Tag Archives: awareness

Another FEMA PIO Awareness course in Lake County Illinois

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Another fine start to the FEMA PIO Awareness course here at Mundelein Fire Station 1!

Special thanks to DC Brents and the whole crew!

Lots to talk about as we intro the magic of public information to a new class. Of course we had a few words of wisdom from PIO John Nebl.

Great perspective and stories from Schaumburg Police.

If you were wondering, we are in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC)…so that’s a good thing.

Making your peeps train in the location that they would likely be activated to…is a solid practice.

With a diverse class, we are able to cover lots of topics and various situations. The all-hazards nature of this FEMA class allows us to better prepare our PIOs for any emergency.

Additionally, I love to share my experiences from large events and disasters with fellow colleagues from across the State of Illinois.

Training together better prepares us to coordinate and work together before, during, and after an emergency. That’s right, come on in and form Voltron.

Special thanks to all the staff from Mundelein Fire for the warm hospitality to our staff from the DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Train like you fight!

@rusnivek

PIO Awareness course at DuPage County OHSEM

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Popping another FEMA G0289: PIO Awareness course today at DuPage County OHSEM with a welcome from Corey!

And you know it’s Friday….so happy AlohaFriday!

Lots to share including new information about our Public Information Assistance Team (PIAT) as a great resource for any of our partner agencies. Here’s John on the quick overview and briefing for this course.

Special thanks to everyone who attended from across the state in sharing information and PIO tips.

Looking forward to working the magic onscene with all of you.

@rusnivek

Class comments – Yassssss!

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In reviewing my comments from yesterday’s class, I am reminded how much our impact and influence we have as instructors.

This is the reason why we as instructors, educators, and leaders share our experiences.

Without a doubt, there are clear differences between people who read the slides vs instructors who are passionate about improving our field.

It is imperative that we continue to push the envelope as we train and exercise our nation’s public safety professionals. During an emergency or disaster, there is no second chance. The community’s safety is of the utmost importance.

Our dedication to our public safety constituents is neverending and we must strive to be ready for any situation.

This is what we train for…this is what we do.

@rusnivek

Already December 2018? Are you serious?!?!?

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How in the world is it December already!

First week will be several NIMS/ICS courses for our County ESF-3 partners, few other Emergency Management courses for IL Region-9, and a Emergency Management/Health Department functional exercise w/ our CERT Teams for medication POD distribution.

Second week our office is hosting another FEMA G0289: PIO Awareness course and then a fun PIO Workshop at ABC7-Chicago on Friday.

Third week will be the FEMA G0290/G0291: Basic PIO Course and JIC/JIS course. Without a doubt a full class w/ wait list. Glad to finally nail this one for all of our partners in public safety, Cheers for Murray and Corey for championing this for everyone too.

Fourth week appears to be Christmas so likely yearly closeouts and wrap ups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeowza. Honestly, I can’t believe 2019 is right around the corner.

@rusnivek

There’s some-fin special about your situational awareness

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Always keep your wits about you!

Maintaining good situational awareness is critical for any professional. So to help illustrate this, I submit this Thursday gem.

I’d make some sharp joke about between two ferns…

I was out patrolling and arrested a street shark…you know, just some dorsal profiling…

No lie, he thought I was jawsome….

OK OK OK…I’m here all night!

Be safe my peeps and maintain good situational awareness!

@rusnivek

 

Aerial operations is critical in a Type-1 disaster #PIO

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Large type-1 disasters are complex. Not only complexity but in pure size.

In the Florida Keys, destruction was not just limited to houses and commercial structures, but he Category-4 storm + storm surge + possible tornadic events affected so many ships and vessels.

Aerial operations are so important esp when gathering information on resource management and triaging. This picture is of one of the many ships in the bay that were inoperable and uninhabitable.


However, as response agencies go, we need to prioritize things and see what needs to be done first. Therefore pictures like this are critical to tactical and operational pros.


If you only had a roadside view, you would have only seen this small portion of this disaster.


Yes I said it, rotor wing WTF! Additionally, your favorite PIO can get a better grasp on the situation and report out to stakeholders of ongoing joint operations.


Again, your command element should consider an aerial element with HQ photography to aid in SA/COP.

