Within minutes pictures, videos, and messages about the destruction are available on social media sites, Web sites, and throughout the news media. This fundamental principle is the basis for public information in emergency management in this country. Their three-bedroom condo was almost immediately choked in smoke and he could hear screams from below as roaring flames billowed from the balcony outside his front door. endstream endobj 495 0 obj <. Providing good public information helps people make the right decisions at the right time and can instill public confidence in the organization, which is primarily important because: Avoid acronyms. The Public Information Officer Awareness Course (IS0029) is designed to familiarize participants with the concepts underlying the PIO role. Many wikis are open to alteration by the general public without requiring them to register user accounts. The goal of this awareness course is to provide an orientation to the public information function and the role of the Public Information Officer (PIO) in the public safety/emergency management environment. 3 Step Guide for Assistance. In Lesson 2 you learned about the many different media options you have, including: Select the right medium or right mix of media for a strategy to get your message to your target audience. Communicates with internal and external stakeholders. A validation of your key message C. Backgrounders D. Photos, charts, and graphics, 25. These tools allow you to use key word searches and provide you with updates in your email or through an RSS feed or through the tools Web site. It is important to prepare each person to ensure your message is consistent. Do you know what to do to protect yourself and your family? Different types of written products include the following: View actual news releases, statements, and fact sheets on the InciWeb site [http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/]. Verdi White: The way that we set this particular operation up is we took the Incident Command System and made it an overlay onto the National Guard that had the infrastructure to be able to do all the functions that we needed to accomplish to do this, and of course one of the central components of, of an incident command system is the public information piece. What is in it for them? Identify how messages should be conveyed. C. Monitors costs related to the incident, and provides . With an eye on public safety, the mayor began looking for a way to educate people about disaster preparation and response. Some tips to contribute to your success when managing information during an emergency are: A Go Kit is a mobile response kit that allows PIOs to function in the event that they are working outside of their normal place of operation. Establishing relationships with news media representatives by being accessible and prepared. Imagine your living room exploding in flames and your family cut off from the only door down the stairs from your second-floor condominium. This physical site is called the Joint Information Center (JIC), and is the location where: Narrator: When the State of Utah began to accept evacuees from the Gulf States as a result of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, they implemented a Joint Information Center. The Mayors Office developed an outreach campaign known as Red Stick Ready. Describe how to manage the news media at the scene of an incident. This course is designed for new or less experienced state, local, tribal and territorial PIOs or those who have this role as a secondary function. Consider information about the whole community when identifying topics, including: There is no point in conducting a hurricane preparedness campaign if your area is not subject to hurricanes. At the completion of this lesson you should be able to: Public Information Officersor PIOsare an important link between the organizations they work for and the communities they serve. The role of the pubic information officer. Joanne H. Moreau: Working with the children, and with such an emphasis on the children, we wanted a tool that could reach them. Please note that the is program now requires a fema sid to be used instead of your ssn. Angie Welling: Pretty much every State agency was involved, and thats when we found out pretty early on that the Governor had involved every aspect of State government. Goals should be stated in clear, concise terms that have meaning for those working on the campaign and other key stakeholders. If you intend to become a Public Information Officer use these FEMA IS 29.A answers to turn a 7 hour course into one that takes 5 minutes. hbbd```b``+@$S4X$ vA$[0,v DI%09D`vH2& H/ `{I 30 0 `B When considering whether a goal is attainable, ask yourself: Do I have the skills and resourcesor can I get themto achieve this goal? Some tips for building relationships with your media contacts are: It is important to prepare a list of media outlets and contacts, for everyday activities and to act quickly in an emergency. Overview: The FEMA IS-29.A course was published on 8/5/2019 to familiarize participants with the concepts underlying the PIO role. Is the conduit for information to internal and external stakeholders. Over 150 PIOs working a major disaster, often from different locationsall to ensure clear and accurate information is being delivered amid the confusion of a disaster response. Cell phone(s) with email capability or satellite phone(s), Flash drives and CDs* containing the elements of the crisis communication plan (including news media contact lists, PIO team contact lists, information materials, etc. . Mayor Holden: Sometimes you have to get your story out very quickly. Quantify results when evaluating public information efforts. The training courses listed below include those delivered at the state, local, tribal, and territorial level as well as higher-level training managed by EMIs subject matter expert training teams. The AP Stylebook is used by most of the news media. Be accessible and return calls and emails promptly. Its not complicated; its very easy for them, which makes for better reporting. Chris Mrela wrote a dynamite report on this a couple of years ago. Successful written communication conveys your key messages and: More information on writing clearly and effectively is presented in Lesson 3. All of the above, 23. Select it carefully and choose your background wisely. Increase community preparedness is not specific. 'Ss S>*2MbX^f For some incidents, implementing a media area may be an important way to manage the situation. An important part of the PIOs relationship with the media is knowing what they want. Provide public information, emergency public information, and community education to your internal and external target audiences. Holding the session indoors, if possible. 