GM Station / Incident Playbooks

Easton GM Station · When Things Go Sideways

Incident Playbooks

The first 30 minutes of a bad situation decide most of how it ends. Find your incident below — every playbook follows the same shape: act, say, document, escalate, and the mistakes to avoid. Print this page and keep a copy in the front desk binder.

Anyone in immediate danger? Call 911 first. Everything on this page comes second.

★ Academy Quick Card

Your building's numbers and locations — fill in once

1 · Injury on the Mat

Serious or minor, adult or kid

2 · Child Safety Concern

Disclosure, suspicion, or witnessed behavior

3 · Staff No-Show

Class starts in 20 minutes

4 · Negative Review

Public complaint just posted

5 · Escalated Member

Angry person in the building

6 · Facility Emergency

Fire, flood, power, break-in

7 · Card Fraud / Billing

A charge that shouldn't be there

8 · On-the-Spot Resignation

Someone just quit and left

Academy Quick Card

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1

Injury on the Mat

First 30 minutes
  1. Stop the class in that area. The instructor controls the room; you control the situation.
  2. Do not move the person if there's any possibility of a head, neck, or back injury, or if they're unconscious. Call 911 for loss of consciousness, suspected fracture or dislocation, trouble breathing, serious bleeding, or any head impact with confusion, vomiting, or "not acting right." When in doubt, call. Nobody has ever regretted the ambulance that wasn't needed.
  3. Send a specific person to meet EMS at the door. Send another for the first aid kit / AED (locations on your Academy Quick Card).
  4. Clear the audience. One staff member stays with the injured person; everyone else trains or gives space.
  5. If it's a minor, call the parent immediately — before they hear it from their kid in the car. If the parent is present, they make the medical decisions.
  6. For head impacts of any kind: the person is done training for the day, no exceptions, and we recommend they get evaluated by a medical professional before returning.
Say this
To the injured member"We've got you. Help is on the way, and I'm staying right here with you."
To a parent"I want to let you know right away — [name] took an impact in class. Here's exactly what happened and what we did..."
Document (same day, within 24 hours)
  • Incident report: date, time, class, instructor, what happened, who saw it, what was done, and exact words of any medical recommendation made.
  • Names and contact info of staff and member witnesses.
  • Photos of the area if equipment or facility conditions were involved.
Escalate
Call Ian the same day for: any 911 call, any injury to a minor beyond bumps and bruises, any head injury, or any injury where the member or family seems upset with how it happened. Everything else goes in the incident log and gets mentioned at the next Academy Meeting.
Never
  • Never speculate about fault, promise to "cover everything," or discuss liability — with anyone. Care for the person; let ownership and insurance handle the rest.
  • Never diagnose. "You're fine, it's just a sprain" is a sentence that ends up in depositions.
  • Never skip the next-day follow-up call. It's the single most remembered thing we do after an injury.
2

Child Safety Concern

First 30 minutes
  1. Take it seriously, immediately, every time — whether it's a child's disclosure, something a staff member witnessed, or a pattern that feels wrong. Your job is not to decide whether it's true. Your job is to make sure the right people evaluate it.
  2. If a child disclosed something to you or your staff: stay calm, listen, and let them talk. Tell them they did the right thing by telling you. Do not press for details, do not interview them, and do not promise to keep it secret.
  3. Ensure the child is safe right now. If there is immediate danger, call 911.
  4. Report it. In Colorado, call the child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-844-CO-4-KIDS (1-844-264-5437), available 24/7. You do not need proof — reasonable concern is the standard, and reporting in good faith is protected. When in doubt, report.
  5. If the concern involves a staff member or regular adult at the academy: they are separated from all kids' programming immediately pending the outcome. This isn't a verdict; it's the standard.
  6. Call Ian the same hour. This category always escalates, no thresholds. If the concern involves a staff member, also post in your academy's HR Voxer group so Leslie is looped in.
Say this
To a child who disclosed"Thank you for telling me. You did the right thing, and this is not your fault. I'm going to make sure some people whose job it is to help know about this."
Document
  • Write down what was said or observed in the child's/witness's own words, as close to verbatim as you can, with date and time. Facts only — no interpretation.
  • Record the hotline report: date, time, and the reference or confirmation you're given.
  • Preserve anything relevant — schedules, sign-in records, messages. Don't tidy, don't delete.
Escalate
Immediate and unconditional: the hotline, then Ian, same hour — plus your academy's HR Voxer group (Leslie) whenever a staff member is involved. There is no version of this that stays at the academy level.
Never
  • Never investigate it yourself or confront the suspected adult before reporting.
  • Never promise a child or a parent confidentiality you can't keep.
  • Never delay the report to "gather more information" — the hotline decides what's actionable, not us.
  • Never discuss it with staff beyond who strictly needs to know.
3

