the role of the public information officer fema

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. Campaigns are usually multifaceted, combining events and various media to get the message out. 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. Communication with internal agency personnel is A. not a role undertaken by a PIO. IS-29.A: Public Information Officer Awareness - FEMA Tornadoes or wildfires in neighboring States may increase your communitys interest in preparedness. Is there any restriction on the information to be released? A theme that begins in this course and is carried throughout the Public Information Training Series, the 95/5 concept A. is a management concept unique to public information management. Leaves the decision as to who will be in the pool to the media. Mayor Holden: By having that access it really helped us to quell the various rumors that were out there and we were able to keep the situation calm. Evaluate the effectiveness of your campaign. 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. If you intend to become a Public Information Officer use these FEMA IS 29.A answers to turn a 7 hour course into one that takes 5 minutes. A public awareness campaign is a vehicle you can use to get your message out about being prepared. You cant manage who shows up but you can and should manage contact with the site. 1943 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<9229C3A5CD7F8A409FF242859AD01E9B>]/Index[1928 28]/Info 1927 0 R/Length 89/Prev 779652/Root 1929 0 R/Size 1956/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream It is important to note that traditional media sources are not being replaced by social media; instead, traditional media are using social media to connect with their audiences and expand their reach. They can be used for personal networking, professional networking, and sharing public information. 16825 S. Seton Ave., Emmitsburg, MD 21727 The table below summarizes what you need to provide for a print story, and identifies the advantages and limitations of print. Operates with the understanding that any video, audio, or interviews acquired will be shared with the rest of the media. All of the above, 23. An important part of your role as a PIO is to communicate with your community before something happens. Even the best writer can make mistakes, particularly when under pressure or in a time crunch. At the completion of this lesson you should be able to: Key to being an effective PIO in an emergency is the ability to: Lets start by looking at what you need to know about emergency management. Take a zombie apocalypse for example. 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. Practice talking in 5-second to 8-second sound bites. Blogs are a good tool to use to communicate with your audience. These examples are micro-blogs from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency (Example 1), the Mayors Office of Homeland Security in Baton Rouge (LA) (Example 2), and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (Example 3). University of California, Merced hiring Public Information Officer Communicates with internal and external stakeholders. Another way to express your key message B. Develop and pre-test materials C. Develop an action planD. Describe the role of the Public Information Officer (PIO) in an emergency. Emergency management knowledge including an understanding of NIMS, ICS, the JIS, and the JIC. Contact commercial vendors to identify contacts and the process for news releases. The public information officer (PIO) reports to the incident commander, who in turn reports to the agency or jurisdictions responsible. These sites make it easy to establish networks of contacts. 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. FEMA IS 29.A Answers - Public Information Officer - FEMACourses T;)D2Dt `NY"`~XH@P ` Communicating public information messages internally to the workforce is important because it allows the PIO to: A. 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. Narrator: While responding to disasters, Mayor Holden and his staff began to realize that many of the issues they faced repeatedly could be eliminated if the public was better prepared. In their zeal to get the story reporters may not always recognize the potential for danger to themselves. 3. The role of the pubic information officer - Weegy B. They heighten awareness of community hazards and encourage the public to take steps to become more prepared. (Correct), The report was written by the officer. This lesson introduced you to different tools you can use to communicate your message as a PIO, including: In the next lesson you will learn how to prepare quality written products for these tools and how to speak effectively with the media and to the public. Print medianewspapers and magazinesare the first type of mass media developed. The test questions are scrambled to protect the integrity of the exam. What are people in your community concerned about? Responds to the media while respecting restrictions on the release of sensitive information. Lesson 3 introduced the importance of establishing relationships with the media. Joanne H. Moreau: The media is embedded in our Emergency Operations Center. Lieutenant Doug McCleve: So what we felt like it would be best to do is provide a one-stop calling center for the news media to be able to access whoever they needed to in this process. Campaign topics can range from recruiting volunteers to fire safety. The process for ensuring that a public information message was accurately conveyed is typically called: A. Illustrate the multiple roles of the Public Information Officer and the media in planning for and responding to an emergency. Traditional