the role of the public information officer fema the role of the public information officer fema

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median, annual pay for public relations managers was $91,180 in May 2012, with the top 10 percent earning more than $166,000. Social Marketing A. theory is an important component of the strategic communications planning process. B. requires in-depth focus groups to focus the message. Public information entails the processes and systems that enable effective communications with various target audiences. C. result in the need to conduct follow-up interviews. D. enhance agency credibility. The public information officer (PIO) reports to the incident commander, who in turn reports to the agency or jurisdictions responsible. Chris Mrela wrote a dynamite report on this a couple of years ago. Do you follow through? Providing good public information helps people make the right decisions at the right time and can instill public confidence in the organization, which is primarily important because: Successful blogs are compelling and current, and encourage interaction with readers. 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. Public Information Officers | Indian Affairs - Native Americans in the There are also professional social networking sites with sections for jobs. Distribute family emergency preparedness kits through community elementary schools is both clearer and more meaningful. 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. (Correct), The report was written by the officer. Describe evolving media tools, including social media, for communication. 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.)? The public information officer for an organization A. should clear all public documents with neighboring agencies before release. Cell phone(s) with email capability or satellite phone(s), Flash drives and CDs* containing the elements of the crisis communication plan (including news media contact lists, PIO team contact lists, information materials, etc. Communication with internal agency personnel is A. not a role undertaken by a PIO. In this lesson youll learn more about creating public awareness campaigns. Office: (301) 447-1200 Fax: (301) 447-1201, (800) 621-FEMA / TTY (800) 462-7585 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. But all four occupants miraculously escaped and the 45-year-old dad told the Ventura County Star: We thank God that were alive, regardless of what we lost up there.. They will go other places to get other information (local citizen reactions, sidebar stories, etc.). FEMA IS-29: Public Information Officer Awareness Course Summary Avoid acronyms. Serves as a press secretary for the Agency Executive or Senior Official during the incident. Media management skills including knowing what the media wants, managing amateur journalists, and using media pools and media areas. Lieutenant Doug McCleve: One of the reasons why we felt it was so important to put together a Joint Information in the first, Center in the first place is because we knew that there would be all aspects of State government involved in this process from providing basic food and clothing and shelter for these people who have had nothing for up to a week. Lesson 3 introduced the importance of establishing relationships with the media. This lesson presents information on tools you can use in support of your role as a Public Information Officer (PIO). 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. The Governor repeated his request that everyone use caution and heed warning messages on TV and radio, or in their newspapers. The Governor is continuing to monitor the situation. Simplify complex ideas by using short sentences. Tammy Kikuchi: I would say it, whatever expense it takes for your Public Information Officers to get the training, spend it. Use the media area for all media releases and conferences. The Public Information Officer may also perform a key public information-monitoring role. C. is a failed theory and should not be used by modern public information officers. Students also learn message development and . @8'_= J J0 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. 140-character stand-alone micro-blog statements. Some important considerations to effectively use evolving media include developing: Now you have an understanding of the advantages and limitations of traditional and evolving media. Learn and respect your media contacts deadlines. Spelling- and grammar-checking tools (printed and computer software). Access to the scene for information and images. This demonstrates how social media are now an integral part of our lives and a valuable part of the PIOs toolkit. 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. As demonstrated by the examples, micro-blogging has become an important source of information in preparation of, during, and after crisis situations. (Unit 3), Recall preparation techniques that contribute to a successful media interview. hbbd```b``+@$S4X$ vA$[0,v DI%09D`vH2& H/ `{I 30 0 `B Overview: The FEMA IS-29.A course was published on 8/5/2019 to familiarize participants with the concepts underlying the PIO role. More than 70% of the illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths are guys. IS-29.a - Public Information Officer Awareness | FEMA Emergency This includes: More information on learning about the whole community is presented in Lesson 4. As part of conducting research, you have identified populations in the community who are vulnerable and need the information from your campaign. Governor James Smith today declared a state of emergency in the Great A&P fire that is rapidly spreading west. Mayor Holden: We have what they call Mayor Mouse, and Mayor Mouse basically is operated to go to various schools. News releases should adhere to the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook. Some tips for speaking publicly and improving your responses (or assisting and preparing a speaker) are: When distributing written products or speaking to the media, you will often need to work with a person to get your information out. Admissions Fax: (301) 447-1658, Independent Study Program Creates a positive impression of your organization. 