Speak to several members of the media at one time, especially during an incident. Disclosing information to the public in ways that are easy to find and use. Blogs to cover events as they are happening. Within minutes pictures, videos, and messages about the destruction are available on social media sites, Web sites, and throughout the news media. Expert Help. Access to you and the newsmakers or persons in charge. If you anticipate what they will want, you will have a better chance to manage the scene and help guide the story. Avoid getting involved in these media disputes. Be accessible and return calls and emails promptly. The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Public Information Officer (PIO) training program is designed to provide PIOs with the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities to support proper decision-making by delivering the right message, to the right people, at the right time. Treat all media fairlydo not play favorites with reporters. What do they already know about the topic? . Many organizations follow stylebooks that establish how they will communicate with the public in terms of titles, capitalization, punctuation, and so on. How or what can your community learn from these events? The Public Information Officer Awareness Course (IS0029) is designed to familiarize participants with the concepts underlying the PIO role. Describe the role of the PIO in an emergency. An important part of the PIOs relationship with the media is knowing what they want. This lesson presents information on how to effectively communicate with the whole community regarding the importance of being prepared for an incident. Dont date your materials by using the year or referring to news events that will become out-of-date quickly. Public information is a vital function in disaster operations that . Evaluate the effectiveness of your campaign. If you hope to work with schools, plan well in advance to coordinate with their schedules and curriculum. Managing Public Information for All-Hazards Incidents (MPI) is a four-day course that provides students with the practical knowledge of the role of the Public Information Officer, the National Incident Management System, emergency communications methods, risk communication, and interpersonal skills. In all cases, the campaign will include a compelling message and a clear link to the organizations overall goals and priorities. . Understand the National Incident Management System, Incident Command System and their correlation with the emergency response system. Media pools are used to restrict access to an area due to space limitations or safety issues. Zoom lenses, parabolic microphones, and just plain observant reporters may be able to discover sensitive or protected information from your incident command post (e.g., zoom shots of maps, recorded conversations, etc.). 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. When considering whether a goal is attainable, ask yourself: Do I have the skills and resourcesor can I get themto achieve this goal? A. 0 Policies for evolving media (e.g., who can post, what can be posted, how to respond to negative comments, etc.). The following was originally posted on CDC Public Health Matters Blog on May 16, 2011, by Ali S. Khan. *F ;/7Bw1p i~$^y' _r] Use jargon to communicate with your target audience B. At the completion of this lesson you should be able to: Public awareness campaigns are ongoing public education programs that PIOs use to inform, educate, and increase organizational visibility. * The social media links provided are for reference only. Avoid acronyms. If you use an acronym, make sure your audience understands it. In such a scenario zombies would take over entire countries, roaming city streets eating anything living that got in their way. The proliferation of this idea has led many people to wonder How do I prepare for a zombie apocalypse?. Leaves the decision as to who will be in the pool to the media. Simplify complex ideas by using short sentences. (A media pool refers to a group of news-gathering organizations pooling their resources in the collection of news.) 4. Describe how to manage the news media at the scene of an incident. Supporting information can be described as: A. B. FEMA IS-29: Public Information Officer Awareness Course Summary Describe the role and function of the PIO. It can be taken alone or before Basic Public Information Officer Training (G290). This includes: More information on learning about the whole community is presented in Lesson 4. What actions and resources are being used to achieve the objectives? 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. How to Remember Better: A Study Tip for Your Next Major Exam, (13 Tips From Repeaters) How to Pass the LET the First Time, [5 Proven Tactics & Bonus] How to pass the Neuro-Psychiatric Exam, 5 Research-Based Techniques to Pass Your Next Major Exam, 2023 Civil Service Exam (CSE) Reviewer: A Resource Page, [Free PDF] 2023 LET Reviewer: The Ultimate Resource Page, [52 Test Answers] FEMA IS-251A: IPAWS for Alerting Administrators, [26 Test Answers] FEMA IS-284A: Using the Substantial Damage Estimator 3.0 Tool, [32 Test Answers] FEMA IS-1120: Letters of Map Revision (LOMRs), [23 Test Answers] FEMA IS-101C: Preparing for Federal Disaster Operations: FEMA. 524 0 obj <>stream If you do not want something recorded by the media, cover it up or shield it with a vehicle. Imagine your living room exploding in flames and your family cut off from the only door down the stairs from your second-floor condominium. The 95/5 concept relates to non-emergency and emergency PIO activities 95% of most PIOs' work is in non-emergency times, with only 5% directly related to incident response or recovery. Grab the attention of your readers so that they will continue reading. * The social media links provided are for reference only. All of the above, 23. !]U9[MZ\waQ>yICK{",|.NH&ec* 'C/M;WrQJ6bs\ 886} hbbd```b``+@$S4X$ vA$[0,v DI%09D`vH2& H/ `{I 30 0 `B Include information on evolving media contacts, instructions, and resources. The news media and local government ask the community to send videos and photos via social media, email, and text messages. Mayor Holden: We need to get in advance of different things that could happen, and begin to put a television show together to talk about the things that people should be aware of and what they can do. Determine