Marine Vessel Fire: 

Action & Response  

Lands End Marina Crisis Communication Plan 

November 27, 2018 

Planned Test Date: 
January 1, 2019 

 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
IF THE FIRE CANNOT BE CONTAINED SKIP DIRECTLY TO PAGE 9 AND CALL 911. 

Introduction 2 

Acknowledgement Page 3 

Purpose and Objectives 4  

Internal Key Publics 5 

Crisis Team 6 

Spokesperson 7 

Media Response 7 

Media Response - Questions 8 

Emergency Personnel  9 

Legal Action  10 

Crisis Control Room 11 

Key Message 12 

Key Message Dissemination  12 

Automated Phone Message 13 

Facebook Post  13 

Evaluation 14 

Closing Statement 15 

1   
INTRODUCTION 
If you’re looking for an exceptional boating experience, come to Lands End 
Marina, where service meets the sea. Lands End is west-central Florida’s premier 
marina for both sport and pleasure boaters. Located in Apollo Beach on the 
scenic South Shore of Tampa Bay, the marina is conveniently just off I-75. Lands 
End Marina known to proudly serve boaters, fishermen and friends from many 
Central Florida communities.  

Our marina offers customers a private fueling station, professional 

mechanics on sight 7 days a week, and both wet and dry slips for crafts of all 
sizes. Unfortunately when fuel, water, and mechanical work mix, there is a huge 
risk of fire. In order for Lands End to maintain its record as a top notch facility, it 
must be prepared in case of emergency, and be hyper vigilant in order to reduce 
the risk of damage. 

The issue of fire could threaten our reputation of quality and 

trustworthiness. Part of our goal is create a environment for customers to enjoy 
their boat without having to worry about the maintenance and upkeep of the 
vessel. Therefore it is our responsibility to provide a safe workspace so our team 
can focus on customer satisfaction.  

In the past, we have dealt with multiple small fires, all of which were 
handled well, but could have been controlled quicker if there was a proper Crisis 
Communication Plan. In the event that we have another boat catch on fire, this 
plan will be followed step by step, which should allow the situation to be handled 
with ease.  

2   
Acknowledgement Page 
In the event that there is a fire, we will take full responsibility and handle the situation to 
the best of our abilities.  

By Signing this statement, I verify that I have read this plan and I am prepared to put it 
into effect. 

Owner - Vic Granowicz    

Signature Date 

Director of Operations - Kevin Howell   

Signature Date 

Senior Mechanic - Zeus Diaz   

Signature Date 

3   
PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES 
In the event of a boat fire, reassuring the public that it was an isolated incident, 
and reestablishing trust are the two most important factors. The most pressing matter is 
to contain the fire to the individual craft. We will immediately enact the Crisis 
Communication Plan, contact the necessary authorities, and inform the owner. We will 
keep open and transparent communications with all customers in order to ensure that 
everyone is aware of the situation.  

Objectives 
1. Immediately enact the Crisis Communication Plan. 
2. Assemble the Crisis Communication Team. 
3. Contact both the Coast Guard and Hillsborough County Police Department. 
4. Notify the Owner of the vessels affected by the fire. 
5. Notify Insurance Agents. 
6. Prepare social media posts and publish them on Facebook. 
7. Send message to every customer that explains the situation.  
8. Work with experts to identify the cause of the fire. 
9. Establish new protocols to keep the problem from occurring again. 
10. Reevaluate the Crisis Communication Plan for effectiveness within one week of 
the incident.   

4   
Internal Key Publics 
Board of Directors- s​ hould be informed of all decisions made. 

Donald Granowicz - Owner - 813-826-8264 

Vic Granowicz - Owner - 813-927- 9239 

Kristy Granowicz - Owner - 813- 838- 9374 

 
Managers- S​ hould be informed of any decisions made that affect their department. 
Kathy Smith- Restaurant Manager - 813- 827-9273 

Zeus Diaz- Senior Mechanic - 813-847-9273 

Helen Palmer- Bookkeeper- 813- 837-9274 

Mike Schwartz- Technology Expert - 813-283-9639 

Non-Essential Employees- ​Should be given a brief summary of the incident when work 
resumes. 

