Thursday fun with numerous Public Information Officers from the City of Cleveland.
Quick presentation on Tools and Social Media Platforms specifically addressing live broadcast technologies and lessons learned.
Yes, I’ll promise to show them my PIO stick (aka my GOT rod)
Great to see so many familiar faces in the crowd today.
Today, I am “attending” the Government Social Media Conference (#GSMCon2017) in Dallas.
Thanks to a few late night ideas spurred by Maryland Emergency Management’s Emily Allen (@allen_emilym) and Garden Grove Fire California Capt Nguyen (@PIOthanhn).
Bahhahahaahaha.
Sounds like an interesting talk from Mary Jo Flynn and Sarah Miller now on Social Media and UAS use by government officials.
Ahem. Well, what can I say?
Maybe a few safety messages on keeping your mobile devices charged…..Wait, Lazo can you help?
I tried to win a few raffle prizes, but sadly that didn’t happen.
While on the step and repeat, Conference host Kristy Dalton is giving me the look…the look to attend #GSMCon2018 too.
I spy, with my right eye…Bronlea too!
Reporting live from…..well Dallas!
Day-4 and my Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) wanted to brief the entire Joint Field Office (JFO).
Words of encouragement to rally the team and keep the momentum going is an important part of any situation.
Awesome. I’m just glad to be a part of the team.
No supersoakers or motorized podiums yet.
Second day of being the FCO’s Press Secretary – bring it on Thursday!
Day-3: FEMA External Affairs PIOs (MRSP) heading out to the south side!
Nikki with 2 Ks and Kevin with 1 K.
On the docket – coordinated messaging, pressers, VIP visits, and media interviews.
Rolling 2 deep for Branch-2!
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!
Here’s my first observation with SnapChat’s #Spectacles
They are big. Here’s a comparison from my Spectacles vs an ordinary pair of Oakley Holbrook sunglasses.
Vs
Obv featuring an Engine and a Squad.
Yeah yeah, I know they are now called Snap, but I believe if you reference “Snap” this is what most everyone thinks.
More tomorrow peeps.
Say hello to the newest PIOs from Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia!
Congrats peeps!
Now use your communications skillz for good!
(Yep, that is most definitely a “Z”)
Leading off another Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Ohio Emergency Management Agency (OEMA) G-0291: Joint Information System / Joint Information Center Planning for Tribal, State, and Local PIOs.
We have a few new additions to our class – who hail from across Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia.
Glad to have so many pros with us in class…esp for #AlohaFriday – yeah baby!
PC: J. Beckett
Always an Aloha shirt on Fridays.
Lots of group work and discussion as everyone contributes information to better their communities.
It is helpful because our participants have diverse backgrounds.
Almost all Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) were represented.
This allowed us to have an in-depth discussion and think outside the box to solve various in class table top exercises.
Instructors we able to facilitate discussion among groups providing the opportunity to enhance their response with immediate communication strategies and tactics for emergency notification.
Also lots of discussion of the benefits and pitfalls of the JIC vs the JIS.
Additionally, the class wanted to see a few pictures from our Joint Information Center (JIC) during the 2016 RNC (2016 Republican National Convention).
We obliged and showed a few pictures.
Glad to have the chance to present before the PIOs from Athens County and beyond.
Special thanks to Dan in coordinating this training with Ohio Emergency Management Agency (OEMA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Proud to have so many different agencies represented.
Looking forward to working with each of these PIOs in a JIC!
Day-2 of FEMA / Ohio EMA Basic Public Information Officer course.
Many of our participants wanted to know what is was like to implement a media pool for an international audience so we obliged by showcasing the May 2013 landmark case of the Cleveland Survivors’ Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight.
After discussing interview tips, we reviewed all media interviews. Everyone got a chance to openly review their newly acquired PIO interview skills.
PC: E. Creech
Sharp PIOs providing some sharp witty responses to the fictitious disaster.
Great discussion on redirection…
…and phrasing…
…and transitional phrasing or bridging…
…and reversing a negative…
…and of course the “no comment” conundrum.
All these in class activities help better our PIO on camera TV interviewing skills.
Meanwhile, a few participants tried to manually control the interview by holding my mic hostage.
Fun times.
Looking forward to our G291: Joint Information System / Joint Information Center class tomorrow on #AlohaFriday.
Kicking off another solid FEMA / Ohio EMA Basic Public Information Officer’s course.
We have participants from across the state of Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia!
So Region-5 and Region-3 are well represented.
Proud to have a diverse class this week in Athens County, Ohio.
Lots of class engagement with several opening activities assessing preparedness levels as well as gaps in PIO responses.
Addressing difficult situations (aka anticipating media questions) with PIOs or agency heads before they happen is a critical skill that every PIO should master.
Deep discussion on how all-hazards PIOs could support various operations with public safety. Also dissecting how Strategic Communications play a crucial role in planning.
#StratComms4Lyfe
On camera mock media interviews in the afternoon with focus on answering questions, talking points, redirects, and of course preparedness. Great time to hone the skills of every PIO and agency head.
Show and tell on preparedness kits and PIO go readiness kits.
PC: E. Creech
Including my famous “PIO stick”
PC: J. Beckett
Looking forward to day-2!
Where is @rusnivek? 