Staff No-Show — Class Starts in 20 Minutes

First 20 minutes
  1. Call — don't text — the missing instructor. Twice. Text after the second missed call. A no-show is sometimes a car crash, not a character flaw; start with concern.
  2. Work the coverage ladder while you wait: qualified instructors already in the building → the backup instructor list (on your Academy Quick Card) → the relevant DH → you. GMs who can credibly hold a class, hold the class.
  3. Can't cover it? Combine or restructure before you cancel — merge with the adjacent class, run an open mat with a senior student leading drills under staff supervision, or shorten the format. Cancellation is the last resort.
  4. If you must cancel: someone stands at the door to catch every arriving member with an apology and a make-good — we pro-rate their next membership payment. Nobody drives home from a locked door.
  5. Full process: Easton Class Coverage SOP.
Say this
To arriving members"Our instructor had an emergency tonight. Here's what we're doing instead — and we'll pro-rate your next payment to make it right."
Document
  • Time of no-show, contact attempts, how the class was covered or handled, member impact.
Escalate
Handle it at the academy level. Call Ian if a class was fully cancelled with members present. If it's a repeat pattern with the same person, call Ian and post in your academy's HR Voxer group (Leslie) — repeat no-shows are a personnel issue, not a scheduling issue.
Never
  • Never badmouth the missing instructor to members or staff before you know what happened.
  • Never let members find a dark room with no explanation — the no-show costs us one class; silence costs us members.
  • Never skip the follow-up conversation with the instructor. Grace for the reason, accountability for the process (a call the moment they knew).
4

Negative Review or Public Complaint

First 30 minutes (which mostly means: slow down)
  1. Screenshot it — reviews get edited and deleted, and you want the original.
  2. Do not reply while it stings. Nothing about a review requires a public answer in the first hour. A same-day response is fast enough.
  3. Verify: is this a real member? What actually happened? Pull their history and talk to the staff involved before forming a view.
  4. Call Ian before responding anywhere — public or private, every review. Many reviews can be taken down entirely if we act tactically, and the wrong early response can close that door. Ian decides the play; you bring the facts.
  5. Once the play is set, it usually looks like: private outreach first (a personal call from you, leading with listening), then a short public response — acknowledge, take it offline, no litigation of details, two to four sentences. The public response is for the next person reading the review, not for the reviewer.
Say this
Public reply skeleton"Thanks for the honest feedback — this isn't the experience we want anyone to have. I've reached out directly, and I'd genuinely like to make it right. — [Name], GM"
Document
  • Screenshot, member history, staff accounts, your outreach attempts and their responses, final resolution.
Escalate
Every review goes to Ian before any response — no exceptions, because takedown potential is decided in the first moves. Flag with extra urgency anything alleging safety issues, staff conduct, or a minor; threatening legal action; or mentioning media. After the response plan is set, the follow-through is yours to own.
Never
  • Never discuss the member's billing, membership, or personal details publicly — even to correct false claims. Privacy beats being right.
  • Never argue point-by-point in public. Winning the argument loses the audience.
  • Never offer refunds or make-goods publicly — it trains the internet.
5

Escalated or Aggressive Person in the Building

First 10 minutes
  1. You take the conversation; staff take the room. Move it away from members and kids — office or quiet corner, door open.
  2. Lower your voice as theirs rises. Let them finish. Most escalation burns out against someone who is genuinely listening. (This is the Unsatisfied Customer SOP at full intensity.)
  3. Name what you can do and do it: "Here's what I can fix today, and here's what I'll find out by tomorrow."
  4. If they threaten anyone, won't de-escalate, or you feel unsafe: ask them to leave once, clearly. If they don't, call the police non-emergency line — or 911 if there's any physical threat. This is a martial arts academy; we of all people don't handle it physically.
  5. After they leave: check on your staff, especially whoever took the brunt of it. That two-minute conversation is the difference between a bad hour and a bad month.
Say this
The one-time ask"I want to solve this with you, but not like this. I need you to lower your voice or step outside — your call."
Document
  • What happened, witnesses, exact threats if any (verbatim), whether police were involved. If it involved a member, note it on their account.
Escalate
Call Ian the same day for: any police involvement, any threat, anything physical, or any incident witnessed by kids. If the aggressor was a staff member, also post in your academy's HR Voxer group (Leslie). Membership terminations for conduct are never decided unilaterally — that call is made with Ian.
Never
  • Never touch the person or square up — no exceptions, no matter the provocation.
  • Never let a staff member absorb abuse to "keep the peace." We insist on kindness toward our team, in both directions.
  • Never trade the safety of the room for the comfort of avoiding a scene.
6