281757518-Role-of-Catering-Establishment-in-Tourism-Industry-PRINT.docx. Web sites can link to social media sites, help you collect email addresses, display videos, house blogs, or link to other Web sites. Questions to answer when evaluating a public awareness campaign include the following: You can collect data about your campaign in different ways. This lesson covered the knowledge and skills you need to effectively manage emergency public information during an incident: The next lesson summarizes your role as a PIO and how to use all the tools available to you to help your community be prepared and to share critical information when an incident happens. Conducting public awareness campaigns; Gathering key information/details of the event; Prioritizing and issuing notices, alerts, and warnings; Taking action to maintain control of rumors; Coordinating inquiries from the public, the media, and elected officials; Coordinating tours or other interviews with agency reps and the media 95% B. 3. The role of the pubic information officer - Weegy A Public Information Officer (PIO) for a public safety or emergency management agency might expect to spend what portion of his or her time on activities directly related to incident response or recovery? D. has become ever more complex as the challenge of delivering messages has evolved. Tornadoes or wildfires in neighboring States may increase your communitys interest in preparedness. Public awareness campaigns can run for weeks, months, or even sporadically throughout several years. Evaluation is crucial for judging the effectiveness of a public awareness campaign. Blogs are Web sites that allow you to engage in a conversation with readers. 514 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<897144EC39D7C94ABD0F71D9C292EE4A><41375C8F366F3C4EA1877AFFBEEAAE0A>]/Index[494 31]/Info 493 0 R/Length 101/Prev 195410/Root 495 0 R/Size 525/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream 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. Video sharing sites to expand or market a story, and. Please review the IS FAQ's for more information. Are there warnings or other critical messages to be communicated to the public? Weegy: The role of the pubic information officer is to gather facts and disseminate it to the media. Many Web sites include a blog as part of the site. 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. A secondary audience is elected or other officials such as Incident Commanders or emergency operations center managers who want an overview of emergency public information. Each time this test is loaded, you will receive a unique set of questions and answers. Guidance on COVID protections for EMI students, and the CDC Coronavirus page for the latest updates on the pandemic response. As with ICS, the JIS is as simple or complex as the needs of the situation. Promote government programs and activities B. A media pool: Note: Media pools can cause disagreements among the media. 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). 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). Avoid getting involved in these media disputes. The benefits of social media include the following capabilities: New social media tools are being developed and implemented all the time. The word zombie comes from Haitian and New Orleans voodoo origins. C. Identify all the news media covering the area. 494 0 obj <> endobj Your organization may have other format preferences, such as single-spaced and one-page only. The Public Information Officer gathers, verifies, coordinates, and disseminates accurate, accessible, and timely information on the incidents cause, size, and current situation; resources committed; and other matters of general interest for both internal and external audiences. Overview: The FEMA IS-29.A course was published on 8/5/2019 to familiarize participants with the concepts underlying the PIO role. A. Their three-bedroom condo was almost immediately choked in smoke and he could hear screams from below as roaring flames billowed from the balcony outside his front door. Some evaluation data can be collected without contact with the audiencefor example, number of Web page hits or increase in the quantity of smoke alarms purchased. Knowing how to effectively speak to media representatives using both verbal and nonverbal communication. And thats not all. How or what can your community learn from these events? You cantand dont expect them to stay there all of the time. An important part of your role as a PIO is to communicate with your community before something happens. The Public Information Officer is responsible for interfacing with the public and media and/or with other agencies with incident-related information requirements. NIMS describes the use of the Joint Information System (JIS) to complete the critical tasks of information sharing and coordination. Different types of written products include the following: View actual news releases, statements, and fact sheets on the InciWeb site [http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/]. 