Switchboard: (301) 447-1000 Measurement is how you evaluate success, but make sure your numbers reflect significant achievement. Are there warnings or other critical messages to be communicated to the public? Tammy Kikuchi: Having the Joint Information Center for this event was critical. Spelling- and grammar-checking tools (printed and computer software). An important difference in these evolving media is that anyone can report the informationit could be a reporter, you, someone in your organization, or anyone in the public. Through ancient voodoo and folk-lore traditions, shows like theWalking Deadwere born. 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. Describe how to have a successful relationship with the news media. They can be timelesslike encouraging children to be active. A well-executed interview will likely not A. advance leaderships goals. 3 Step Guide for Assistance, Federal Emergency Management Agency | Emergency Management Institute, Notice to Applicants for EMI or NFA Courses, How to apply for a FEMA Independent Study course (Online Course), How to apply for a course held in EMI (On-Campus Course), Non-Resident Courses (EMI Courses Conducted by States), National Standard Exercise Curriculum (NSEC), Master Exercise Practitioner Program (MEPP), Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP), National Incident Management System (NIMS), Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC), Disaster Field Training Operations (DFTO), Schools Multihazard and Mass Casualty Planning, Virtual Table Top Exercise (VTTX) (Sites participate from home via VTC), Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, Exercise Simulation System Document (ESSD), Guidance on COVID protections for EMI students, Please review the IS FAQ's for more information, IS-29 Public Information Officer Awareness, E/L0388 Advanced Public Information Officer, Master Public Information Officer Program, Special collection: Emergency Management Institute student papers, E/K0389 - Master Public Information Officer Implementing Communications Strategies for Whole Community Leadership, E/K0393 Master Public Information Officer Applying Advanced Concepts in Public Information and Communications, E0394 Master Public Information Officer Mastering Public Advocacy Plans to Create an Effective Community of Stakeholders. The following are excerpts from some successful blogs by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Ventura City Manager in Ventura, CA, and the Arizona Department of Health Services. Announce events of interest to your community or share information about an incident. Tornadoes or wildfires in neighboring States may increase your communitys interest in preparedness. 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. A. 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. Weve all seen at least one movie about flesh-eating zombies taking over (my personal favorite isResident Evil), but where do zombies come from and why do they love eating brains so much? What problems are you having in your community? What is in it for them? To help you in monitoring conversations on social media sites, you may want to use a social media monitoring tool or social media dashboard. Unfortunately, these hazardous materials are creating a dangerous situation for all of us. Contact local, tribal, territorial, and State press associations to obtain media lists. endstream endobj startxref I know our superb team of firefighters will do all they can, but the conditions on the railroad are particularly difficult, Smith said. 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. D. Identify opportunities for public awareness campaigns. An important part of the PIOs relationship with the media is knowing what they want. Also, it may be necessary to explain to them the danger, and how if they fail to heed the warnings and become injured, they may endanger others who would have to then go in to rescue them (e.g., passing into the plume of a Hazmat area, traveling over an unsafe structure that may collapse, or moving into the line of fire of an armed suspect). (Unit 2), Describe the types of written products used in public information activities. They can be used for personal networking, professional networking, and sharing public information. The highest-ranking State official C. His/her regular boss D. The Operations Section Chief, 13. Do they have special communication needs (e.g., visual or hearing impairments, or limited English proficiency)? As a PIO, you communicate with your target audiences to keep them informed about activities, events, and resources. With an eye on public safety, the mayor began looking for a way to educate people about disaster preparation and response. Learn and respect your media contacts deadlines. Timely updates and corrections to information in evolving incidents. Treat all media fairlydo not play favorites with reporters. Below are some, but not all, of the critical skill sets learned during this training program: Personnel who are assigned or may be designated to perform public information duties during an incident, emergency, or disaster and anyone in a response discipline who may be assigned or designated to perform public information duties. If a media pool is not an option, consider providing professional-quality images to the media in the form of video and stills. (Unit 1), Describe the role and functions of the PIO. Public information is a vital function in disaster operations that . Do not be afraid to put bad news first if that is the message. User: 4. It will keep you focused and is the foundation for evaluating your campaigns success. Responds to the media while respecting restrictions on the release of sensitive information. The Student Self Service Portal allows you to print or download Independent Study (IS) Completion Certificates, Student IS Transcripts (for personal or employer use) and Official IS Transcripts (for educational institutions only). 