Lesson 5: PIO Missions in Super Storm Sandy - Randy Rask

Lesson 5 Reading Summary

Randy Rask

Reference:  JOHNSON, SEAN. Fire Engineering. May2013, Vol. 166 Issue 5, p42-44. 3p.

Theme: This article describes the missions of the public information officer of FDNY during hurricane super storm Sandy.  

Summary:

-October 27, 2012, FDNY command and general staff held a meeting in preparation of the hurricane.  The main goal was to develop a plan to remove fallen trees and debris before the high winds came. 

-October 28, the storm had started to affect the Carolinas and was moving its way up the East Coast towards New York.  The new focus was "Homebound Evacuations".  Four PIO's were deployed to help with the plan of evacuating residents in the flood zones. 

- (October 28- November 2) New mission of PIO was to provide for fire and life safety functions in accordance with the Citywide Incident Command System.  The job was to support five New York boroughs with resources for emergency responder teams if emergency personnel in the area were isolated from the storm. 

-Media attention began to grow when people found out that out-of-state response teams were going to respond.  The PIO teams assisted were helping in the field as well as at the incident command post. PIO's were also being dispatched to different parts of the city where media was showing up to help them with their stories.

-PIO's began to gather information on heroic stories of on and off-duty emergency responders to give to the FDNY Press Office to review and record. 

-PIO's were present for all interviews and were even in some studios to be sure that any story told was accurate.

- (November 1 – December 29)  The second mission had become manageable and now the new mission was to assist in community recovery.  Things such as tree removal as well as dewatering operations were taking place.  The PIO's still continued to work with media and giving them updates. 

Application to lesson topic:

Seeing as how the lesson topic described the role of PIO's, this article perfectly applies.  This article gives a play by play of the PIO's roles in before, during, and after Hurricane Sandy as it hit New York.  This shows how the public information officers helped with the situation and how they dealt with the media. 

Application to Emergency Services:

Public information officers play a very big role in emergency services during disasters.  This article shows how an effective PIO performance will help to benefit emergency service agencies.  If the public is getting accurate information through the media, and the media is given the information through the public information officer, then things will tend to run much more smoothly in most cases. 

5 - Problems and Recommendations for Media Communication - Andrea Graff

Reference: Lowrey, W., Evans, W. (2007). Effective media communication of disasters: pressing problems and recommendations. BMC Public Health.

Theme: Problems and recommendations for media communication

Summary:

Natural and man-made disasters have been increasing over the last decades and journalists and media personnel have a crucial role in covering these events. Public information officers (PIO) and media need to work together to make sure accurate and timely information gets to the public. Following are challenges and solutions faced:

• Public health's expanding role in preparedness: It wasn't until Sept. 11 that public health began to be integrated into the disaster response efforts. Their role in collaborating with the media is to get information on personal protective actions to the public during times of emergency.

• Professional and organizational realities: Public health agencies have been faulted for not "preparing in advance information useful in emergencies and for ineffective dissemination of information". PIO's are the go-between, they have to put out information that will be understood and is communicated accurately. "PIOs are also constrained by legal requirements designed to protect citizen privacy".

• Journalism advisors have several complaints about PIOs. They say PIOs err on the side of withholding access to information and experts, sometimes they lack the authority to provide access to information, and they too often perform poorly on camera and in interviews.

• Both journalists and PIOs worry about their ability to get information to the public when it is something they should be worried or concerned about. They both believe it is necessary to build close relationships with one another to respond effectively to health-related emergencies.

Application to the lesson topic: Media and PIOs have been and will probably continue to be a big issue in the sense of getting along and trusting one another. Realizing this and coming up with solutions to overcome the struggles they face and learning to trust each other will go a long way in getting timely accurate information out to the public.

Application to emergency services:  Making sure our PIOs have the most accurate information to give to the public will help in the relationship between the PIO and media personnel. That way, the media won't feel the need to go straight to the source to get information, but will trust in what the PIO has to say.

4- Communication Gaps in Disaster Management - Ray Huntzinger

Communication Gaps in Disaster Management -- Reading Summary #4


By Ray Huntzinger


Reference:

Palttala, P., Boano, C., Lund, R., & Vos, M. (2012, March).
Communication gaps in disaster management: Perceptions by experts from
governmental and non-governmental organizations. Journal of
Contingencies and Crisis Management. 20(1), pp.2-12.

Theme:

The theme of the journal was an overview of a study attempting to
address communication issues and gaps during disaster situations; and
ultimately develop tools to measure crisis communication
effectiveness.

Summary:

--The purpose of the study was to identify gaps in communication
during the management of disasters.

--Crisis communication aims to resolve crisis situations and lessen
public uncertainty during crisis/disaster events.

--The method, results, and conclusions of the study involving gaps in
disaster communication were outlined in detail.

--Stakeholders for the study were selected from those involved in
management of previous major disasters.

