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Emergency Management, Emergency Services, & Disaster Spox

Day-2 of the FEMA OEMA G0290: Basic #PIO at Cleveland EOC

Posted on October 25, 2018 by rusnivek

Day-2 of the FEMA Basic PIO Course in Cleveland, Ohio!!! Starting out the day with one of the best JIC Managers in the biz, ladies and gents, one of the orig FEMA Master PIOs put your hands together for ERICA CREECH!!!!!

Sharing her experiences with the class on PIOs and coordination was critical in countless EOC and JIC activations.

In a heartbeat, I’d work for Erica any day in the JIC.

Don’t worry, we jumped back on the train (FEMA’s powerpoint slides) to talk and debate about press releases.

Since Steve is from media, he loves his inverted pyramid. But are press releases valuable? Needed? Seems we had quite the spirited discussion on the necessity and timely appeal of press releases.

After lunch, we were fortunate enough to grab, IMHO, the best of the best media talent in Cleveland.

Fox8: Jennifer Steer (@jensteer)

WOIO-19: Chris Tanaka (@Chris_Tanaka)

WEWS-5: Homa Bash Ball (@HomaBashWEWS)

WKYC-3: Barry Wolf (@photowolfTV)

Cleveland PlainDealer: Ginger Christ (@GChristCLE)

These pros not only talk a good game, but their social media skills are top shelf! I submit to you Barry’s fashion selfie from the front of the room.

Solid!

These folks were able to dedicate their time to answer any I mean ANY questions that our new PIOs had.

Proud to see new relationships and transparency with all parties involved.

Why? We hear of soooo many bad interactions and exchanges with the media. This kind of engagement showcases that if we work together and we share our knowledge of ongoing issues, we can help each other out.

I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to see this kind of action happening in class.

Like nurturing new PIOs and helping them network…OMG THIS IS WHAT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS ALL ABOUT!!!!!!!!

Yeah yeah, I’ll get off the soapbox now.

But seriously, this media panel has been one of my absolute favorites to have because….well, because of this…

Brah, Tanaka’s got some seriously good selfie skillz. Many mahalos to all of my media panel that showcased the best of TV news media.

After the media panel left, we reviewed all of our on camera interviews.

Sharing our challenges but learning from others in a productive and positive way increases participant on camera skills.

To close out the day, we also had our second and most lauded PIO stop by. Ladies and gents, the orig filmmaker himself, raise the roof cause it’s Cleveland Fire very own PIO Mike Noooooooooooorman!!!!!!!

Glad to spend a few minutes with fire’s new PIO who jumped head first into the role for CFD. FYI-Mike was a participant in a class that Steve and I taught in Summit County Ohio so we are proud to see him flourishing in his role at CFD.

Outstanding and super fun day with everyone. Back at it tomorrow with another special guest and to talk about JIC/JIS!

@rusnivek

FEMA OEMA G0290: Basic #PIO at the City of Cleveland EOC!

Posted on October 24, 2018 by rusnivek

Outstanding start to this week’s FEMA G0290: Basic PIO course sponsored by Ohio EMA and the City of Cleveland Emergency Management!

Special thanks to CEM Alex Pellom for the invitation to hang for a few days in the Emergency Operations Center!

Guess who I get to teach with this week? Fresh off the disaster wheel, Assistant Fire Chief Steve Bosso!!!

Don’t mind his grumps face, you’d be a bit tired if you were EMACed to work Hurricane Florence too. I’m excited to hear about his experience working with South Carolina’s Emergency Management Division PIO Derrec Becker.

And yes, if you were wondering, we are holding class IN the actual City of Cleveland Emergency Operations Center!

Interviews? Heck yeah – you know we did!

Incredibly valuable time on camera.

Spent some time doing group work and communications strategy with many partners from across the State of Ohio and the State of Pennsylvania.

Showcasing partnerships and strengthening collaborative messaging during the preparedness…

…will help during response phase planning and support for ongoing operations.