17. A Federal structure designed for large-scale, multijurisdictional incidents B. Traditional media (print, radio, television). * The social media links provided are for reference only. Doug Miser. View IS-29.a - Public Information Officer Awareness | FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI).pdf from CIS 20 at SUNY Empire State College. 0 The first step in developing a public awareness campaign is to research issues to identify relevant topics for your campaign. . In the Incident Command System (ICS) structure, the Public Information Officer (PIO): A. . Construct and deliver an appropriate crisis and emergency risk message. 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: Uses correct grammar and contains no spelling or punctuation errors. Describe the target audiences for the PIO. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. All of the above, 23. The Governor repeated his request that everyone use caution and heed warning messages on TV and radio, or in their newspapers. You cant manage who shows up but you can and should manage contact with the site. As with ICS, the JIS is as simple or complex as the needs of the situation. Information developed and disseminated in anticipation of, during, or after an emergency to provide specific life- and health-saving information C. Issuing a news release on a seatbelt law (public information); announcing a road closure due to a multiple-car accident (emergency public information) D. Information collected, assembled, or maintained by an organization in connection with the transaction of official business and available for dissemination to the public, 15. Develops a strategy or plan for handling the incident, monitors it in process, and adjusts the plan as needed. 18. A tornado strikes in the Midwest. Poor grammar and misspelled words can confuse the audience and hurt your credibility, but the most important goal is to communicate. News briefings or conferences and interviews are times when you will need to know how to (or prepare a speaker to) present information and respond to questions. Make it less likely that your release will be cut C. Impress people in the target audience D. Be a barrier to communication, 22. Determines what the public needs to know. Media pools are used to restrict access to an area due to space limitations or safety issues. 4. hb```f``z B@16 @>cC?v,gY&9w=K{mg,XRV3Z'le At the completion of this lesson you should be able to: In the previous lesson, you learned about the audiences with whom you will need to communicatethe media, the public, and employees and leaders within your organization. Technology allows anyone to be a journalist. Images, sound, and information captured by the public can be used by traditional news organizations, or posted to social media sites, and broadcast globally. At the completion of this lesson you should be able to: The previous lesson introduced tools the PIO can use to communicate with the community. wA{)K+Xk80538L``V[mvWS|?9U7 People have a right and a need to know about the risks they face. Narrator: While responding to disasters, Mayor Holden and his staff began to realize that many of the issues they faced repeatedly could be eliminated if the public was better prepared. The course culminates with a practical exercise designed to plan, develop, integrate, and disseminate public information for an emergency, incident, or disaster as part of a Joint Information Center. It also helps identify the target audience for a particular public awareness campaign. Test the message on a safe audience B. . C. result in the need to conduct follow-up interviews. D. enhance agency credibility. Use examples and comparisons to help convey unfamiliar information, to paint a picture, or to help the reader relate to the information. This course can provide a basic understanding of the PIO function for those new to the position. Remember to treat amateur journalists the same as you would any other journalistwith courtesy and respect. Describe how to manage the news media at the scene of an incident. Joanne H. Moreau: So Mayor Mouse, our mayor, along with the real mayor actually goes to that event and interacts with the people that are present. What is the community sentiment toward your organization or the issue? The activities a PIO chooses in non-emergency times (95%) has a significant impact on how successful he or she will be in the 5% spent in emergency response and recovery. Use jargon to communicate with your target audience B. In their zeal to get the story reporters may not always recognize the potential for danger to themselves. 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. Media management skills including knowing what the media wants, managing amateur journalists, and using media pools and media areas. This lesson presents information on how to effectively communicate with the whole community regarding the importance of being prepared for an incident. It was absolutely the very best thing we could have done. The information you provide: In addition to the qualities necessary to be a good PIO, there are skills and knowledge you need to ensure your success. hbbd```b``"_H|LI&x9"$ ;Dr?*&Fvql2r S3 D. has become ever more complex as the challenge of delivering messages has evolved. And thats not all. Describe how to effectively communicate orally and through written products. This training focuses on both parts of the equation. 