Crisis management made visible: A case study of a school fire.

The aim of this study was to examine how a more inclusive framing of a crisis directs the actors’ understanding of a situation and identifies unrecognized actors in the crisis management process. Crises include various extreme situations and require appropriate management frameworks to be effectively managed. The research is based on interviews with personnel who responded to a school fire and focuses on their interpretations and actions during the incident. The results indicated that the informants framed the crisis as a school fire. Consequently, the incident commander and principal became the core actors. However, an unrecognized management frame was identified, representing teachers who, in response to the crisis, upheld and normalized educational functions. As the frame representing teachers did not fit the established discourse on crisis management, it was not recognized by others involved, hence ignoring the contributions of significant role-players in the operational and pedagogical management of the crisis.