--The method to determine past gaps in disaster communication involved
three questions to stakeholders: What are the major constraints in
communication with the media and public? What are the constraints with
communication to civilians and communities? What are the constraints
in communication with other involved organizations?

--Some of the gaps identified in the study include deficiencies in the
flow of information within the disaster response/management network;
the relationships, expectations, and accountability of the flow of
information within the media; and the failure of emergency management
to monitor information that is released to the public.


Application to lesson topic:

The journal article describing the study directly relates to many
items, including the purpose, of the National Emergency Communications
Plan. Finding and addressing the gaps in disaster communication is a
major part of the overall lesson topic.


Application to emergency services:

The information in the journal article can be directly applied to
disaster management crisis communication during future incidents;
communication gaps/lessons from past disasters are identified and
recommendations are made.

3 - Leadership Through the Blur - Ray Huntzinger

Leading Through the Blur: Leadership in Difficult Times

ESMG 4200 Reading Summary #3



Ray Huntzinger

Reference:

Kerfoot, K. (2001, December). Leading through the blur: Leadership in
difficult times. Dermatology Nursing, 13(6), pp. 450-451.

Theme:

The theme of the article was that leadership requirements are
ever-changing and dynamic; and true leadership can only be measured by
how well a leader adapts during the difficult times.

Summary:

--Leadership abilities are measured in difficult times as most leaders
can survive when times are easy.

--Leadership in the face of terrorism will cause leaders to learn and
grow; those who choose these actions over fear will be successful.

--Successful leadership requires focused "community building" during
difficult times.

--To survive, leaders must look at adversity as a new chapter in their
lives and ultimately take advantage of the learning opportunity.

--Leaders must lead by example, particularly when it comes to showing
compassion.

--Leaders must foster an inner peace, avoiding negativity, hatred, or
self-loathing.

--Leaders must rise to the occasion and keep the "spirit of the
organization" alive.

Application to the lesson topic:

The article relates to the lesson topic because its ideas require
strong, decisive, and honest leadership. In addition, effective
communication skills are required to implement any of the suggested
strategies.

Application to emergency services:

The leadership ideas described in the article would make any emergency
service leader more effective. The Emergency services require
positivity, decisive, compassionate, proactive, and community-based
leadership ideals, just as the article suggests.

3- Leadership in the Face of Disaster - John Scardena

John Scardena

Reference:

Karlene Kerfoot (December, 2001) Leading Through the Blur: Leadership in Difficult Times

Theme:

Leaders become successful when they can understand what is going on despite chaos and grow in ability by using the five properties of leadership of disaster control

Summary:

-Recent Disasters like 9/11, floods in Houston, Oklahoma City Bombing, and tornados have created a new syndrome of nervousness called "anticipatory anxiety" which is a fear of the unknown.

- Leadership facing threats from terror and disaster has become very different than times past.

-Tests of leadership are not brought about by times of safety but by times of crisis

-In times of disasters leaders will raise from crisis because they choose to fight instead of flight.

-People will gravitate to those who are bold and seem to live without fear of the unknown

-This is a great time of learning and growing for leaders, just as a muscle grown from excursion so does a leader.

-This is a time to build the community

-The people who will suffer most in a disaster are those who do not have a support system.

-This is a time to rethink leadership qualities and training; i.e. new methods of leadership

This is a time for practicing compassion- leaders must lead by how they want the world to be governed.

-The world is attracted to leaders whom follow the golden rule.

-This is a time to focus on the spirit of peace.

-Leaders must look threw the blur of disasters and blow away the fog of confusion and become strong.

-People need strong leaders who are intelligent, courageous, and have a good heart.

Application to Lesson Topic:

            The leason focuses all about leadership, the view of leadership and what the World needs. I think this meshes with media because the leaders that we speak of and the ones we look up to are passionate and dramatic. Media thrives on these ideas thus making a positive link between the leaders we are looking for and the exposure that they need.

Application to Emergency Services:

            When I think of leaders in a disaster or crisis situation, I do think of the men and women that are in emergency services. Whether that be the police doing crowd control, the Red Cross comforting victims, members of Reaching Efforts taking control of clearing debris and rebuilding homes so that the communities can return, all have a place and all need to have courage so that victims and others suffering from anticipatory anxiety can feel safe and calm. Ultimately it will be the first responders becoming leaders who will help the initial calm and it will need to be the second responders and public servants who reinforce that calm by taking control, being peace makers, and offering peace. 

3 - Leadership Excellence - Randy Rask

Leadership Excellence

Randy Rask

Reference:

Wheatley, Margaret J. Leadership Excellence. Oct2006, Vol. 23 Issue 10, p8-9. 2p.

Theme:  How leadership works in the world.  A leader's role is to create stability and control.  The article relates leadership to disasters

Summary: 

-           Margaret J. Wheatley created a leadership "new science" of leadership that people began to question.

