Putting out the Cerro Grande fire: a case study in government crisis communication

In 2000, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) initiated a prescribed burn, which went awry, prompting New Mexico's largest wildfire to date. This paper examines the NPS’s crisis response in an effort to determine its media response, how that response reflected ‘best practices’ in crisis management, and whether the organization’s response was appropriate for the type of crisis it faced. The case suggests the government can benefit from lessons learned in the private sector.