Truck accidents are big news when they tie up traffic for hours while emergency crews deal with diesel fuel and hazardous chemicals leaking from the vehicle. That's when the spill generator needs some good PR. But it doesn't just happen, especially in a crisis situation, says Tom Moses, president of Spill Center, a leading spill management specialist with nearly 20 years experience assessing and managing environmental spills. His white paper on crisis communications planning, "Dealing With the Media During a Spill Emergency," can help you as a spill generator keep your reputation untarnished.

Tom advises a strict policy of openness with the press. He also urges carriers to appoint a company spokesperson whose job it will be to gather all available information (who, what, where, when, how, and what's next) and answer news media inquiries. For Spill Center subscribers, we automatically notify this person in addition to other key company officials when we activate the subscriber's emergency Spill Contingency Plan during a spill emergency.