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Emergency Management, Emergency Services, & Disaster Spox

State of Ohio EMA G291 Joint Information Center / System class at Medina County EOC

Posted on August 31, 2017 by rusnivek

Packed State of Ohio EMA Joint Information Center / Joint Information System course today!

Started everyone into group work as well as ongoing discussion on the role of SMEs at a press conference.

Just in case, we also tasked participants to start thinking about a policy/protocol for their agency on sneak attack aka ambush interviews.

We found as we leverages our strengths and capitalize on our skills, we as JIC Managers can better meet the needs of any situation – we just gotta find the right PIOs for the job.

As our groups collaborated, we found that despite crossing state lines, we still have the same problems as other areas – thus proving our point that we need to consistently train together and exercise our plans together.

Many of our participants enjoyed working in the JIC setting and were excited to work in a JIC during the next activation. Most excellent as we build a strong cadre of PIOs across this great state.

My Ohio Peeps!

Reporting live from Medina County’s Emergency Operations Center….

@rusnivek

State of Ohio EMA – Basic Public Information Officer’s Course in Medina County

Posted on August 30, 2017 by rusnivek

Day-2 of Ohio EMA’s Basic Public Information Officer’s course here in Medina County EMA welcoming participants from two different FEMA Regions to our class!

We have representation from almost every ESF – outstanding to see that kind of participation in our state class.

It’s going to be a packed two days of training including classroom discussion…

…complex in-class activities…

…on-camera interviews…

…engaging (and crazy reporter) type questions…

…and of course we had several contentious mock press conferences.

Train like you fight right? We also discussed how our varied experiences lends a ton of expertise to our ongoing operations in any community across this great nation.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s JIC/JIS course!

@rusnivek

NEO Public Information Officer quarterly training with WKYC

Posted on August 8, 2017 by rusnivek

Great to see the leadership at WKYC (NBC affiliate) for hosting our quarterly NorthEast Ohio’s (NEO) Public Information Officer (PIO) training!

Photo credit: K. Hyson, Cincinnati Health Department

Lots of discussion based around media relations focusing on timely and accurate reporting. Additionally, lots of conversation with good stories vs bad stories – which challenges the typical paradigm of news media’s “If it bleeds, it leads!” mantra.

“Off the record” conversation as well as immediate notification of incident dominated the early part of our conversation.

We moved into how strategy sometimes gets in the way of real emergencies and of course how our PIO narratives sometimes conflicts with how the story is produced.

To me, I was also surprised at how many reporters wanted txt msgs as compared to phone calls. In fact, desk assignment editors wanted a mention as well as a follow-up txt or notification of ongoing emerging issue.

I am very greatful to be able to have candid conversation with our partners in the media. And yes, sharing success stories as well as challenges will allow us to do a better job with our local media to communicate our safety messages. Very glad to hear that getting the story right is still the main drive of our local news agencies.

Many thanks to the pros at WKYC (NBC affiliate) Cleveland for the hospitality and generosity.

Reporting live from WKYC…

@rusnivek

Ahhh another packed July!

Posted on July 1, 2017 by rusnivek

Hello July! Is it really 3Q already?!?

First week I’ll be teaching another FEMA’s Basic PIO Course with JIC/JIS at WTFD. (How about them acronyms!)

Second week will be another ICS-400 course in the Emergency Operations Center

Along with another JIC/JIS course, third week will be spent at the COOP site. Wheeee.

Fourth week will include another PIO exercise specifically focusing in on social media. I’ll also need to confirm our 3Q PIO/PAO Training with NBC for our TaskForce.

Lots of planning meeting sprinkled into the mix and randomly working out of the COOP site will test operational readiness. Fun times.

@rusnivek

Brand new Social Media Engagement Strategies course debut at SAC EOC #NDPTC

Posted on April 24, 2017 by rusnivek

Solid start to the week being able to deliver the brand new FEMA NDPTC Social Media Engagement Strategies course.

Numerous pros from across the state of California attending today.

Special thanks to the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services in hosting this fun class in their Emergency Operations Center.

Super special shoutout goes to MayJo!

Talked specifically about addressing audiences and their appropriate platforms. Mediums like static posts are great however we need to explore outside of your comfort zone and try new avenues to communicate. FacebookLive, Periscope, InstagramLive, YouTubeLive, etc…..these new emerging live broadcast tools can allow agencies to be creative in their broadcast of messages.

Solid afternoon facilitation on the formulation of a strategic communications specifically focusing in on social media and audience engagement.

And of course the standard shout out to our friend Cheryl.

Overall, the intent of this class is really to be a catalyst to start a meaningful conversation about engaging your constituents on various social media platforms.

Obviously, you would be taking FEMA NDPTC PER-344 Social Media Tools & Techniques first – which gives you a heavy dose of the currrent tools/platforms that are out there as well as a bunch of tactics and techniques that you could use in your EOC or JIC.

Both courses provide a different take on social media actions esp during disasters / crisis.

Keep on learning peeps. Much more to digest and figure out.

We all must do better to support our local communities, county coordinators, and state officials to work and communicate together before, during, and after the disaster.

We the people right? #Merica

@rusnivek

Twinsburg Fire for a bit today

Posted on April 21, 2017 by rusnivek

Spent part of my day at Twinsburg Fire (Summit County, OH).

Great to see Fire Chief Tim Morgan. Fun fact, I first met him when he was a new red helmet. We talked a bit about regionalization as well as building partnerships through our IMTs (Incident Management Teams).

But the fun began when I got a chance to chat with Assistant Fire Chief Steve Bosso about PIO stuff.

And of course other stuff too.

Say it with me: “partnerships”

Trust me, its great to have such an outspoken advocate for safety at Twinsburg and Summit County.

Be safe peeps – always lean on your trusted fellow peeps before the big one hits.

@rusnivek

Whoa, that went well… #AlohaFriday

Posted on March 24, 2017 by rusnivek

Whoa….whoa…..whoa……

After getting reassigned from the JIC to the FCO, I was evaluated on my performance.

So yeah, that went well.

Great to support the FCO as well as the FEMA Region-1 Incident Management Team (IMAT) this week.

Trust me, without the support of countless PIOs and numerous External Affairs peeps, we could not have accomplished our tasks assigned.

My hope is that we continue to increase our knowledge and expand on ways that we can serve each of our communities daily as well as during any disaster or emergency.

We must relentlessly pursue knowledge from educators who are willing to share their craft with others.

Listen to all of our communities and share kernels of knowledge with others in an open forum so that other PIOs can learn and make good decisions.

It is incumbent upon us to coordinate the response effort for those who have nothing.

And most importantly, it is our duty to serve this great nation.

Demobing now.

Great week.

@rusnivek

Day-4 as the FCO’s Press Secretary

Posted on March 23, 2017 by rusnivek

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!

@rusnivek

Few PIO takeaways from yesterday’s #CLEStPats Parade Spoxing

Posted on March 18, 2017 by rusnivek

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.

Duh! Hands free is great.

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!

@rusnivek

2017 #CLEStPats Parade and your favorite PIOs Spox on bikes!

Posted on March 17, 2017 by rusnivek

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…