L0388 Advanced Public Information Officer

L0388 Advanced Public Information Officer

The National Response Framework (NRF) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS) devote significant attention to the importance of emergency public information. Public Information Officers (PIOs) are key members of Incident Command System (ICS) and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) organizations, and work closely with official s who are a part of Multiagency Coordination Groups (MAC). PIOs advise the Incident Commander (IC), Unified Command, and EOC Director on public information relating to incident management.

With public information included as a function within NIMS and within ICS, it is critical to address and provide training for this important element of Emergency Management.

The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Public Information Officer (PIO) training curriculum includes courses delivered at the awareness, basic, intermediate, advanced and master levels. The awareness, basic and intermediate level courses were developed by EMI and teach basic skills and techniques for use during small, localized, single-agency responses; preparedness campaigns; and escalating localized responses. The advanced level course teaches participants additional skills for use during escalating incidents, including strategic communications and incident action planning as it relates to Joint Information Center (JIC) operations.

GOAL

The goal of this five-day course is to:

• Provide participants with the knowledge and skills to establish, manage and work within a JIC through multimedia lectures and individual and group activities.
• Provide participants the opportunity to apply advanced public information skills during a multi-day functional exercise (FE) designed to test the participants’ abilities to analyze, coordinate, process and create information in a fast-paced, realistic environment.
• Provide students the opportunity to apply advanced public information skills in the short- and long-term recovery phases of an incident.
• Encourage participants to improve their processes and ensure every action has a measurable relevance for each identified audience, including senior leadership.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate team-building skills
• Demonstrate leadership in crisis
• Demonstrate effective crisis communication
• Perform a situational awareness assessment
• Prioritize communication tools and personnel requirements
• Prioritize the messages that go out to the public
• Demonstrate communication skills necessary to provide the right information at the right time to the right audience while working in a stressful mass communication environment
• Prepare and coordinate talking points for a simulated government executive
• Establish a Strategic Communication Plan for a simulated natural disaster
• Simplify complex messages for identified audiences
• Resolve conflicting media information and rumors
• Maintain a relationship between the EOC and the JIC
• Analyze personal and organizational readiness based on current guidance
• Analyze the characteristics of the changing American family and how the media and fear play a role in shaping communication goals and messages
• Demonstrate communication skills during the recovery period after a disaster

TARGET AUDIENCE

The target audience for this course is public information personnel who have completed the prerequisites listed in the Prerequisites section below. Participants must have a minimum of 2 full years of full-time public information experience.

Course Prerequisites:

• IS-29.a: Public Information Officer Awareness
• IS-42: Social Media in Emergency Management
• IS-100.b: Introduction to Incident Command System (ICS) (or ICS course for specific specialty: healthcare, public works, etc.)
• IS-200.b: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents (or discipline specific course)
• IS-201: Forms Used for the Development of the Incident Action Plan (Waived if ICS-300 completed)
• IS-247.a: Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) or IS-251 Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) for Alerting Authorities
• IS-700.a: National Incident Management System (NIMS), an Introduction
• IS-800.b: National Response Framework, An Introduction
• E/L0105: Public Information Basics

Recommended Prerequisites:

• ICS-300: Intermediate Incident Command System for Expanding Incidents
• IS-120.a: An Introduction to Exercises
• IS-242.b: Effective Communication
• IS-650.a: Building Partnerships with Tribal Governments
• IS-660: Introduction to Public-Private Partnerships
• IS-909: Community Preparedness: Implementing Simple Activities for Everyone

Required steps to apply:

1. Register on Eventzilla
2. Email DEMHS.TrainingandExercise@ct.gov your FEMA EMI Independent Study student transcript and a copy of your E/L/K0105 certificate. Use "L0388 Application" as your subject.

Notes:

• Your FEMA EMI Independent Study student transcript is available to download at the FEMA EMI student portal here: https://training.fema.gov/student/sssp.aspx 
• The E/L/K0105, Public Information Basics, program is an instructor-led, 24 hour program. There are several offerings available prior to the start of this program including virtual options. The FEMA EMI schedules is available here: https://training.fema.gov/emicourses/schedules.aspx under course enter "0105" to search for all available options.
• Priority admission is given to those students who have already completed the prerequisites at the time of their application. Applicants missing prerequisites will not be considered until all prerequisites have been met.

Student comments about the new E/L0388 course

New curriculum was good! Current topics and industry issues. Use of video and IT technology is good! Ongoing scenario drill with news flashes, and expertise of instructors = excellent!

8-Step Model and use of 215 for PIO assignments.

This class was worth ALL/EVERY penny and time I invested into it.

The JIC exercise was most valuable. Being thrown into the situation helped my understanding of the different roles and responsibilities in a JIC. The smaller individual exercises in the classroom were really helpful too.

Format--lecture/exercise/frequent breaks. The experience overall was fantastic. Thank you so much!

Very valuable information excellently presented. It will be taken home and applied. Putting It Into Practice stressed the players and the knowledge level.

Exercise; discussion about traits that work well in JIC was super important. We know the tasks, but many people don't understand group dynamics.

Introduction of new and relevant PIO doctrine. The JIC exercise and utilization of SimDeck. Outstanding instructors. Great balance of experience and platform skills. Re-emphasis of ICS/NIMS and how PIO fits in to actual response.

Crisis Communications Plan; best practices and lessons learned; base communications on objectives; complex audiences. SimDeck is great.

SimDeck was a fantastic tool!! Applied exercise in JIC. Fear-Mongering discussion. Also, I was in the actual EOC I would use in an emergency, which was helpful. Networking. Also, I really liked how personal and family wellness was addressed.

The ability to coordinate, interact, and work with the other agencies was priceless.

Loved the disaster simulation. The exercise component was extremely helpful. I enjoyed the JIC creation process; learned a lot about inter-PIO communication!!

The teamwork, learning strategic communications and incident action planning. Learning to resolve conflicts within the team and ways to move forward. Learned how to be flexible and communicate within teams.

Thinking outside the box. Taught in pre-reqs. This is the only way to do it, when "flexibility" is the key item. Working out of mobile JIC created a real life scenario--was amazing and now I know more assets available to me in an emergency.

It was an eye-opening experience. Having the opportunity to play a part in an operational EOC with colleagues from all over the State and with varied skill levels and personalities in a secure environment was invaluable. Not to mention the very respectful and understanding instructors who managed a balance between instruction and teamwork. Thank you all!

I learned so much. There are things I never even thought to ask about. I am so much more aware. My thought process will be forever changed.