who your audience is, what they need to know, and what they already know. Your media list should be current, complete, and tailored to your organization. As a PIO, you will likely communicate public information and emergency public information as well as conduct community education. Below are some, but not all, of the critical skill sets learned during this training program: Personnel who are assigned or may be designated to perform public information duties during an incident, emergency, or disaster and anyone in a response discipline who may be assigned or designated to perform public information duties. hb```"g@($CC4i9"Mp1:u3;;:*&d@|Hh 9C$,;30K2=e$b00 D! Jeff Leduff: We are the first line of information for the rest of the team because were out there all the time. Guidance on COVID protections for EMI students, and the CDC Coronavirus page for the latest updates on the pandemic response. Two PIOs talking to each other on the phone about a news story that involves both of their agencies. Email can be used to get people: In order for email to work, you need to have a good email distribution list. People use technology to tell others that they are okay. Determining hazard impact is a crucial component in emergency planning. ICS is used to manage an emergency incident (like a wildland fire, search and rescue, hurricane, etc.) You can use different types of media and different avenues to get your message out, including: According to a Pew Research Center project conducted in December 2010, Americans now get most of their news information from television and the Internet, with newspaper readership declining. User: 4. Describe traditional media available for communication. Time is a crucial element in any public awareness campaign. Its not complicated; its very easy for them, which makes for better reporting. Emergency Management Institute The median salary for a public information officer is near 60,000 a year in most states and between 80,000 and 90,000 a year in higher cost of living states. Many different social media monitoring tools are available. When a newsworthy incident occurs, the media will be there, whether youve invited them or not! Overview: The FEMA IS-29.A course was published on 8/5/2019 to familiarize participants with the concepts underlying the PIO role. There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. Brian Hyer: We had all kinds of questions. The Public Information Officer may also perform a key public information-monitoring role. Making sure community members understand the events that unfold during severe weather, pandemics, and non-emergency scenarios . It provides a framework for people from multiple agencies to work well together B. Work within the emergency management system. 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. The Governor repeated his request that everyone use caution and heed warning messages on TV and radio, or in their newspapers. EMI is introducing a limited number of IS courses that have been translated to the Spanish language. Sit on your coat tail to keep your jacket from riding up. wA{)K+Xk80538L``V[mvWS|?9U7 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). The Incident Command System is a fundamental element of emergency management. The fire started near Harvest Junction on the railroad and the fumes from the burning hazardous materials in the cars threaten a number of nearby communities, according to local authorities. NIMS Description of the PIOs Responsibilities. Angie Welling: Pretty much every State agency was involved, and thats when we found out pretty early on that the Governor had involved every aspect of State government. The 8-Step Communication Model includes:A. Assess the current situation B. Well, were here to answer that question for you, and hopefully share a few tips about preparing forrealemergencies too! Public Information Officers | Indian Affairs - Native Americans in the After taking this course you may want to take other courses to help you continue your professional development. (Incorrect), John enjoys boating, swimming, and fishing. 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. FEMA does not endorse any non-government Web sites, companies or applications. Transparency in government promotes efficiency and effectiveness and allows the people in your community to understand and participate in your processes. This course can provide a basic understanding of the PIO function for those new to the position. An important part of the PIOs role is to prepare written products, so the PIO must be able to write clearly and effectively. Describe the target audiences for the PIO. Its community preparedness. if you do not have a sid, Test questions are scrambled to protect test integrity. %%EOF Chris Mrela wrote a dynamite report on this a couple of years ago. Governor James Smith today declared a state of emergency in the Great A&P fire that is rapidly spreading west. @8'_= J J0 Some examples include traditional media using: An important step when communicating is to continually evaluate and adjust your message by monitoring the media. Additionally, it can provide those in executive level roles the necessary knowledge of PIO roles and . They tell the public about services and programs that can affect their lives, like information about staying healthy, fire safety, and changes in community college tuition. .. The public information officer (PIO) reports to the incident commander, who in turn reports to the agency or jurisdictions responsible. 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 end of this course, participants will be able to: 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, Define emergency public information and the importance of being proactive. A validation of your key message C. Backgrounders D. Photos, charts, and graphics, 25. The successful PIO develops credibility and builds relationships with the media by consistently: More information on media relation skills and managing the media is presented in Lessons 3 and 5. What are priorities within your organization? For example, change the location or angle of the lectern so cameras dont capture an unwanted view. Construct and deliver an appropriate crisis and emergency risk message. . The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Uses information from other members of the local unit to develop accurate, accessible, and complete information on an Include email addresses and Internet sites for the media contact. Once your campaign is implemented, the last step is to determine its success. In the next lesson you will learn how to communicate effectively when an incident happens. Continue to monitor the weather., Example 3:4 Shelters remain open: MassMutual Ctr, 1277 Main St. Springfield; Quarry Hill Comm. The Mayors Office developed an outreach campaign known as Red Stick Ready. Your goals should be: The following is an example of a SMART goal: The Hurricane Ready campaign will present information about local hurricane hazards and the steps to take to be prepared by securing by April 5 media placement on three television stations, two newspapers, one social network, and a micro-blog, each week in May.. You should set a realistic deadline and interim benchmarks, as needed. Even a few minutes of practice can make a big difference. 