Of all the presentations I’ve given over the years on crisis communications , my talk to the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs at their Montreal conference was one of the most enjoyable and enlightening. These folks deal with crisis on a daily basis and I appreciated their questions, comments and stories of lived experience, particularly those from people in small towns who had to cope with heartbreaking tragedies that made national news. Already dealing with the trauma of the events, they also faced an onslaught of news media descending on their communities. The shared lesson: reach out to the nearest bigger community’s fire service for advice, possible communications support and recommendations of independent communications professionals who can help take the pressure off in a trying time and shoulder the load of incessant demands from journalists. crisiscommunications