514 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<897144EC39D7C94ABD0F71D9C292EE4A><41375C8F366F3C4EA1877AFFBEEAAE0A>]/Index[494 31]/Info 493 0 R/Length 101/Prev 195410/Root 495 0 R/Size 525/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream ), Prescription medications; basic first-aid supplies, Weather gear (e.g., rain poncho, gloves, sunscreen). (Unit 3), List the steps of the 8-Step Model for Strategic Communications. Emergency management knowledge including an understanding of NIMS, ICS, the JIS, and the JIC. Effective public communication involves collecting, verifying, and disseminating information to your target audiences. This course can provide a basic understanding of the PIO function for those new to the position. Switchboard: (301) 447-1000 May allow access to more than one person from each media type when necessary (e.g., television reporter and a camera operator, or newspaper reporter and photographer). for the incident. The process for ensuring that a public information message was accurately conveyed is typically called: A. This lesson covered the knowledge and skills you need to effectively manage emergency public information during an incident: The next lesson summarizes your role as a PIO and how to use all the tools available to you to help your community be prepared and to share critical information when an incident happens. B. cause the intended audience to act on requests in the message. It was four, five, and six teams from every news, particularly the TV stations sending out that many cameras with that many reporters from each station and it just was incredible, not to mention the newspapers, the radio stations, the smaller papers in the area plus national media. This process includes: Your goal statement expresses what you hope to achieve through your campaign. *F ;/7Bw1p i~$^y' _r] When preparing written products, it is important that your message is understood. This lesson reviews the four steps in creating a public awareness campaign. School, 43 Margaret St. . These sites make it easy to establish networks of contacts. Simplify complex ideas by using short sentences. Watching the background. Students also learn message development and delivery, legal considerations, press conferences, the operation of a Joint Information Center, stress management, and strategic communication and planning. 1943 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<9229C3A5CD7F8A409FF242859AD01E9B>]/Index[1928 28]/Info 1927 0 R/Length 89/Prev 779652/Root 1929 0 R/Size 1956/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream As exemplified in the Pew Research study, people are getting information from sources other than traditional media. Radio is a form of broadcast technology that has the following needs, advantages, and limitations. Thats right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens youll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe youll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for arealemergency. An important part of the PIOs role is to prepare written products, so the PIO must be able to write clearly and effectively. C. is presented as a bad example of public information management. Establish one that doesnt hinder operations but affords the media reasonable, legitimate access. Public awareness campaigns can run for weeks, months, or even sporadically throughout several years. Office: (301) 447-1200 Fax: (301) 447-1201, (800) 621-FEMA / TTY (800) 462-7585 The Zombie Survival Guide identifies the cause of zombies as a virus called solanum. I know our superb team of firefighters will do all they can, but the conditions on the railroad are particularly difficult, Smith said. This lesson introduced you to different tools you can use to communicate your message as a PIO, including: In the next lesson you will learn how to prepare quality written products for these tools and how to speak effectively with the media and to the public. Knowing how to effectively speak to media representatives using both verbal and nonverbal communication. Resource Typing Definition for Response . ., Example 2:There is more severe weather on the way as a large storm cell is moving across Livingston Parish into EBR. NIMS provides a consistent, systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life and property and harm to the environment. Set up interviews and write talking points C. Be an intermediary between leadership and the news media D. Assess situations for public information implications, 14. The subject is the. D. Identify opportunities for public awareness campaigns. Always connect with the Incident Commander before making any statement to the media. Year in and year out, nearly 1,400 Arizonans get heat related illnesses so serious that they end up in an emergency department. This awareness-level training is suitable for new PIOs. Many times the site of a crisis or disaster may be considered a crime scene and needs to be processed by forensic units. User: 4. In a span of, I think, 2 months, we took in roughly about almost three thousand kids at various sites to talk to them about different safety things. They have access to the officials. The Governor declared the emergency following a similar declaration by Liberty County. the feedback has been, you know, we appreciate this. Some evaluation data can be collected without contact with the audiencefor example, number of Web page hits or increase in the quantity of smoke alarms purchased. How knowledgeable is the audience on this topic? As demonstrated by the examples, micro-blogging has become an important source of information in preparation of, during, and after crisis situations. Email is also an ideal tool for communicating within your organization because you generally have access to your colleagues email addresses. Now that youve got a goal statement, the next step is to create messages in support of the goal that are suited to your target audience. Conducting public awareness campaigns; Gathering key information/details of the event; Prioritizing and issuing notices, alerts, and warnings; Taking action to maintain control of rumors; Coordinating inquiries from the public, the media, and elected officials; Coordinating tours or other interviews with agency reps and the media 3. What are priorities within your organization? What do they already know about the topic? PIOs need to have a thorough understanding of the communities they serve. Leaves the decision as to who will be in the pool to the media. First name. Mayor Holden: By having that access it really helped us to quell the various rumors that were out there and we were able to keep the situation calm. Well, were here to answer that question for you, and hopefully share a few tips about preparing forrealemergencies too! Lets look at some general descriptions of social media available: Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. endstream endobj startxref Coordinate information being distributed to ensure consistency with other agencies messages.