
5. Commit to action

Untrained
1. Startle, fear
2. Panic
3. Fall into disbelief
4. Lost in denial
5. Descend into
helplessness

ment assistance. As a public service-based organization, it makes
sense that staff were engaged in
this manner. Having a proactive
and ongoing dialogue with your
staff about what their roles might
be amid a crisis response can create more positive results.
At the height of the media coverage, about 500 reporters were on
scene. There were times when any
person in the park, including many
of the park staff, was fair game for
an interview. Having a clear media
and/or public relations policy will
protect your staff from feeling like
it needs to respond on behalf of
the organization. Instead, make
sure the staff knows who should
address all crisis-related questions.
Doing so creates a safe barrier for
your staff and reduces the potential of misinformation.

Department
Responsibilities
Following the shooting at Columbine High School, all county departments were part of the overall
crisis response. However, the parks
and recreation district, specifically
its adult and youth sports and children's programming, was impacted

the most. The attention that normally would have been focused on
field preparation, spring and summer programming and ongoing
before-and-after-school activities
were put on hold or modified.
Many park staff members were
pulled from their regular duties
to work at Clement Park to deal
with the spontaneous memorials
that were created and the more
than 250,000 visitors who came to
the park. They were also dealing
with weather issues from a record
amount of snow and rain that fell.
Several of the surrounding elementary schools where much of the afterschool programming was to take
place went on a modified schedule,
forcing the recreation department
to provide alternate locations and
programming. Many staff members had children who attended
Columbine High School and feeder schools. Understandably, their
time and attention were no longer focused on their job, and they
were absent from their positions for
several days. Also, several of the
part-time, teen staff were students
at Columbine, and it took quite a
while for them to return to work.
The reality is that every depart-

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August 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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