Communicating with the public is one of the most important aspects of disaster response and recovery planning, yet in the wake of disaster public communications often get overlooked for the sake of getting other essential tasks completed. Make sure you have enough Public Information Officers (PIO) trained and on hand to keep residents and… Read more
Local elected and appointed officials play a key role in keeping citizens informed and building confidence in the community’s ability to recover and build back stronger. Work with incident command’s chief Public Information Officer (PIO) and use these tips to maximize the effectiveness of your messages to impacted residents. Communicate the efforts that are being… Read more
One of the public information officer’s (PIO) essential functions is to handle media requests and communications, preventing them from distracting the incident commander. Use these tips to prepare for and respond effectively to the media. Have media contact lists. Develop a media contact list with after-business hours contact information, email addresses and websites. Have multiple,… Read more
Use this document from FEMA to find contact information for your regional FEMA Office, NFIP State Coordinating Agency and State Hazard Mitigation Office. Reach out to your contacts before a disaster hits; the first time you exchange business cards should not be during a disaster. FEMA Regional Offices, NFIP State Coordinating Agencies and State… Read more
Social media is typically the most immediate way to reach large numbers of constituents at one time — Public Information Officers (PIOs) and emergency managers can post messages from the field as the situation unfolds, or direct staff at the to quickly send out messages via Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and other available platforms. Use… Read more
A Go Kit is a mobile response kit that allows public information officers (PIOs) to function in the event that they are working at a remote or off-site location. The individual serving as incident command’s PIO can use this FEMA Go Kit checklist before a disaster hits to ensure they are prepared with the essential materials needed… Read more
The person designated to serve in the public information officer position during a disaster can download this FEMA checklist as a PDF for use during a disaster. The checklist can help to ensure the minimum requirements for the position are completed during an incident, and also provides a sample initial information summary and a sample… Read more
An overview of subrecipient agreements, including the definition of a subrecipient, how subrecipients differ from contractors, procurement of subrecipients, evaluating risks, the role of common interests and closeout compliance. As presented by IBTS to the National League of Cities, March 2017. Understanding Subrecipient Agreements (PowerPoint)
Well-conceived and effectively delivered emergency messages can help ensure public safety, protect property, facilitate response efforts, elicit cooperation, instill public confidence, and help families reunite. This lesson presents information about three aspects of communicating in an emergency, including: emergency communication challenges, emergency communication tools and creating effective emergency communication. FEMA Lesson Guide: Communicating in an Emergency
The goal of this publication is to provide operational practices for performing public information officer (PIO) duties within the Incident Command System (ICS). It offers basic procedures to operate an effective Joint Information System (JIS). See page 10 for a quick checklist of the PIO’s major responsibilities during a disaster. Basic Guidance for Public… Read more
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