-          She states that the people questioning her had the wrong perception of how the real world works.  People tend to relate people and organizations to machines because we all do what we are told therefore organizations can be ran like clockwork

-          These people believe that motivation comes from fear and rewards.  Compassion and generosity are not applicable.

-          Margaret states that this is not how the real world works.  The real world demands that we learn to cope with chaos, learn what motivates people, and adopt strategies that lead to order and not more chaos. 

-          All people have a sense of how to self-organize.  This evokes creativity and leads to results and creates a strong and adaptive system. This also creates stability and control which is what a leader's job is

-          She then relates this new science of leadership to disasters. 

-          The first thing people do in a disaster is want to help.  People pool their resources and create solutions to problem right there on the spot.  They work for days with no rest. This is the self-organizing that she speaks of.

-          These efforts, however, are often halted by officials who insist that this is not the proper way to do things and that they need to follow protocol.  But, these officials are also imprisoned by rules that they need to follow and cannot act on their own.  This causes an uncertainty of who is in charge. 

-          During the aftermath of Katrina in New Orleans, the people and the officials had this exact problem and it was very difficult for anything to get done.

-          But, in the Gulf Coast, people began to self-organize.  Although people acted freely, there was a mutual intent on what was going to happen in order for the chaos to end.

-          She states how "senior leader" have a difficult time acting this spontaneously.  Power and policy steps in the way of this more often than not.  Courage is needed in order for help to be given.

-          So, for formal leadership to work, the leaders need to have confidence that the people that they send out to do certain jobs know how to handle it and can invent their own solutions.  Leaders need to expect and value these efforts. 

-          Leaders can rely on human compassion, caring, and creativity, and self-organizing skills to hand self-organizing skills to isasters  the people that they send out to do cert the  proper way to do things and that they neeelp have a big impact after disasters.

Application to Lesson Topic:

Certain skills such as knowledge and experience are very important in forming a good leader.  Leaders, however, need to realize that there are other people and organizations that know what they are doing.  Therefore, a leader can let them handle certain situations so that they do not have all of the creativity and planning workload on themselves.

Application to Emergency Services:

This relates to emergency services because a good leader in emergency service would be benefited by letting other people and organizations be creative when responding to things such as disasters.  Although it is important for the leader to know what is going on, it can be much too overwhelming for them to handle everything themselves and this could ultimately hinder response efforts.   

3- Compassionate, Courageous, and Committed - Mike Wayman

Reference:

Birchfield, R., & Brosnahan, J. (2011). Leaders for our times: Compassionate, courageous and committed. New Zealand Management, 58 (6), 22-24.

Theme:

The country needs courageous leaders to deal with natural disasters like the Canterbury earthquake. Leaders who are compassionate must become the new heroes of the society. 

Summary:

• In any type of disaster, natural or domestic a good leader is important
• Today's leaders need to make the connections between political, economic, commercial, environmental, social, cultural, community, ethical and moral actions and outcomes.
• Courageous leaders encourage the community to look for common good solutions among the diversity of options that confront them.
• Compassionate leaders must become society's new heroes.
• In a disaster leadership is vital, leaders must me cool, calm and collected
• Good leadership reassures the community and builds faith during a crisis

Application to the lesson topic:

Good leadership encourages a good working environment.

Application to emergency services:

Good leadership within emergency services is vital in helping those affected by a crisis. Good leadership is also vital to EMS workers in a high stress situation

3 - Leading Through the Blur: Leadership in Difficult Times - Robert Letterman

Rob Letterman

Leading Through the Blur: Leadership in Difficult Times

Reference

Kerfoot, K. (2001). Leading Through the Blur: Leadership in Difficult Times. Dermatology Nursing, 250-252.

Theme

               Rethinking the importance of leadership and how leaders are developed.  Leaders grow and improve in the face of adversity.

Summary

·        We live in times where our enemies are faceless and without a national identity.  Unlike in previous times when we knew who are enemies were.

·        Leaders are not measured by how they lead during times of peace, but during times of crisis when things don't go according to plan.

·        Adversity strengthens leadership much like physical exercise makes us stronger.  Leaders face the choice of fight or flight during difficult times.

·        Leadership is about advancing in times of struggle and there are many opportunities for to prove leadership.  Rudy Guiliani is an example.

·        Incidents that occur separate the wheat from the tares in terms of leadership.

·        Leaders must rise through the blur of disaster by clearing our heads of negative thoughts, anger, and hatred.  When we do this our minds are in a position to lead effectively.

Application to Lesson

               The examples given in this article reflect and discuss many of the same things we analyzed with Chris Christie.  Leading through difficult times gives legitimacy to a leader's methods and credibility in the eyes of those who follow them.

Application to Emergency Services

               The nature of emergency services requires leadership through difficult times.  Whether we are in a position of leadership or not disasters afford us the opportunity to prove ourselves and learn from the difficult situations that emergency services deal with.  Learning from the examples of other leaders is critical to success and we must apply the lessons learned for future situations.