Yesterday I reported on the story out of Las Vegas where public discontent was directed at the Fire Department due to citizen observation of full apparatus crews with their rigs parked in front of area health clubs. Firefighters, backed by current regulations, are required to workout 90 minutes a day. Department members can either work out with limited equipment in quarters or pay for their own membership and use a public gym. It is an interesting story that I will continue to follow.
Two points that come out of this local Las Vegas story that should concern every PIO is how the news traveled quickly and was almost instantaneously placed under the national microscope of analysis.
1. In my estimation the biggest current change for crisis management is the revolution of social media. I received the story from Go Forward Media, read it, analyzed it, and placed it on the blog. Hundreds read the story, over 50 passed it on via Facebook and a number of comments were quickly made.
Social media make crises spread faster and allow the public to voice their opinions and experiences or propagate rumors in a highly visible manner. Crises are increasingly breaking online, without the knowledge of the department it might involve.
TOP TIPS
Make sure you set up early warning systems with tools that are easy to access. PIO’s should make sure that their department and its key players are part of Google Alerts, RSS Feeds, BlogPulse etc. Ask the resident probie with a keen knowledge of social media to try to track down early internet dissemination of a potential problem.
Identify your key online influencers in advance. Who is the most influential firematic blogger in your area, in the country? Who is capable of distorting facts or providing unbalanced coverage?’
Respond online first, and then follow up with a traditional approach. The media is always online. Put a statement up online within the first 10-30 minutes after a story starts to break.
2. ALL STORIES ARE NOW GLOBAL
As a follow up to my first point, thanks to the internet, a crisis in one city or town will become news at some point in others.
As with the Las Vegas Fire Department story, as soon as a department has a significant issue, it bounces around the world. There are no state line or city boundaries in which a story is contained anymore.
TOP TIP
Be prepared to address the crisis in all markets. PIO’s should be ready to communicate clearly with different markets.
Another department has put itself under the microscope and is about to learn a little about social media.
From The Happy Medic:
“Jason Brown, Colleton County Firefighter Paramedic, was released from duty last week after posting a cartoon video to his facebook page which featured harsh language and an exchange between a firefighter character and a doctor character”
<a href= "http://happymedic.com/2010/03/01/letters-in-the-files-are-flying-today/" target="blank"» Read full article on[The Happy Medic]