After “Snowzilla” dumped more than 26 inches of snow on Arlington County, Virginia in January 2016, the county had to supplement their 40-pieces of snow removal equipment with 200 pieces of contracted equipment to keep up with storm. Mike Moon, deputy director of operations for Arlington County, Virginia, Environmental Services, was tasked with coordinating… Read more
Wildfires are long, drawn-out events that often require localities to ask for state assistance to get key messages out to the public, manage and monitor social media and keep up with the demands of local media. Use these tips from subject matter experts in Washington and California, who frequently deal with wildfires, to think through… Read more
Wildfires are long, drawn-out events that often require localities to ask for state assistance to get key messages out to the public, manage and monitor social media and keep up with the demands of local media. Use these tips to coordinate communication efforts with localities before a wildfire starts burning. Focus on messaging before… Read more
During widespread wildfire events, communicating the status of the fire, impacted areas and damage becomes a full-time, round-the-clock job for public information officers (PIOs). Use these tips to integrate communications assistance from the state into your efforts and maximize the effectiveness of your internal communications and public outreach. Ask the state for social media… Read more
During widespread wildfire events, keeping up with the status of the fire, impacted areas and damage becomes a full-time, round-the-clock job. Use these tips to assist and work with local PIOs and emergency management agencies to improve operations and promote more effective public outreach. Have a plan for how you will stay up-to-date. The… Read more
Unlike other perils, wildfires can last for weeks on end, requiring a constant stream of communications that often exhausts local resources. Effective public outreach requires sound planning and coordination with surrounding localities, state agencies and local media outlets. Use these tips from subject matter experts to prepare for and improve public outreach on wildfires before,… Read more
Focus on messaging before the wildfire season. Explore the U.S. Fire Administration’s public outreach materials to develop your own public safety announcements and awareness campaigns. Encourage residents to get their homes and property ready, and to take ownership of being prepared and having a plan. Develop pre-scripted messages and store them in the cloud… Read more
Results of a National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) survey to determine the social media channels employed by emergency management agencies for public information use. Respondents were state emergency management agencies. States were also asked to break down what types of posts were the most effective, challenges they face and needs they have to be more successful.… Read more
This issue of Fire Management Today centers around communication—the ability to do so, the benefits you reap if you are proactive and effective and the residual effects if you don’t. Articles cover topics ranging from working with communities during incidents, to working with the media, public acceptance of fuel treatments and more. Fire Management… Read more
During severe winter weather events, the public has an undying need for information — when will their roads be plowed, will schools shut down, is more snow expected? Providing them with constant updates is essential to set clear expectations about your agency’s snow removal capabilities during a given storm. Use these tips to manage… Read more
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