I’ll be out of the office this week. .

DHS/FEMA Mission Readiness deployment all week with my DC peeps from HQ.

Alohas from Alabama!
I’ll be out of the office this week. .

DHS/FEMA Mission Readiness deployment all week with my DC peeps from HQ.

Alohas from Alabama!
Few Public Information Officer (PIO) takeaways after yesterday’s #CLEStPats Parade.
#Spectacles are great for “hands-free” wearable technology…because its difficult to ride a bike and social media.
However, many people asked about my Spectacles which made it difficult to focus in on duty stuff.

The video activation on Spectacles was tough because I had/could only use my left hand only to start the video.

I wonder if those that have been following along on the SnapChat story, are disappointed when they see it’s only a “regular snap” vs “from Spectacles” in the top left identifier. I guess it’s the same viewer mindset as picture vs video because video appeals to more audiences with movement. Spectacles video is circular in nature, easy to expand view of scene. Here’s a quick example.
Here’s the view from a portrait style snap.

And here’s the same view bust just one of the possible views of a snap with viewer control of scene and framing.

Obv, lots more to see.
Additionally, I can see many of the viewers expecting video as they are getting the “behind the scenes” details with consistent narration. Which means – WE HAVE TO KEEP TALKING ALL THE TIME! Yikes.

As for Spectacles, you might want to consider your breathing as part of the “production” because my Spectacles picked up my breathing standing still and on the bike.

Wind blocking isn’t so great on them – so your “action” movement might be tough to record proper audio. There are no visible ports on SnapChat’s Spectales to attach an external mic.
Again, fun times yesterday with Cleveland Police and so many all-hazards partners in public safety.

If we consistently support each other, we will all succeed in our respective missions.
Be safe out there peeps!
2017 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Cleveland is in full swing today.
Always remember to check in at the start of your shift at the EOC!

As part of our all-hazards plan, we have coordinated services with so many other agencies. Obviously the Cleveland EOC Manager wrote an IAP for all of us (Incident Action Plan).

This coordinated document addresses issues that could/likely arise during the operational period. Briefings and discussion completed by leadership as well as the Incident Commander (IC) help all C&GSF successfully complete their tasks. Additionally, understanding each other’s roles as well as the overarching SMART objectives, mission, and goals contribute to the success of the event.
Reporting into my ESF-15: External Affairs – Spox work today!

Planned ESF-1 (Transportation) routes look fairly open so sharing this kind of info with the general public is important because the less impaired drivers we have on the roadways, the better.

That’s why we encourage building partnerships before an event or large disaster. In this case, partnerships between all providers and the Greater Cleveland Rapid Transit Authority (@GCRTA) was key in sharing the message.
Once we field deployed, we planned on a few specific events and locations. Showcasing the skills of local bomb teams and K9 teams is an important part to share with the general public. Security is always important as we must ensure that everyone has a safe St. Patrick’s Day.

We used both Facebook Live, Twitter, Facebook, and Periscope to broadcast directly from the parade staging area on Superior Ave.
To aid in movement, we opted for a few bikes courtesy of the Cleveland Police Bike Unit.

You may have seen these bikes deployed out before during the RNC – they are NICE!!! By being mobile, PIOs have the ability to get anywhere in the response area (Note: This was the first time we have deployed PIOs on bikes for an event).
We even saw many of the reporters we regularly work with – like Fox 8 Cleveland‘s Jessica Dill who decided to do a live spot with us.

Great to have great relationships with local media.
We were able to showcase a few behind the scenes things like the lineup and start of the parade and spot interviews with VIPs in the parade lineup.

Cold day, but it seems like everyone heeded our cold weather warnings. NICE!

We reported back to the EOC to reorient ourselves as the parade had over 120 vehicles/floats.

This gave us a chance to brief w/ leadership and Incident Command (IC). As we continued to push out critical messages, it was imperative that we confirm with the Incident Commander that we are pushing out the right information.

Salient ICS point of reference: PIOs do not operate independently from the IC – they work to push the coordinated messages/information that is approved by the Incident Commander.
As emergency calls come in, the spread of mis-information is rampant. We as PIOs and official Spokespersons (Spox) must ensure that we get the right message out.
As we head back out to into the field, we are able to share traffic patterns and push that information out to the general public. This will help them depart safely and quicker after the parade from downtown Cleveland.
Additionally, Cleveland Police was out ensuring peace for all who attended the parade.

Not only local, but there are so many partners involved like the Cuyahoga County Sheriff…

(Acting) Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management Agency Administrator Mark Christie and @rusnivek
…and even several Federal agencies too.

Instagram PC: Jay Kossman (digital504)
Great to see solid working relationships with all parties involved.
As PIOs we had a great day reporting from the field. We really enjoyed highlighting the efforts of so many pros working today.

Live broadcast from field PIOs = success for the #CLEStPats Parade!
From your favorite PIOs…

…Have a safe St. Patrick’s Day everyone!
Starting prep for the 2017 Cleveland St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Reporting live from ESF-15…
I was fortunate to make a stop at the National Interagency Fire Center

This is where the so many HotShots train and hone their skills

The Wildland Firefighter Foundation sought a special way to recognize firefighters after the loss of 14 lives during the 1994 South Canyon Fire. The Foundation partnered with the National Interagency Fire Center to pursue creation of a monument. Generous donations and tireless work of countless volunteers transformed a section of parking lot into a peaceful park. The Monument was officially dedicated in a ceremony on May 25, 2000.

So many placards displaying fallen Firefighters.
My SnapChat has a more in-depth story including better views w/ Spectacles.
If you ever get out to Idaho, check it out.
Be safe peeps.
Starting off this morning teaching my most favorite advanced class…

Social Media Tools & Techniques!

Lots of things to share and showcase in the Public Information Officer (PIO) and ESF-15: External Affairs realm.

Social Media tools including several Augmented Reality apps that use pre-existing hardware that could be useful for any operational and tactical operations.

Additionally many Emergency Operations Center across the country could use these technologies to augment their response and increase their situational awareness / common operating picture (SA/COP).
Great to work with so many pros who are willing to contribute to the All-hazards response.

We ran through a few crisis communications exercises activities utilizing the new social media tools we showcased.

Great conversation with participants from across Idaho and Washington.

Glad to see creative minds formulating emergency communications plans for the preparedness and response phase..

Special thanks to Ada County Emergency Management and EM Director Joe for their hospitality.

Special thanks to @AdaCountyEM Social Media Coordinator Myla for help in the EOC too. #Spectacles

Many mahalos to all my new peeps from across Idaho and FEMA Region 10.
Now use your new social media powers for good!
It appears that once you post a multiple picture Instagram post, you cannot go back and edit to tag people in the photos.

You can still edit the text portion of the instagram post.
Keep in mind that first photo has to be engaging enough to grab people’s attention to notice the multiple gram post (dots at bottom of picture).
Good to know.