0 Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse. A PIOs proactive approach to public information enhances credibility in messaging. The Public Information Officer Awareness Course (IS0029) is designed to familiarize participants with the concepts underlying the PIO role. When creating your media list: Media information is constantly changing; make sure you have a process to keep your media list up-to-date. Use natural gestures, but dont cross your arms, raise your eyebrows, shrug your shoulders, sway, or bounce. Narrator: Red Stick Ready targets every segment of the community. Do you know what to do to protect yourself and your family? 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. Gathering feedback and heading off problems, Explaining your mission, policies, and goals. What are people in your community concerned about? But its not just preparedness information that the mayor and his team also have a plan for, they also have focused on how to provide critical and accurate information during an emergency by including every emergency response agency in the Emergency Operations Center the EOC and embedding the media in the communication process. The median, annual pay for public relations specialists, during the same period, was $52,090, with the top 10 . You can find the complete list of courses in the Spanish language course list. Quantify results when evaluating public information efforts. Increased information needs can be handled. In this lesson youll learn more about creating public awareness campaigns. Campaign topics can range from recruiting volunteers to fire safety. These people are your target audience. A Federal structure designed for large-scale, multijurisdictional incidents B. Your organization may have other format preferences, such as single-spaced and one-page only. At the completion of this course you should be able to: The remainder of this lesson presents information on your role as a Public Information Officer (PIO). It was absolutely the very best thing we could have done. 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. In movies, shows, and literature, zombies are often depicted as being created by an infectious virus, which is passed on via bites and contact with bodily fluids. Different types of written products include the following: View actual news releases, statements, and fact sheets on the InciWeb site [http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/]. Refer to the list below. Providing information and access to newsmakers. In their haste, each suffered minor injuries, including stitches for their son who cut his ankle on the glass of the first floor window. 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. Emergency Manager jobs 33,535 open jobs On the couples dresser were two heat-seared imprints where Martinez had left his wallet and cell phone as he frantically scrambled to ensure his familys leap to safety. PDF NIMS Basic Guidance for Public Information Officers - FEMA Thats right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens youll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe youll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for arealemergency. It also helps identify the target audience for a particular public awareness campaign. Coordinate information being distributed to ensure consistency with other agencies messages. A news release should be used when an activity or incident is newsworthy based on: News releases should be printed on your organizations letterhead and include a header with contact information (name and number), date, and a news release number. C. is presented as a bad example of public information management. This lesson presents information on how to use your tools and relationships to communicate information to the community when something happens. Tammy Kikuchi: Having the Joint Information Center for this event was critical. endstream endobj 1929 0 obj <. B. an important part of the PIOs job. Check off the things you would plan to include in your Go Kit and add other items as you see fit. They can be seasonallike hurricane preparedness week. This course should take approximately 7 hours and 25 minutes to complete. Watching the background. B. cause the intended audience to act on requests in the message. In your communication strategy, identify how you will use social media by itself and together with traditional media to prepare your community for emergencies, and to provide them with life-saving information when an incident occurs. Resource Typing Definition for Response . Serves as an advisor to the Incident Commander. For example, you can post videos, use social networking sites, and/or create a blog. Practice talking in 5-second to 8-second sound bites. When will you implement your campaign? Resident/Non-Resident, Trainer Program, etc. Successful written communication conveys your key messages and: More information on writing clearly and effectively is presented in Lesson 3. A public awareness campaign is a vehicle you can use to get your message out about being prepared. The ultimate goal of all public safety endeavors is to save lives, protect property, and preserve the environmentand almost all reporters would agree that their needs will come after these important tasks. 