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I have recently read a number of articles about whether hard copy print materials should be distributed as freely as in the past. The volume of printed materials distributed by public service organizations is massive. Just think about how many department newsletters, brochures, and flyers go out to your community.
The question is if all this paper is really necessary? I think an assessment of your outreach materials is a good start. A summary of some of the tips I have culled are as follows -
I’m writing this post as an introduction to a topic I will frequently cover. I understand that the core job of a PIO, whether it be in a volunteer or paid department, is to provide information to the public and media. In our world this task is a 24/7 job that keeps our plates quite full. Many PIO’s do not engage in marketing or brand identity, but solely concentrate on providing public information. For those PIO’s whose responsibilities extend into the marketing arena, developing your departments brand is essential to maintain a high public perception of the type of service you provide to the community.
If your Department is involved in a major fire-rescue incident, building dedication, community relations program, awareness month, personnel matter, crisis management issue etc. a formal press conference might be in order.
In other posts I will cover my take on fire ground and crisis management conferences, but today I’ll take a look at a generic press event that you might be doing, that is not fire ground related, and that you have time to prepare for.
I have posted about the logistical problems of occasionally getting transportation to a scene forthwith. How can I not envy the deluxe digs the PIO staff travels in when heading to a scene in Los Angeles.
FDNNTV did a video piece on this superb piece of equipment. Here is the skinny on the rig and a video tour of the layout.
Oh, by the way, if you have PIO wheels send me a picture we can post – jeff@thefirepio.org.
I look for your war stories about this posts topic. In my estimation, when dealing with the press, “Off the record” is usually “On the record.” 
Many, many years ago when I wanted every reporter to be my friend, I was in the sports industry. I was serving on the committee of a boxing dinner that among others, was honoring promoter Don King. Obviously King has had controversy follow him his entire life, and especially in the 1980’s, was great fodder for the press.
Nothing is worse than writing an articulate and accurate web piece, blog post, press release or story about your department only to have a grammatical error foil your credibility. The grammar police will quickly write a citation to your Fire Department.
This television PSA is from Great Britain. “Embrace Life” is an extremely creative and well done commercial about the importance of seat belts. It’s free to share on YouTube. 
I am going to place it on the Department’s YouTube page as well as feature it on our website with statistics about seat belt use and safety.
LAFD PIO Vehicle
One dilemma I face as a PIO from a volunteer department is transportation to a scene. I would assume that the vast majority of volunteer departments do not provide a vehicle for the exclusive use of a PIO. In my department, the Smithtown Fire Department on Long Island, response must emanate from our main house or one of our two substations.
In many departments responders can arrive at a scene in their own vehicle, in my department this is not a SOP.
There is, in my estimation, a large difference in sending a hard copy press release or story to the media versus electronically transmitted news. I, like most, send releases and stories about my Department almost exclusively to the media via e-mail. Less is certainly more when a media outlet reviews your materials electronically.
The use of Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and YouTube can be valuable tools for your Department to use to reach out to the public. While internal controlled social media has become a bonanza for getting across significant information at a rapid pace to a wide ranging audience as well as building your Fire Department’s brand image, there are also some major pitfalls.
Lindsey Miller from Regan Communications recently wrote about the effective use of Twitter in the Charlotte and Mesa Fire Departments. It offers good insight into how a Twitter plan can be built that leads to interaction with other forms of social media.
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