media (print, radio, television). Avoid acronyms. Determining hazard impact is a crucial component in emergency planning. Blogs are Web sites that allow you to engage in a conversation with readers. Your organization may have other format preferences, such as single-spaced and one-page only. This training focuses on both parts of the equation. Many edits, however, can be made in real-time and appear almost instantly online. With the advent of social media, another type of news release you may want to use is the Social Media Release (SMR). Final Exam for: IS-29.a: Public Information Officer. The steps to organize and conduct a news conference or briefing are: Note: You may want to identify several knowledgeable people to assist and provide information at the news conference or briefing. FEMA IS-29: Public Information Officer Awareness Course Summary Successful written communication conveys your key messages and: More information on writing clearly and effectively is presented in Lesson 3. Also, it may be necessary to explain to them the danger, and how if they fail to heed the warnings and become injured, they may endanger others who would have to then go in to rescue them (e.g., passing into the plume of a Hazmat area, traveling over an unsafe structure that may collapse, or moving into the line of fire of an armed suspect). What are priorities within your organization? EMI is introducing a limited number of IS courses that have been translated to the Spanish language. In order to maintain the integrity of the scene and enhance the possibility for a successful investigation and subsequent prosecution, the scene must be kept clear of all nonessential personnel. Were people prepared for previous incidents? Joanne H. Moreau: Working with the children, and with such an emphasis on the children, we wanted a tool that could reach them. 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.. Better yet is the number of people who call and request preparedness kits! NIMS Description of the PIOs Responsibilities. FEMA-NIMS@fema.dhs.gov NIMS Basic Guidance for Public Information Officers 2 II. The media area is a place where media congregate to help enhance the flow of information. Prior to establishing the location for this media area, ask yourself the following questions: Another method you may need to employ to manage the situation is a media pool. 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. For example, you can post videos, use social networking sites, and/or create a blog. Determines what the public needs to know. endstream endobj startxref 0. FEMA IS-29: Public Information Officer Awareness Answers Describe how to effectively communicate orally and through written products. 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. 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. Make it less likely that your release will be cut C. Impress people in the target audience D. Be a barrier to communication, 22. News releases are one of the most commonly used tools for PIOs. List the skills needed to be an effective PIO. If you hope to work with schools, plan well in advance to coordinate with their schedules and curriculum. B. an important part of the PIOs job. Verdi White: The way that we set this particular operation up is we took the Incident Command System and made it an overlay onto the National Guard that had the infrastructure to be able to do all the functions that we needed to accomplish to do this, and of course one of the central components of, of an incident command system is the public information piece. Although its meaning has changed slightly over the years, it refers to a human corpse mysteriously reanimated to serve the undead. Use the media area for all media releases and conferences. Tammy Kikuchi: The Joint Information Center and the Command Staff out there would hold daily briefings for the media, and quite honestly that took much of the heat, if you will, off the Governors office. I know our superb team of firefighters will do all they can, but the conditions on the railroad are particularly difficult, Smith said. .. Allows access to one media representative from television, radio, print, and Internet to a restricted area. (Unit 5). While local, tribal, territorial, and State governments may have different laws regarding transparency and open government the general principles are to be: As a PIO, it is important to know the laws that apply in your area because of your role in providing information to the public. Emergency Management Institute Click on a program for additional information. An important part of the PIOs role is to prepare written products, so the PIO must be able to write clearly and effectively. The news release should use the inverted pyramid as illustrated below. Look at the audience, but dont lock eyes with any one person and dont look into the camera. Identify contacts and sources that are relevant to your organization. After taking this course you may want to take other courses to help you continue your professional development. 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. This lesson presents information on how to effectively communicate with the whole community regarding the importance of being prepared for an incident. 