Additionally the blending of resources embodying the all-hazards mentality, is critical when dealing with larger disasters/emergencies. Here’s Police, Fire, EMS, Health, Public Works, and Executive Policy working together for a coordinated message.

Steve had a few injects too…like branding. Steve is a former photojournalist so he’s got the photog eye for these kinds of things with some fancy camera work…

And not to worry, in order to share real world experiences, we had our first subject matter expert – Cleveland Police Public Information Officer Jennifer Ciaccia stop by to talk about her experiences as the PIO for CPD.

So many issues to deal with esp during a National Special Security Event (NSSE) – the 2016 Republican National Convention! And of course a whole bunch of other cases including the 3 girls missing for 10+ years (Castro case), Facebook killer, CJ Saves CLE, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, etc….

Whew – full day! Great dynamic class.

Solid first day. Looking forward to day-2 of the Basic PIO!

@rusnivek

Day-2 of ICS-300 w/ our DoD assets and public safety professionals

Posted on July 10, 2018 by rusnivek

Day-2 of ICS-300 started off with some class discussion on other classes that newer Emergency Management Professionals could attend to help broaden the expertise.

As we roll into module-4, we have lots of in class exercises to help participants understand the importance of coordination in response.

Proud to see so many here from various disciplines as well as a few familiar faces in the crowd too.

And again, if you look closely, you can see participants smiling…IN MY ICS-300 CLASS!!!!!

Lotsa smiles!!!!

Again, great to see solid collaboration here in class. Sooooooo many great ideas exchanged in the room. Even more proud to see it done BEFORE an emergency or disaster.

Also, one day, someone will recognize my hand puppet skills.

Kidding.

Day-2 dunzo. Great participation from everyone in the class!

@rusnivek

Day-1 ICS-300 with strong DoD participation

Posted on July 9, 2018 by rusnivek

It’s Monday morning so lets kick off another hard core ICS-300 course…in the Poinsettia Room! 🌺

Also known as the city’s Emergency Operations Center too.

Diverse groups today with a strong showing from our Department of Defense and local public safety professionals.

This kind of joint training provides us the opportunities to build stronger partnerships and even strengthen the preexisting bonds with DoD assets including a few special teams.

Lots of group work as participants figure out priorities and challenges during the first few hours and into the first/second operational period.

But working through the issues in a calm classroom will help reduce the amount of stress during an actual emergency. Finding out strengths and gaps and addressing them so that everyone can respond better to any incident. That’s right enhancing response capabilities.

Sound familiar? That’s what HSPD-5 (Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5) is all about. A coordinated response! <heavy breathing>

That is exactly what Emergency Management is all about – build relationships for a coordinated response. <heavier breathing>

And also proof, if you teach it right, you can get people to smile in my ICS classes.

Awww yeah!

Great work from all participants – lotsa participation from everyone!

Glad to see so much collaboration from local, county, state, Federal, and DoD assets.

And as always, thank you for your service to our great country.

Happy birthday Marty. It’s a great first day.

Looking forward to the next two days!

@rusnivek

To my fellow Americans….Happy 4th of July! #2018

Posted on July 4, 2018 by rusnivek

To my fellow Americans….Happy 4th of July!!!

Cleveland, Ohio – 4th of July!

Here’s a few easy preparedness tips from the team at FEMA.

Leave the fireworks to the pros.
Keep children & pets at least 3 ft from grills & campfires.
Drink plenty of water – even if you don’t feel thirsty.
Check in on friends, family, & neighbors who don’t air conditioning.

And for those who are stuck inside/have to work, here’s a few fun option for you.

Maybe NYC is better?

No? How about Chicago?

Well, whatever you do, just keep it real safe everyone.

Happiest birthday to the greatest country in the world. #USA

America the beautiful.