The list of non- essential employees will continually change. Seeing as most of our 
positions have a high turnover rate (i.e. restaurant staff, dock boys, fuel pump 
attendants), you will need to determine who this information is relayed to based on the 
current employee list. 

5   
CRISIS TEAM 
 

Title   Employee  Contact 

Crisis Communication  Kevin Howell   813- 463-6203  

Manager 

Assistant Crisis  Zeus Diaz  813- 847- 9273 

Communication 
Manager 

Lawyer  Joseph Lowman -  352-796-0016  

Lowman Law Firm  

Insurance Agent  United Marine  800-477-7140 

Underwriters 
Marine Mechanic  David Puhalski-  813-458-9375 
Expert  Marine Mechanics 
Institute  

Fire Safety Expert  Nicole May - Tampa  727-643-8747 

Bay Safety    

 
 
 
 

6   
SPOKESPERSON 

For all aspects of this issue, Kevin Howell will be our spokesperson. 
 

Public Speaking Tips: 

1. Stay calm and collected. 

2. Take a short pause before answering questions in order to formulate an answer. 
3. Stick to the facts. 
4. Respond to questions with a positive attitude. 
5. Always be honest. 

MEDIA RESPONSE 
We will do our best to keep this issue in house without alerting the local media. A fire is 
not a public safety issue, it is only a breeding ground for bad publicity. If, the media does 
get involved, we will be working directly with Bay News 9. 

Bay News 9 Contact Information 

News Director- Allyson Duran 

Allysonduran@baynews9.com 

727-329-2400 

7   
MEDIA RESPONSE - Questions 
 

1.How did this happen? 

When working with fuel, tools, and water in cramped quarters, accidents occasionally 
happen. Lands End Marina is dedicated to providing a safe environment for both staff 
and customers. We are taking steps to boost our safety protocol to ensure this doesn’t 
happen again. 

2. Will the employee that was working on this boat at the time of the accident 
be fired? 

At Lands End, we understand that mistakes happen, but we also know that there is a 
consequence for every action. The employee is currently under review and we will 
determine whether or not further action will be taken at a later time. 

3. How will you stop this from happening again? 

Our current protocols are already in the process of being revised. We have camera 
footage of the incident and we are working with our mechanics to find a better way to 
handle situations like the one that led to the fire.  

4. Did the boat have previous issues that led to the fire? 

All the boats at our marina are fully maintained by our trained staff, if the boat had 
previous issues that led to this fire, we were unaware. 

5. How will this affect the other customers? 

Business will be back to usual as soon as possible, with hopes that none of our other 
customers suffer any effects from this incident. If you have questions about the 
operating schedule of the marina, please call the office. 

8   
EMERGENCY PERSONNEL   

IF THE FIRE CANNOT BE CONTAINED CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY 

If the fire has been contained contact the following emergency personnel: 

Hillsborough County Sheriff Non-Emergency Line- 813-247- 8200 

Florida Coast Guard- 813- 228- 2891  

Please be sure to include the following information: 

1. Your Name and position at Lands End Marina 

2. The address of the marina -​1220 Apollo Beach Blvd, Apollo Beach, FL 33572  

3. The type of boat that is on fire, and any other boats that may be in danger 
of catching on fire. 

4. If the fire is already contained, we still need an officer to come out and 
write a report in order to document the incident for insurance purposes. 

9   
LEGAL ACTION 
 

Camera Footage: 

Once the fire has been completely contained, the first thing that should be done is to 
review the security camera footage to see how it started. There are cameras on almost 
every inch of the property so there should be a good view of the fire somewhere. Once it 
is determined if the fire was an accident or negligence, the next step is to contact our 
legal representation. 