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 . The Governor declared the emergency following a similar declaration by Liberty County. That you will get them information and be back to brief themand then do so. +O,))8+l"O{i9"5QKh^R7YH'gI@P+,,#+pbH,ZJt-9#)*~{"Dxu endstream endobj 1929 0 obj <. B. Sometimes logging in for a session is recommended, to create a wiki-signature cookie for signing edits automatically. We wanted questions answered, we wanted stories to be able to do, and we had one place to go to and that was great. what is role of public information officer in fema? 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. For example: Active voice is clear, direct, and concise. Many organizations follow stylebooks that establish how they will communicate with the public in terms of titles, capitalization, punctuation, and so on. Once you have identified your goal, write it down! Emergency Manager jobs 33,535 open jobs Is the conduit for information to internal and external stakeholders. Join to apply for the Public Information Officer - 48752 role at University of California, Merced. Some tips for building relationships with your media contacts are: It is important to prepare a list of media outlets and contacts, for everyday activities and to act quickly in an emergency. News releases are one of the most commonly used tools for PIOs. Influence an audience to modify behavior C. Sell government or nonprofit products and programs D. Enhance social media, 11. The Zombie Survival Guide identifies the cause of zombies as a virus called solanum. Monitor to determine if the media coverage is: Whether or not your organization is using social media, you should still monitor it. The goal of this awareness course is to provide an orientation to the public information function and the role of the Public Information Officer (PIO) in the public safety/emergency management environment. Establish contact with other agency PIOs. As the PIO, you must know your organizations role in an emergency and have emergency management knowledge, including: This lesson introduced you to your role as a Public Information Officer (PIO). Make it less likely that your release will be cut C. Impress people in the target audience D. Be a barrier to communication, 22. Having such knowledge enables them to make informed choices that affect their health and well-being. Later in the day, Deputy Mayor Mike Tracy and I stood in the same bedroom, getting a first-hand briefing from Fire Chief Kevin Rennie and Capt. B. describes a writing technique applied to social media content. Television is the main source of news for Americans. It uses organizational charts that can be provided to the news media C. It was created for first responders and is helpful at the beginning of an incident D. It has been proven effective during massive wildfire incidents. To help you in monitoring conversations on social media sites, you may want to use a social media monitoring tool or social media dashboard. In their zeal to get the story reporters may not always recognize the potential for danger to themselves. Refer to the list below. Examples of JIS configurations are: The previous examples of JIS configurations demonstrate that sometimes a location is needed to facilitate the operation of the JIS. 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. 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. 1. 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. 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). 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. Sit on your coat tail to keep your jacket from riding up. Organizing the information in a news release so that the important information comes first is called: A. AP style B. Inverted pyramid C. JIC style D. Journalistic style, 7. You can find the complete list of courses in the Spanish language course list. You can find the complete list of courses in the Spanish language course list. 0 Successful written communication conveys your key messages and: More information on writing clearly and effectively is presented in Lesson 3. A micro-blog is a type of blog where the message is shorter. You have many resources available to ensure that the information reported about an event and your organization is true and accurate. Blogs to cover events as they are happening. Now that youve got a goal statement, the next step is to create messages in support of the goal that are suited to your target audience. B. cause the intended audience to act on requests in the message. Public information is a vital function in disaster operations that . C. request additional assistance through the National Public Information Support Network. Contact local, tribal, territorial, and State press associations to obtain media lists. Always connect with the Incident Commander before making any statement to the media. 