Great first day at the NIMS ICS All-Hazards Public Information Officer Course (AH IMT PIO).

Great to see Prince George County Fire PIO Mark Brady too.

Lots of class discussion on objectives, PIO assignments, Go Bag discussion, how many PIOs we really need, and of course how we can support our Incident Commanders.

And yes, during the afternoon, I engaged my fellow peeps on video recordings for PIO.

I know, I’m poking the bear! But if we don’t have these discussions on new technologies, we can’t see past our current views for external affairs.

Looking forward to the rest of the week of solid PIO discussions!

@rusnivek

Sharing the good mantra of Emergency Management today.

Principals of Emergency Management FTW!

And yes, we used our favorite state (Columbia) to test the skills of all the participants in classroom exercises.

Building relationships are the core of disasters. We all know that one day, it will shift from Central City to the real thing.

And training on scenarios like Columbia will keep our preparedness level at top notch for those that we serve tirelessly.

@rusnivek

Second regional meeting today with all these new friends to make.

Best part? Just glad to hear the same problems we all face daily re: training/education.

@rusnivek

Lots to discuss with my new training and exercise guys.

Not quite sure I’m tall enough for this ride.

But good thing I wore a tie today.

@rusnivek

In reviewing posts re: the YouTube shooting, it looks like reporters are regularly searching out SnapMaps for stories.

This is weird to me because, by now, most people have turned off their location identifier on SnapChat.

Also, it’s easy to falsely post info there too…esp a staged video clip that in times of confusion, could be portrayed as truth by media.

I would encourage all media continue being diligent in researching tips and information that comes through online and regularly fact checks their info. Again, taking information found on social media does not count as a confirmed source.

Also, here’s YouTube’s response to the initial shooting.

This statement above seems to deviate away from the traditional “press release style” on the incident and gives information similar to a social media post.

Is this communication avenue more effective than a press release or fact sheet? Maybe. But I would still encourage you to do a fact sheet to help your VIPs with their talking points for the presser.

These kinds of shootings are happening on the regular now. Consider taking some training in first aid, CPR, Run-Hide-Fight, or tourniquet training. You could save a life.

@rusnivek

Reading through ALL the instructors’ evaluations.

Glad to share real world experiences with my fellow professionals.

Additionally, I am proud to provide for some high level officers who are protecting the greatest country in the world.

#USA #USA #USA #USA #USA

Humbled to play a small part in Emergency Management for our nation for Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation.

@rusnivek

This particular ICS-400 class, we have lots of involvement with the US Military. Several participants from the Army as well as the US Coast Guard.

So proud to teach and serve our active duty military who serve to protect our freedoms. Additionally super glad to see the embodying the ICS-400 concepts and share discussion over resources we could all utilize before, during, and after a disaster.

As you know, our military and DOD partners are an incredible resource for public safety and DHS.

Reporting live from the front of the ICS-400 class….

@rusnivek