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. It includes features and characteristics that are not available in a traditional news release, such as: In addition to having good written communication skills, a successful PIO also needs to be able to speak effectively. If you use an acronym, make sure your audience understands it. What events nationally and globally are in the news? D. should be knowledgeable, assertive, credible, flexible, able to perform under pressure, and accessible., 10. This awareness-level training is suitable for new PIOs. Simplify complex ideas by using short sentences. D. Identify opportunities for public awareness campaigns. The Public Information Officer Awareness Course (IS0029) is designed to familiarize participants with the concepts underlying the PIO role. Next you need to identifyhowyou will communicate. Video sharing sites to expand or market a story, and. One of the advantages of the Incident Command System (ICS) is: A. One PIO talking by phone to an on-scene PIO to confirm the number of responders at the scene prior to an initial news release. This lesson introduces you to some emergency management principles contained in the National Incident Management System (NIMS). B. describes a writing technique applied to social media content. Access to you and the newsmakers or persons in charge. 0 They knew that they werent being led down another road, that they were hearing things unfiltered. It is important to prepare each person to ensure your message is consistent. 3 Step Guide for Assistance, 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, IS-29 Public Information Officer Awareness, E/L0388 Advanced Public Information Officer, Master Public Information Officer Program, Special collection: Emergency Management Institute student papers, E/K0389 - Master Public Information Officer Implementing Communications Strategies for Whole Community Leadership, E/K0393 Master Public Information Officer Applying Advanced Concepts in Public Information and Communications, E0394 Master Public Information Officer Mastering Public Advocacy Plans to Create an Effective Community of Stakeholders. * The social media links provided are for reference only. For some incidents, implementing a media area may be an important way to manage the situation. Resident/Non-Resident, Trainer Program, etc. For example: Active voice is clear, direct, and concise. Successful blogs are compelling and current, and encourage interaction with readers. Guidance on COVID protections for EMI students, and the CDC Coronavirus page for the latest updates on the pandemic response. Use natural gestures, but dont cross your arms, raise your eyebrows, shrug your shoulders, sway, or bounce. Public Information Officer (PIO) - Emergency Management Institute Switchboard: (301) 447-1000 The Governor declared the emergency following a similar declaration by Liberty County. Announce events of interest to your community or share information about an incident. 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). Its not complicated; its very easy for them, which makes for better reporting. The Governors declaration allows the use of State resources in paying the costs of fighting the fire. 19. The Governor repeated his request that everyone use caution and heed warning messages on TV and radio, or in their newspapers. 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. 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. 1. . On average, between 30 and 80 Arizona residents die from heat related illnesses every summer. If you anticipate what they will want, you will have a better chance to manage the scene and help guide the story. Tools to enhance the flow of public information are housed. The EMI training program provides PIOs with the opportunity to learn and practice the tasks of gathering, verifying, coordinating, and disseminating public information at all levels of government.. They can be seasonallike hurricane preparedness week. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Derrick Jensen: The feedback we received from them, from the local media that we work with on a regular basis and have a pretty good relationship from them . 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. Describe the target audiences for the PIO. 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. Depending on where the media area is, the media representatives will need to be able to connect with their microwave towers or uplink with a satellite. . Time is a crucial element in any public awareness campaign. He and his wife threw open their window and helped their kids drop to waiting neighbors gathered below. 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. Evaluation is crucial for judging the effectiveness of a public awareness campaign. Describe the role and functions of the Public Information Officer (PIO) Describe the types of written products used in public information activities. Once again, we see a fire threatening our citizens and their homes. The heat on the desert floor isnt just a nuisance, its expensive & lethal. Resource Typing Definition for Response . 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. Serves as an advisor to the Incident Commander. The training courses listed below include those delivered at the state, local, tribal, and territorial level as well as higher-level training managed by EMIs subject matter expert training teams. 494 0 obj <> endobj The news media and local government ask the community to send videos and photos via social media, email, and text messages. 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). 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. Always connect with the Incident Commander before making any statement to the media. A Federal structure designed for large-scale, multijurisdictional incidents B. When an emergency happens, ICS is implemented. Private wiki servers require user authentication to edit pages, and sometimes even to read them. Communicate information to enable people to prepare for an incident and to make decisions during an incident to protect lives and property.

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