Reading Summary Oct 3, 2013 from Mike Wayman

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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. 

Lesson 5 "Effective communication of disasters" - Jeffrey Martin

Lesson 5 Reading Sumary

Jeffrey Martin

Reference: Lowrey, W., William, E., Gower, K. K., Robinson, J. A., Ginter, P. M., McCormick, L. C., & Abdolrasulnia, M. (2007). Effective media communication of disasters: Pressing problems and recommendations. BMC Public Health, 797-8. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-7-97

Theme:  Public information officers and journalists have a symbiotic role working together to provide information to the public. 

Summary:  Journalists are usually unprepared to report on natural disasters and terrorist attacks.  News reports of terrorism and natural disasters, however, sometimes have been faulted for inaccurate, incomplete, and sensational coverage that may contribute to public misunderstanding of risks.  Public information officers should develop media contacts and plan what information they will release.

·         Historically, public health's response to disasters has been improvised and impromptu.

·         Use the Internet and other mobile technologies to develop and disseminate resources.

·         Participate in drills and exercises. Gain standing for journalists and PIO's to participate routinely in disaster response drills and exercises.

·         Take advantage of existing programs and publications.

·         Neither journalists nor PIO's perform well in terms of addressing the information needs of special populations during health-related emergencies.

Other reading:  Wilt, M. (2006). BALANCING THE RELEASE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION DURING AN ANIMAL DISEASE OUTBREAK. Case Western Reserve Journal Of International Law, 38(3/4), 625-628.

This articles discusses the release of information from an animal disease outbreak in Ohio. PIOs were initially proactive with their release of information, but were conflicted on what information to release as the incident progressed.  Although this article is about animals, the same principles apply to human disasters.

Application: Public information officers have very complicated and important jobs.  They are not always needed, and should use down time between incidents to prepare.  You can prepare by making new contacts, having pre-scripted responses for incidents, or making sure you have the authority to release information the public needs.

Lesson 5: The Crisis Communications Response - Joseph Galbraith

Joseph Galbraith

 
Lesson 5 Reading Summary
 

Reference:

Stein, A. (2006). We Thought It Could Never Happen Here: The Crisis Communications Response to the Thurston High School Shootings. Journal Of Promotion Management, 12(3/4), 99-128. doi:10.1300/J057v12n03•07

 Theme:

This report is a case study discussing the challenges and lessons learned after the Thurston High School shootings in 1998.  The public relations staff was tasked with implementing a crisis communications plan during a very tragic event.

 Summary:

• High School student opens fire in a high school in Springfield, Oregon.  2 students were killed and 25 more were wounded.  Suspect was apprehended.

• Crisis events can allow opportunities for outside agencies to scrutinize the apparent loss of control displayed by responding organizations or school in this case.

• An established crisis communications plan is crucial in order to be prepared for media and public interaction.

• Crisis management teams are effective in managing information flow.

• Case study interviewed 11 individuals involved in aftermath of crisis

• 911 lines were flooded with information requests; additional lines were requested and distributed to the public

• Agencies decided to work as a team with various PIO's.

• Scheduled regular press conferences.

• The two hospitals involved were prepared with a full disaster plan.

• The hospital eventually decided to team up with the city hall information center rather than maintain their own.

•The requests for information only intensified as time went on. 

•Local media was easier to deal with than the national media.

 •Many PIO's suffered delayed emotional responses.

•Biggest lesson learned was to insure that someone was assigned to monitor the media product.

 
Application to the lesson topic:

 This is a very in depth and thorough case study of this crisis.  The PIO's involved are a great example of how coordination, not only with the media, but with other agency PIO's is very important.  The town of Springfield never expected this type of mass media attention but did a great job in responding.

 

Application to emergency services:

Coordination with other agencies and departments such as schools and hospitals may be often overlooked.  This type of incident could happen in any town on any day.  Preparation and a crisis communication must be in place.  It was very interesting to see how long the PIO's are needed after the actual events.

Lesson 5 - Disaster Communication on the Internet - Michael Newland

 Reference: Tanner, A., Friedman, D., Koskan, A., & Barr, D. (2009). Disaster Communication on the Internet: A Focus on Mobilizing Information. Journal of Health Communication; Vol. 14 Issue 8, Pg 741-755.

Theme: During a disaster the public needs up to date accurate information. One of the best ways to get information out to the masses is the internet. The internet is a powerful tool for Public Information Officers.

Summary: Michael Newland

·         Natural and man-made disasters are constantly a threat to everyone.

·         These disasters require emergency preparedness and emergency response information.

·         In the event of a disaster, the public seeks crisis management information. The Public Information Officer plays a large role in getting this information out.

·         In an effort to keep up with the demand for information emergency agencies and the media have turned to the internet.

·         Although television is still a relevant source of information the internet is better because you can immediately get the info that you need without having to wait for a reporter to say it. In the event of an emergency, one advantage of the Internet is the ability to post updated information just as quickly if not more quickly than television and radio news.

·         It is up to the Public Information Officer to quickly gather pertinent information and get it out to the public. What better way to do this than the use of the internet?

Application to the Lesson Topic:

      Public information officers are very important during a disaster situation. Their job is to communicate with the public and provide the media with information to give out to the public. The internet is a powerful tool for Public Information Officers.

Application to Emergency Services:

      A disaster can be a very chaotic situation. People will be terrified for their loved ones and demand information. Anything that a PIO can do to get information out to the public will help emergency responders to do their job.

      

The Evolving PIO - Reading Summary 5 - Ashley Burningham

 

Reference:

Wilmoth, J. (2013). Put the PIO Back in the Public, Fire Chief, 57(6), 6.

Theme:

With the decline in fire calls, the role of the PIO has been expanded to include community outreach and external affairs.

Summary:

·         - Less than 5% of community members will call 911 in their lifetime.

        - Role of PIO has been evolving quietly.

·         - Generally, PIO is a liaison between an incident commander and the media.

·         - They provided information updates on cases.

·         - Number of fire calls has declined.

·         - Agencies are beginning to expand PIO roles to community outreach or external affairs.

·         - "Earlier this year, the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Fire Service Image Task Force issued the report "Taking Responsibility for a Positive Public Perception" in response to increasing scrutiny and public perception."

·        - Problem is perception, not trust.

·         - Fire chief is ultimately responsible for public perception.

·         - Role delegated to PIOs.

·        - PIOs are used to increase public perception of an organization.

·        - PIOs are used to establish relationships with local media and community.

·        - PIOs connect with other PIOs for ideas.

·        - Used to raise awareness of services provided.

·        - PIOs promoting an image.

·        - Fire calls will continue to decline.

·        - Community will support agencies that support them.

Application to Lesson:

This week's lesson talked about the role of the PIO. This article discusses the evolving role of the PIO in today's society, and discusses how their job has been stretched to involve new components.

Application to Career:

Public Information Officers are a crucial component to law enforcement. They are in charge with relaying information to the public. Whether this information is about a crime, officer safety, resources, etc., the PIO is responsible for coordinating these efforts.

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.