18. Did the message reach the targeted audience? Serves as an advisor to the Incident Commander. When preparing written products, it is important that your message is understood. Describe the role of the Public Information Officer (PIO) in an emergency. Do you know what to do to protect yourself and your family? The information you provide: In addition to the qualities necessary to be a good PIO, there are skills and knowledge you need to ensure your success. Evolving media (Web sites, email, blogs, social networking sites, etc.). Managing Public Information for All Hazards Incidents What is the Role of a Public Information Officer (PIO)? Remember to treat amateur journalists the same as you would any other journalistwith courtesy and respect. Next you need to identifyhowyou will communicate. 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. To read this blog, go to:http://emergency.cdc.gov/. Uses correct grammar and contains no spelling or punctuation errors. Consider your resources and your role in ICS. Please review the IS FAQ's for more information. Once again, we see a fire threatening our citizens and their homes. Managing public information is another fundamental element of emergency management. Communicating factual information with the public is the most important job function of a PIO. The widespread use of social media means you and your organization need to include social media in your communication strategy. With the advent of social media, another type of news release you may want to use is the Social Media Release (SMR). Provide public information, emergency public information, and community education to your internal and external target audiences. Terms of Use, IS-100.b, Introduction to the Incident Command System, IS-200.b, ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents, IS-700, National Incident Management System, An Introduction, ICS-300: Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents, ICS-400, Advanced ICS for Command and General Staff, IS-702.a, National Incident Management System (NIMS) Public Information Systems, IS-800.c, National Response Framework, An Introduction. Determine information to be communicated to the public. A well-executed interview will likely not A. advance leaderships goals. Access to you and the newsmakers or persons in charge. Your media list should be current, complete, and tailored to your organization. When an emergency happens, ICS is implemented. In 2008, the average per-person hospital treatment cost for heat related illnesses in Arizona was about $7,500, leading to a whopping $11M in treatment costs. Primary audience: FEMA IS-29.A is designed for the new or less experienced state, local, tribal and territorial PIOs or those who have this role as a secondary function. Blogs are a good tool to use to communicate with your audience. 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. Many different social media monitoring tools are available. As a PIO, your target audiences include . Additionally, students conduct various public information activities and exercises, to include writing messages and conducting press conferences. Responds to the media while respecting restrictions on the release of sensitive information. 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. Radio is a form of broadcast technology that has the following needs, advantages, and limitations. Year in and year out, nearly 1,400 Arizonans get heat related illnesses so serious that they end up in an emergency department. 3. This lesson presents information on how to effectively communicate with the whole community regarding the importance of being prepared for an incident. The subject is the. (Passive). For different audiences, you may need to write different products. [25 Test Answers] FEMA IS-29A: Public Information Officer Awareness 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. if4-0lP,H^F1!P`8FF@T br.afQP0G@U@} )F%H (wtP9 lF `PFn*Lks]k^s9LgsXxh|s ]bpa Gather, verify, coordinate, and disseminate public information in an emergency from a Joint Information Center. There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. This is a release that you post online. They have access to the officials. The heat on the desert floor isnt just a nuisance, its expensive & lethal. Transparency in government promotes efficiency and effectiveness and allows the people in your community to understand and participate in your processes. 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. 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. One that is completely out of reach is de-motivating. . Practice talking in 5-second to 8-second sound bites. Select the correct definition Emergency Public Information A. Coordinates the release of accurate, coordinated, timely, and accessible public information to affected audiences, including the government, media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector B. The median, annual pay for public relations specialists, during the same period, was $52,090, with the top 10 . Measurement is how you evaluate success, but make sure your numbers reflect significant achievement. If a media pool is not an option, consider providing professional-quality images to the media in the form of video and stills. Watching the background. Responsibilities of the Components of the ICS Organization. The highest-ranking State official C. His/her regular boss D. The Operations Section Chief, 13. If you anticipate what they will want, you will have a better chance to manage the scene and help guide the story. While it is not the responsibility of the PIO to provide food or facilities for the media, a little kindness in this area can go far in building a positive relationship with the mediaespecially if the incident occurs in a remote area where few if any comfort facilities exist (e.g., if the incident is in a remote field, a porta-john will go a long way in making friends!).