Facility Emergency — Fire, Flood, Power, Break-In

First 30 minutes
  1. People before property, every time. Fire or gas smell: evacuate and call 911 before you investigate anything. Kids' classes evacuate first, with instructors counting heads against the roster.
  2. Flood/major leak: kill water at the shutoff and, if safe to reach, kill power to affected areas at the panel (both locations on your Academy Quick Card), move mats and equipment up and out.
  3. Power outage: daylight classes can often continue; evening classes without emergency lighting end. Members hear it from a person, not a dark room.
  4. Break-in discovered: don't enter or touch anything — the scene matters. Police first, then walk it with them, then inventory.
  5. Photograph and video everything before cleanup. Insurance pays on evidence, not memory.
  6. Call the emergency contacts on your Academy Quick Card — landlord/property manager, plumber or electrician, insurance — and call Ian.
  7. If classes are affected: message members before they drive in — email plus text plus a sign on the door, with the reopening plan.
Document
  • Photos/video, timeline, who was notified when, cost estimates, member communications sent, closure duration.
Escalate
Any closure, any insurance claim, anything structural, any break-in: call Ian the same hour.
Never
  • Never re-enter a building for equipment. Mats are replaceable.
  • Never start cleanup before photos.
  • Never let members show up to a locked, unexplained door.
7

Card Fraud or Billing Irregularity

First 30 minutes
  1. A charge on the academy card you can't explain: call the card issuer, dispute it, and have the card frozen/reissued. Minutes matter — fraud compounds.
  2. Check the current statement for siblings — fraudulent charges rarely travel alone. The monthly card audit exists so this gets caught inside 30 days, not 6 months.
  3. A member disputing a charge we made: pull their agreement and billing history before responding. If we erred, refund fast and personally. If we didn't, walk them through it calmly — and if they've filed a chargeback, follow the Paragon chargeback dispute SOP.
  4. If anything points at internal misuse: stop. Don't confront, don't investigate, don't tip your hand. Preserve records quietly and call Mike immediately, then Leslie directly — both privately, not in the group Voxer thread, since discretion is the whole point here. This one is handled above the academy level, with counsel if needed.
Document
  • The charge(s), issuer case numbers, statements, timeline of discovery, member communications if applicable.
Escalate
Any suspected external fraud, any suspected internal misuse (any amount, and privately — see above), or any billing dispute that turns legal: Mike, same day.
Never
  • Never accuse before ownership has the facts — a wrong accusation is its own incident.
  • Never "wait for next month's statement to be sure."
  • Never handle a member billing dispute defensively. We're either right and can show it, or wrong and can fix it.
8

On-the-Spot Resignation or Walkout

First hour
  1. Let them go. Don't chase, don't beg, don't argue in the moment. If they'll talk, listen — but a person walking out is not persuadable in that hour, and your composure is being watched by everyone still there.
  2. Same day, not tomorrow: remove system access — scheduling, member database, email, social accounts, Voxer, door codes/keys (access systems listed on your Academy Quick Card). Run the Offboarding Checklist SOP.
  3. Cover their classes and shifts for the next 7 days before you go home tonight (see Playbook 3 — same ladder, longer horizon).
  4. Tell the team fast, factual, and graceful — a vacuum fills with gossip within a day.
  5. Write down everything about the departure while it's fresh: what was said, in front of whom, anything about why. If grievances follow later, this contemporaneous note is gold.
Say this
To the team"[Name] has decided to move on, effective today. We wish them well. Here's the coverage plan for this week, and here's what doesn't change: the standard."
Document
  • Date/time, what was said (verbatim where you can), witnesses, access removed and when, coverage plan, final pay coordinated with Leslie through your academy's HR Voxer group.
Escalate
Every departure gets posted in your academy's HR Voxer group the same day so Leslie is looped in. If the departing person is a DH — resigned, fired, or walked out — also loop in the Program Directors the same day; their programs absorb the impact first. Also call Ian the same day for: any DH or DFI departure, any exit with grievances or accusations attached, or anything that smells like it might come back with a lawyer. Quiet exits of entry-level staff: HR Voxer, document, mention at the next Academy Meeting.
Never
  • Never badmouth the departed to the team — how you speak about the person who just left tells everyone how you'd speak about them.
  • Never leave access live overnight "because they'd never do anything." Access removal is about the standard, not the person.
  • Never make counteroffers on the spot. If a counter is ever right, it's decided calmly, with ownership, not at the door.

After Any Incident

Within 24 hours: the incident report is written and sent to Ian. HR-related incidents (staff conduct, departures, injuries to staff) also go to your academy's HR Voxer group so Leslie has them.

Within a week: five-minute debrief at the next leadership touchpoint — what happened, what worked, what we'd change. The playbooks on this page get updated when reality teaches us something.

Always: check on your people. Incidents are hard on staff even when handled perfectly.