Lawyers: 

Regardless of the situation, the lawyer needs to be involved in almost every decision. 
While Lands End requires boat owners to provide their own insurance, and to sign a 
waiver saying we are not liable for issues with the boat, we will still get sued. In the past, 
all of the cases have fallen through because it is generally not the mechanics fault. But, 
we will have the lawyer with us every step of the way to ensure that we have an air tight 
case in the event that we do have to go to court over the incident. 

Insurance Agent: 

After the lawyer is contacted, the insurance agency will have to be called. Our insurance 
agent will come out and write a report on the situation and begin our claim for any 
damage to the marina. The owners insurance agent will also come out and write their 
own claim for the boat itself. The insurance companies will eventually work out who is 
cutting a check to the owner and the marina. 

10   
Crisis Control Room 
 

In the event of a crisis, we will be using the office as it is normally set up (pictured 
above). The mechanics that come in throughout the day to write reports on their 
computers will be condensed to the front two computers on the left hand side of the 
room. The two computers on the right side of the room will be left open for law 
enforcement, lawyers, or insurance agents to use as they need. Kevin will remain at his 
computer (the back left) so he can continue to run the businesses while handling the fire. 

*We will have snacks and drinks brought over from the restaurant to offer to anyone 
that has to work extra hours in order to help with this situation. They will be set up on 
the empty desk (front right). 

11   
KEY MESSAGES 
- Comfort and safety of our customers is our first priority. 
- Our mechanics are working to change their protocols so this does not happen 
again. 
- We are committed to maintaining communication with our customers so they stay 
up to date on the situation.  

“In the event of a fire, Lands End Marina will work tirelessly to ensure that all damages 
are repaired, that all customers are satisfied, and that our business will continue as 
normal as soon as possible.” 

DISSEMINATION OF KEY MESSAGES  

Internal Publics 

Board of Directors & Managers: 

Kevin and Zeus will make individual phone calls to the Board of Directors and the 
Managers to ensure that they are getting correct information as soon as possible. 

- After the initial phone call managers will be required to come on property to 
assist as needed. 
- Managers will be in charge of calling their employees to fill them in on the details. 
- Kevin will continually call the Board of Directors with updates as things progress. 

External Publics 

Customers: 

Customers who are currently storing a boat on property will receive a phone call from 
the automated messaging system that we currently have in place. 

Social Media: 

Facebook is our most active form of communication with our customer base. Mike will 
be in charge of posting on facebook, and then continually making updates about the 
situation. 

12   
AUTOMATED PHONE MESSAGE 
“Hello, this is Kevin Howell calling from Lands End Marina. Unfortunately, I am calling 
to report that there was a fire at the marina and a customers boat had damage from the 
burns. If you are receiving this message there was no damage to your property. We will 
return to normal business hours as soon as we are done investigating the incident. If you 
have any questions about the fire, your boat, or our current business hours, please feel 
free to call the office. Thank you for your support.” 

FACEBOOK POST 
“ Unfortunately Lands End Marina has to report that there was a fire in one of our boats 
on (insert date). We are glad to report that there were no injuries other than (insert 
damage to boat). We will return to normal business hours as soon as we are done 
investigating the incident. If you have any questions about the fire, your boat, or our 
current business hours, please feel free to call the office. Thank you for your support.” 

*Insert stock picture of Marina to draw attention away from the harshness of the post* 

13   
EVALUATION  
1. Did the plan help to contain the situation in a timely manner? 

2. Did the customers receive enough information to settle any worries 

they had? 

3. Were the law enforcement agents able to quickly and easily find the 
marina and put out the fire/ issue a report? 

4. Did the mechanics find a way to change their protocol so this won’t 
happen again? 

5. How could this plan be improved? 

14   
CLOSING STATEMENT 

At Lands End Marina we are dedicated to creating a safe and relaxing environment for 
our customers. We have suffered fire damage before and have continuously come out 
better because of it. We appreciate the support of our customers as well as the time and 
effort put in by our employees, our legal team, and the local law enforcement. By 
following this crisis communication plan, we will be able to quickly and safely handle the 
next emergency that arises. We look forward to continuing to do business with you. 

15