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? Joanne H. Moreau: The media is embedded in our Emergency Operations Center. (For example: The suspicious package was the size of a laptop computer. Select this link to access a printable . D. a required responsibility of the PIO as outlined by NIMS.. Switchboard: (301) 447-1000 NIMS provides a consistent, systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life and property and harm to the environment. Tammy Kikuchi: The response was overwhelming. Over 150 PIOs working a major disaster, often from different locationsall to ensure clear and accurate information is being delivered amid the confusion of a disaster response. Sometimes logging in for a session is recommended, to create a wiki-signature cookie for signing edits automatically. What will you change in future campaigns? 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. The public information officer for an organization A. should clear all public documents with neighboring agencies before release. Social marketing is the use of commercial marketing principles to: A. Weegy: The role of the pubic information officer is to gather facts and disseminate it to the media. Media management skills including knowing what the media wants, managing amateur journalists, and using media pools and media areas. Work to keep them out of danger as you would any member of the public. Make it less likely that your release will be cut C. Impress people in the target audience D. Be a barrier to communication, 22. The benefits of social media include the following capabilities: New social media tools are being developed and implemented all the time. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is:A. Doug Miser. Avoid fillers (um, er, uh); dont be afraid to pause while formulating an answer. Wear your uniform or neat, conservative attire if not in uniform. Radio is a form of broadcast technology that has the following needs, advantages, and limitations. Communicate information to enable people to prepare for an incident and to make decisions during an incident to protect lives and property. D. has become ever more complex as the challenge of delivering messages has evolved. The first step in developing a public awareness campaign is to research issues to identify relevant topics for your campaign. This course has presented you with tools that PIOs can use to communicate, the steps to develop a campaign to prepare your community, and ways to effectively provide critical information during an emergency. It is important to prepare each person to ensure your message is consistent. C. Identify all the news media covering the area. Are there warnings or other critical messages to be communicated to the public? Mayor Holden: Sometimes you have to get your story out very quickly. Set up interviews and write talking points C. Be an intermediary between leadership and the news media D. Assess situations for public information implications, 14. Communicating factual information with the public is the most important job function of a PIO. As a PIO, you communicate with your target audiences to keep them informed about activities, events, and resources. Television is the main source of news for Americans. Check with them to see if the location selected for a media area will allow them to accomplish this connection. As a PIO, you need to: In the next lesson you will learn about various tools available to you for communicating with the community. 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. 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. Next you need to identifyhowyou will communicate. 16825 S. Seton Ave., Emmitsburg, MD 21727 This lesson introduced you to the steps to create a preparedness campaign: These steps will help you develop a campaign that will inform the whole community about the importance of being ready and preparedness steps to take. Consider your resources and your role in ICS. This process includes: Your goal statement expresses what you hope to achieve through your campaign. In a crisis, getting the right information to the right people at the right time is more important than catching a dangling participle! A good overview of ICS is provided in the independent study . This demonstrates how social media are now an integral part of our lives and a valuable part of the PIOs toolkit. Identify contacts and sources that are relevant to your organization. Many edits, however, can be made in real-time and appear almost instantly online. 1. 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.)? Communicating public information messages internally to the workforce is important because it allows the PIO to: A. Please review the IS FAQ's for more information. Through ancient voodoo and folk-lore traditions, shows like theWalking Deadwere born. In Lesson 2 you learned about the many different media options you have, including: Select the right medium or right mix of media for a strategy to get your message to your target audience. * Redundancy is important in case the computer you are using doesnt have an available or operating USB port or CD drive. Admissions Fax: (301) 447-1658, Independent Study Program Thats what happened to Jose Martinez yesterday morning as he woke early to get his 9-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son off to school on time. Coordinate access to policymakers and others (e.g., first responders and disaster survivors). In their zeal to get the story reporters may not always recognize the potential for danger to themselves. PIOs shouldA. compile a go kit to allow for lengthy deployments to a long-term incident. One that is completely out of reach is de-motivating. . Public information entails the processes and systems that enable effective communications with various target audiences. 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. A tornado strikes in the Midwest. 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. that can be used to purchase operational resources as needed, Paper forms, in case there is no electronic access (i.e., no Internet access, power outage, etc. D. Identify opportunities for public awareness campaigns. Tools to enhance the flow of public information are housed. the feedback has been, you know, we appreciate this. Private wiki servers require user authentication to edit pages, and sometimes even to read them. Proactivity occurs during A. You cantand dont expect them to stay there all of the time. That you will get them information and be back to brief themand then do so. 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. Public Information Officer (PIO) - Emergency Management Institute