the role of the public information officer fema

4. Lesson 3 introduced the importance of establishing relationships with the media. Ability to hold feature stories and run them when space is available or on specific dates or times of year, Audio (sound clips or telephone interviews), Prerecorded segments lack the break-in option for providing emergency information, Exaggerated nature of local television news. A secondary audience is elected or other officials such as Incident Commanders or emergency operations center managers who want an overview of emergency public information. Serves as an advisor to the Incident Commander. Doug Miser. !]U9[MZ\waQ>yICK{",|.NH&ec* 'C/M;WrQJ6bs\ 886} Remember to treat amateur journalists the same as you would any other journalistwith courtesy and respect. Public information is a vital function in disaster operations that contributes greatly to saving lives and protecting property. It may be a good idea to record how many news releases you sent out, but the amount of media coverage you receive (e.g., column inches, mentions on news programs, and number of radio interviews) is more indicative of success. 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. Final Exam for: IS-29.a: Public Information Officer. As a PIO, you communicate with your target audiences to keep them informed about activities, events, and resources. Expert Help. 'Ss S>*2MbX^f A news conference or briefing may be used when you want to: A news conference or briefing may be announced by using a press release or media advisory. This awareness-level training is suitable for new PIOs. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. One of the advantages of the Incident Command System (ICS) is: A. Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse. This lesson introduces you to some emergency management principles contained in the National Incident Management System (NIMS). 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. Describe how to manage the news media at the scene of an incident. It will keep you focused and is the foundation for evaluating your campaigns success. Select it carefully and choose your background wisely. Describe the role and functions of the Public Information Officer (PIO) Describe the types of written products used in public information activities. Coordinate information being distributed to ensure consistency with other agencies messages. To help you in monitoring conversations on social media sites, you may want to use a social media monitoring tool or social media dashboard. The benefits of social media include the following capabilities: New social media tools are being developed and implemented all the time. D. should be knowledgeable, assertive, credible, flexible, able to perform under pressure, and accessible., 10. What will you change in future campaigns? You should set a realistic deadline and interim benchmarks, as needed. PIOs get their message out by communicating directly with the public, working through the traditional news media and through new media. They can be seasonallike hurricane preparedness week. News releases should provide accurate, factual information that is attributed to its source. After taking this course you may want to take other courses to help you continue your professional development. Join to apply for the Public Information Officer - 48752 role at University of California, Merced. People use technology to tell others that they are okay. PIOs must possess good oral communication skills because they will need to present critical information and prepare other people to speak: More information on speaking and preparing speakers is presented in Lesson 3. FEMA IS-29: Public Information Officer Awareness Answers. For more information on AP style, go tohttp://www.apstylebook.com. Message mapping B. Dissemination C. Tracking and documentation D. Media analysis. Admissions Fax: (301) 447-1658, Independent Study Program Manages resources including supplies, personnel, and equipment. Are there cultural differences to take into consideration? Harvard psychiatrist Steven Scholzman wrote a (fictional) medical paper on the zombies presented inNight of the Living Deadand refers to the condition asAtaxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndromecaused by an infectious agent. Do not be afraid to put bad news first if that is the message. 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. They knew that they werent being led down another road, that they were hearing things unfiltered. The following was originally posted on CDC Public Health Matters Blog on May 16, 2011, by Ali S. Khan. Add to the measurable statistics C. Enlist support and involvement of organization personnel while communicating a consistent message D. Demonstrate commitment to the organization, 16. They heighten awareness of community hazards and encourage the public to take steps to become more prepared. Take a zombie apocalypse for example. If you need to build an email list, consider including a place for people to sign up on your Web site. The Governors declaration allows the use of State resources in paying the costs of fighting the fire. You can find the complete list of courses in the Spanish language course list. D. The ninety-five (95%) segment of the 95/5 concept, 5. This process includes: Your goal statement expresses what you hope to achieve through your campaign. Score .9906. Through ancient voodoo and folk-lore traditions, shows like theWalking Deadwere born. (For example: The suspicious package was the size of a laptop computer. Your organization may have other format preferences, such as single-spaced and one-page only. Admissions Fax: (301) 447-1658, Independent Study Program Speculation C. Summarizing D. Bridging, 12. List the skills needed to be an effective PIO. Practice talking in 5-second to 8-second sound bites. 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.)? As a PIO, you will likely communicate public information and emergency public information as well as conduct community education. B. Media management skills including knowing what the media wants, managing amateur journalists, and using media pools and media areas. The following table shows what you need to provide for a television story, the advantages of television, and its limitations. ), Manuals and background information necessary to provide needed information to the public and media, Topic-specific fact sheets, backgrounders, talking points, and news release templates (hard copy and electronic), Business cards with 24/7 contact information, Funding mechanism (i.e., credit card, etc.) The role of the PIO is the same regardless of the type or size of the event. The media area is a place where media congregate to help enhance the flow of information. A goal that makes you stretch is good. That you will get them information and be back to brief themand then do so. Coming back after the fire to retrieve them, their ghostly shadows left indelible evidence of the inferno that swept through their home. (What will motivate them?). Switchboard: (301) 447-1000 FEMA-NIMS@fema.dhs.gov NIMS Basic Guidance for Public Information Officers 2 II. Tell the media representatives: Follow-through goes a long way to establishing good relations with the news media. The Mayors Office developed an outreach campaign known as Red Stick Ready. The good news is that preventing heat related illness is easy to do if you just use common sense. (Unit 4), Apply public information techniques to a 5% scenario. The news release should use the inverted pyramid as illustrated below. During an incident, the media wants: At an incident scene, after you have conferred with the Incident Commander to assess the situation, you can begin to manage the situation by making contact with the media. In 2008, the average per-person hospital treatment cost for heat related illnesses in Arizona was about $7,500, leading to a whopping $11M in treatment costs. B. 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. Emergency Management Institute 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. Later in the day, Deputy Mayor Mike Tracy and I stood in the same bedroom, getting a first-hand briefing from Fire Chief Kevin Rennie and Capt. Members of the media do not want to interfere with these tasks, but if they can get close enough to observe and/or photograph they will be happy. A Public Information Officer (PIO) for a public safety or emergency management agency might expect to spend what portion of his or her time on activities directly related to incident response or recovery? Some important considerations to effectively use evolving media include developing: Now you have an understanding of the advantages and limitations of traditional and evolving media. There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. 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. Many times at the scene of an incident a media area can be set up to facilitate the enhanced flow of information between the PIO and the media. With the advent of social media, another type of news release you may want to use is the Social Media Release (SMR). Many Web sites include a blog as part of the site. Increased information needs can be handled. Another way to get information to the media or public is by directly sharing with multiple members of the media through a news conference or briefing. They will go other places to get other information (local citizen reactions, sidebar stories, etc.). Leaves the decision as to who will be in the pool to the media. Having such knowledge enables them to make informed choices that affect their health and well-being. Describe evolving media tools, including social media, for communication. 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. And thats not all. Angie Welling: Reporters understand change really well because our days are always changing, but just have that plan in place, know basically what you want to do, whos going to staff it, what will be available, what hours you will be available for the media. Do they have special communication needs (e.g., visual or hearing impairments, or limited English proficiency)? Understand the National Incident Management System, Incident Command System and their correlation with the emergency response system. Campaigns are usually multifaceted, combining events and various media to get the message out. * The social media links provided are for reference only. Different types of Web sites can be used to get information to your community: Email is another way that you can get information to members of your community and organization.