@rusnivek

Day-3 of the APIO course with the Master PIOs at FEMA’s EMI

Posted on February 14, 2018 by rusnivek

Day-3 of the Advanced PIO course and today, we see some structure!

No doubt there was going to be some stuff on ICS forms because we got some…

…ICS-215s forms for the win!

And of course more interviews because evacuation and shelter information is super important. So bring on the interviews!

And yes, it’s not easy being green!

BTW-human with pet sheltering is totes important so make sure you know exactly what kind of message you want to pass on.

Lots of work on camera esp focusing in on joint press conferences…

…and of course solid reporter questions too.

#WeWearPinkOnWednesdays

At the end of the class, MPIOs initiated a panel discussion with Rita and I on public information.

PC: Joe

Yep, an unfiltered look into PIO stuff for anyone. We as PIOs should not remain silent.

I am convinced that we are to share knowledge and enhance other PIO’s skills. Because “a rising tide raises all ships” right?

Reporting live from the External Affairs side of the house at the Emergency Management Institute…

@rusnivek

Day-1 of the Advanced PIO class at FEMA’s EMI! #MPIO

Posted on February 12, 2018 by rusnivek

Starting out the Advanced PIO class week with the big cheese – a warm EMI welcome from the new FEMA EMI Deputy Superintendent Steve Heidecker!

My buddy!

Phil laying down the usual ground rules like…

Don’t look for Camp David.
Don’t open windows.
Don’t touch helos.
Don’t break anything.

And yes, today, I was fortunate enough to introduce my favorite Indianapolis Fire Department Batt Chief/PIO Extraordinaire….Ladies and Gents….put your hands together for BC Rita Reith!!!!!

Glad to see so many of my former students come here to FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute for more training. And they get to hear my same PIO instructor jokes again.

PC: Cody McDonell

And great to meet so many of online peeps for the very first time aka #IRL. Yes of course there will be lots of tweeting and #hastagging going on this week.

You in my class? Holla yo!

Reporting live from FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute’s Advanced Public Information Officers class…

@rusnivek

Day-1 of the 2018 FEMA Master #PIO Course

Posted on January 8, 2018 by rusnivek

Day-1 of the 2018 FEMA Master PIO (Public Information Officer) Program.

Obv at my favorite location: FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute.

Lots of super smart people in class from across the country including South Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, Maryland, Deleware, Texas, Indiana, Arizona, and Alaska. Whoa Nellie!

Solid discussion on public information, public involvement, strategic thinking, mission/goals, priorities, capabilities, solutions, communities vs tribes, NIMS/ICS, ESF-15, alert notification thresholds, trusted source of verified information, serotonin, public fears in 2017, hope, trust, stability, compassion, and most importantly, PIO networking/sharing of ideas.

Glad I wore a tie.

Apparently they know I tweet so shhhhhh. I have to pay attention.

Reporting live from snowy Emmitsburg….

@rusnivek

The FEMA #PIO on #PirateRadio! Is that real? #FBF

Posted on October 27, 2017 by rusnivek

I was asked if Pirate Radio was real….yeppers!

Pirate Radio based in the Florida Keys-Key West has a strong voice that not only hits audiences throughout the keys, but also into southern Florida too. They stream their shows so that any Pirate can listen in…even when yer a landlubber!

I was a regularly contributor to their morning shows with daily Hurricane Irma disaster updates. We also brought other public safety agencies in with us to showcase the unified efforts of countless government agencies involved and how we are all working together in the response/recovery effort.

Additionally, I was invited to be a regular guest on their Friday morning show to talk about the DHS/FEMA response and recovery efforts for the Florida Keys. Not only talking about the Florida Keys, but also the millions of $$ in financial support approved for the State of Florida.

Remember, AM/FM radio stations are a critical source of information in a disaster. After a disaster, cell service might be down, sat tv might be out, and it is highly likely that your neighborhood may not have power. Post-disaster, plan on AM/FM radio being a solid source of information.