140-character stand-alone micro-blog statements. Serves as a press secretary for the Agency Executive or Senior Official during the incident. Include information on evolving media contacts, instructions, and resources. The median, annual pay for public relations specialists, during the same period, was $52,090, with the top 10 . Lieutenant Doug McCleve: The feedback that Im getting, at least from my local news media, is that theyve been very pleased with the access theyve had. This is a release that you post online. Influence an audience to modify behavior C. Sell government or nonprofit products and programs D. Enhance social media, 11. If you need to build an email list, consider including a place for people to sign up on your Web site. We wanted questions answered, we wanted stories to be able to do, and we had one place to go to and that was great. This process includes: Your goal statement expresses what you hope to achieve through your campaign. Verdi White: The two functions and people that I need to have with me when Im out here doing anything is I need to have a finance person and I need to have the Joint Information Center. What are priorities within your organization? When creating your media list: Media information is constantly changing; make sure you have a process to keep your media list up-to-date. Lesson 3 introduced the importance of establishing relationships with the media. Office: (301) 447-1200 Fax: (301) 447-1201, (800) 621-FEMA / TTY (800) 462-7585 In order to keep a consistent two-way flow of information with the media representatives at the scene, it is important to make it relatively easy to communicate with them face to face. Information developed and disseminated in anticipation of, during, or after an emergency to provide specific life- and health-saving information C. Issuing a news release on a seatbelt law (public information); announcing a road closure due to a multiple-car accident (emergency public information) D. Information collected, assembled, or maintained by an organization in connection with the transaction of official business and available for dissemination to the public, 8. Where do they go and how do they get there (e.g., do they spend time on public transportation, do they visit the library, do they go to sporting events, etc.)? Depending on where the media area is, the media representatives will need to be able to connect with their microwave towers or uplink with a satellite. What are people in your community concerned about? Campaigns are usually multifaceted, combining events and various media to get the message out. For example: Active voice is clear, direct, and concise. In the next lesson you will learn how to communicate effectively when an incident happens. Social marketing is the use of commercial marketing principles to: A. For each of these toolstelevision, newspaper, radio, news briefings, and evolving mediayou need written products. If there is a reason that the media cannot be allowed access to the scene, consider using a media pool to restrict access while allowing them to get the images and interviews they desire. Many times the site of a crisis or disaster may be considered a crime scene and needs to be processed by forensic units. 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. If you hope to work with schools, plan well in advance to coordinate with their schedules and curriculum. For example, you can post videos, use social networking sites, and/or create a blog. Social media sites help disaster survivors look for lost family members and pets, and provide information on where to get assistance, where to find shelter, and how to give aid. It provides a framework for people from multiple agencies to work well together B. All social networking sites allow users to find people they know among the members, or look for other members with similar interests or affiliations. The media will want to get as close as possible to get pictures/audio/interviews. 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). Prior to establishing the location for this media area, ask yourself the following questions: Another method you may need to employ to manage the situation is a media pool. B. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. In such a scenario zombies would take over entire countries, roaming city streets eating anything living that got in their way. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median, annual pay for public relations managers was $91,180 in May 2012, with the top 10 percent earning more than $166,000. The Zombie Survival Guide identifies the cause of zombies as a virus called solanum. Within minutes pictures, videos, and messages about the destruction are available on social media sites, Web sites, and throughout the news media. A goal that makes you stretch is good. Additionally, it can provide those in executive level roles the necessary knowledge of PIO roles and responsibilities during an emergency. Many edits, however, can be made in real-time and appear almost instantly online. They also tell people how they can prepare for a disaster, and protect themselves when disaster strikes. Overview: The FEMA IS-29.A course was published on 8/5/2019 to familiarize participants with the concepts underlying the PIO role. Access to you and the newsmakers or persons in charge. This awareness-level training is suitable for new PIOs. Information developed and disseminated in anticipation of, during, or after an emergency to provide specific life- and health-saving information C. Issuing a news release on a seatbelt law (public information); announcing a road closure due to a multiple-car accident (emergency public information) D. Information collected, assembled or maintained by an organization in connection with the transaction of official business and available for dissemination to the public, 2.