WASHINGTON, DC—APCO Worldwide has launched a global emergency response offering, APCO ER, to better serve clients facing significant crises that require dedicated and immediate emergency response capabilities.

APCO ER will provide a team of trained communications first responders who are available to activate within 60 minutes of being notified of an emergency situation and capable of setting up a communications function within 60 minutes of arriving at the scene of an incident.  

APCO ER also has experience helping clients plan for material crises by simulating real-life emergencies and practicing how they can integrate seamlessly with the company’s first responders.

“When a material crisis happens today, news of the incident travels around the world in minutes, often first on social media before being covered by reporters,” says Brad Staples, CEO of APCO Worldwide. “Clients need a team of first responder communicators who quickly establish on-scene operations to implement the crisis plan and handle the communications overload that follows any crisis and the scale of a full service agency to sustain engagement for days or weeks.”

APCO ER’s experts include practitioners with firsthand experience responding to railroad derailments; chemical emergencies and evacuations; aviation disasters; incidents involving petrochemicals and oil spills; pipeline emergencies and explosions; and weather-related and marine emergencies. They are supported by and fully integrated into APCO’s global crisis team.

Mike Hotra, deputy managing director of the firm’s Washington, DC, office, will serve as global practice leader for APCO ER.