Reading summary 5

Reading Summary 5

Jeff Neal

IS-702.A: National Incident Management System (NIMS) Public Information Systems

Theme: The Public Information Officer (PIO) is the face of the department during an event, and whatever message is given will dictate how the public will perceive the department.

Summary: Preparation: This is the most important part to achieve a good outcome.  The PIO needs to train for what needs to be done long before it happens.  Developing skill set and strong knowledge of the department and community will allow the PIO to have confidence under pressure.  If he first time you are in front of the camera is when a disaster happens you will probably look like a fool.  The PIO needs to be familiar with his equipment and be sure the equipment checks and training with equipment is done on a regular basis.  Another critical part of the preparation process is to develop a good relationship with local media members, and other PIO's from outside agencies.  THE PIO could work with the fire prevention division of their department to build community awareness. If you have a good relationship with all members of the media and the community then working with them during an actual event will be easy.

Response:  During this phase of the incident it is important to respond to the scene as fast as possible.  Collecting the important information needs to be a priority.  Once the information is collected it must be verified.  The information must be true and informative.  The PIO only has one chance to get the right information out.  Once the information is released it cannot be taken back.  Now choosing the best methods to disseminate the information becomes the priority.  Depending on the audience you are trying to reach will determine which media source is appropriate.  In most case all media will have interest in receiving the information.  The media, community and other PIO's will be waiting and time is of the essence. 

Recovery: Following a disaster or incident the PIO must continue to gather information that will help the community recover.  Those in the community that were affected will need to know where to go for help. They may be in need of food, medical assistance and shelter.  This information needs to be disseminated to the public.  A PIO should be available on the phone in the JIC hotline with all information related to the recovery process for both the public and the media.  The media can help with getting the information out to the public. 

The importance of the PIO can be since even in non-emergency events.  Following Hurricane Katrina hundreds of Katrina victims were sent to Utah.  This created a major media event, media members from around the country showed up in Utah to get the story.  The emergency managers in charge of the event set up a JIC to gather, verify and deliver all of the information to the media members.   A PIO could be needed on any event that may involve the media.  Sometimes it difficult to know what events will be media worthy until it's too late.  This is why a PIO must respond to all fires and incidents that may be of interest to the community or department.   Every Fire I responded to had multiple media member arrive to the scene.   The last call I responded to prior to retiring occurred on I-80 and about 5600 west.  Two cows wandered out onto the highway and were hit by a car, traveling about 80 MPH, with three men on their way back from Wendover at 3am.  It looked like a bomb went off, the cows exploded upon impact.  While extricating the men from the vehicle it was difficult to breath due to the strong smell from the guts of the cows.  Airmed said that they could smell the bad smell from the air before they landed.  When the last patient was loaded we finally realized that the media was there filming the incident.  I was relieved that my crew had maintained their professionalism in a situation that may have made some act differently.  You never know when the media will arrive; having a PIO on the scene allows the Incident commander to focus on the incident and not on media members.