@rusnivek

17-001: A Shake That Never Happened #PIO #Safety #SocialMedia

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17-001: A Shake That Never Happened
Agency: US Geological Survey (USGS) Topic(s):      Error message / human error
Date: 06-23-17 Platform:      Twitter/Email

Sometimes, US Geological Survey (USGS) computers have 6.8 sized hiccups which automatically pushed out info this past Wednesday. This caused serious concern as numerous Emergency Management professionals and PIOs desperately searched to verify information on any earthquake in California. None was to be found on Wednesday June 21, 2017.

As you can see, the date listed in the email notification isn’t consistent with Wednesday’s date as well as the time stamp of publication.

Even worse was the 140-character tweet with even less text/info that initially went out to their 679K followers (@USGS). With the magnitude and epicenter location in a well populated area (Santa Barbara CA), it is crucial that we have multiple sources to verify critical information.

As humans, our attention span has shortened. (SQUIRREL!) Likely thousands misread the initial date/time listed on the email. Even less took the time to click the link in the tweet.

USGS noticed the error and posted this explanation of the errand info. Emails were sent to explain the deleted event.

Obviously more than 140 characters, they screen shot a typed response and posted the image to twitter referencing their errant tweet. The USGS used this tactic to get more information and characters into an otherwise short 140-character tweet.

Whether computer or human error, fessing up to an error on social media is embarrassing. However, the ramifications of arbitrarily deleting info without prior public notification will gander your agency a rash of criticism from the most loyal of followers. Government agencies should strive to foster trust and transparency with all of their constituency. Not to mention, deletion of your posts must match your agency’s policy/procedure or SOP/SOG.

Three important tips to consider if an agency posts something weird:

  1. Trust, but verify information. Trust your social media intuition.
  2. Correlate data from various sources to make an informed decision for ongoing operations.
  3. Admit your mistakes. It happens. Human error is a thing.

Mistakes happen, but how you recover will either make you a hero or a zero. Maximize your efforts on social media including screenshots of your more-than-140-character-response.

Time is short, so tweet / email correct stuff!

@rusnivek

****Or download the one-pager here: AShakeThatNeverHappened-Safety-PIO-SM-17-001***

Maybe watch a quick video from USA Today

2016 Winter Safety Awareness Week #WinterWx #OHWx

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State of Ohio

Executive Department

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RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, “Winter Safety Awareness Week” provides the opportunity for Ohioans to prepare their homes, schools, businesses and organizations for the upcoming months of potential severe winter weather and conditions associated with it such as snow and ice storms, flooding from rapid snow melts, extended power outages and illnesses caused by colds and flu; and

WHEREAS, Ohioans can prepare for the hardships of winter by updating their disaster preparedness kits and emergency plans and creating emergency contact lists, updating their flood insurance policies, purchasing NOAA Weather Radios, investing in alternative heat sources and generators, winterizing their vehicles and ensuring medical prescriptions and vaccinations are current; and

WHEREAS, the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness is committed to educating the public on severe weather safety and preparedness; and

WHEREAS, Ohio’s news media, state and local governments, and educators continue their partnership to inform and educate the citizens of Ohio about actions they can take to prepare for, respond to and recover from severe winter weather events; and

WHEREAS, all Ohioans are encouraged to make severe weather safety and preparedness a priority and ensure that their homes, neighbors and communities are ready for winter-related incidents; and

WHEREAS, citizens are encouraged to review the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness website at http://www.weathersafety.ohio.gov and become more knowledgeable and prepared for weather events that impact our state.

NOW, THEREFORE, We, John R. Kasich and Mary Taylor, Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Ohio, do hereby recognize November 13-19, 2016 as WINTER SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK and encourage all Ohioans to join us in its observance. On this 8 th day of November 2016;

John R. Kasich Governor

Mary Taylor Lieutenant Governor

Tornado siren? Today? Disaster? Emergency?!? #OHWx

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Tornado siren? Today? Disaster? Emergency?!?

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On Wednesday March 23rd, 2016 at 0950 EST, communities across the state of Ohio that have tornado warning siren systems, will test them. In addition, an Emergency Alert System (EAS) warning message will be broadcast. We encourage all communities with sirens to participate in this annual event by conducting their own tornado drills and reviewing their emergency plans.

This is only a test.

@rusnivek