Over the holiday weekend I have had the opportunity to do some reading and investigation to attempt to put together the facts from a PR perspective of how things could go so terribly wrong in terms of the “they against us” attitude most folks now have towards the TSA. A number of PR gaffs has lead to this perception.
First off the lame TSA Administrator John Pistole used a worn out administration card saying the TSA knows what right for our citizens but unfortunately they haven’t done a good enough job educating people. Again, we’re so stupid that the wonderful changes they put in place and the stellar way in which they presented it to the public is above our scope of appreciation.
One of the most frustrating aspects of our jobs as PIO’s is being second guessed by many who find our career to be something that the immediate world could step into in a pinch. Unfortunately these seeming to know it alls can rattle us by providing suggestions that might make us second guess our own ability. It’s the “no but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express” syndrome.
SnapStream Media is hosting a free live webinar on Thursday, June 3 at 12:30 pacific time. The main presenter will be SGT Tim Schmidt the PIO for the Anaheim Police Department.
I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who is an Army Captain. She was working on a PowerPoint presentation that she is giving tomorrow. She was concerned that the presentation was following both Army and overall military SOP for PowerPoint’s. In the Army the standard operating procedure for presenting a PowerPoint is to use every tool, chart and graphic possible to both try to glaze over and bore those gathered! I know. I’ve sat through quite a few.
I was never a fan of empty suit, corporate buzz words or jargon. I have attended numerous meetings where this special language of the for profit world is used.
When we arrive at a scene I traditionally have to make one of three quick decisions –perform the duties of a firefighter if manpower is lacking, perform my normal duties as the PIO, or watch to see the scene unfold to determine where I can best serve. In a volunteer department all bets are off relating to PIO responsibilities when we are short handed on the fireground.
An interesting incident took place at work late yesterday afternoon. I was sitting at my desk reading a copy of MEDIAWEEK when a colleague came into the office to report on a meeting he had attended. He asked if I had time to chat with him and I told him I was reading an article and could he shoot back in ten minutes. He gave me the strangest look and then I realized that I had committed the most heinous workplace crime of all – reading while on the job.
I thank Doug Walton for reminding me to let you know about the SMILE Conference (Social Media in Law Enforcement) taking place this week on April 7-9 in Washington DC. I had planned to attend this conference when I first learned about it a few months ago but could not fit it into my schedule. I’m happy that I can attend the Los Angeles version tentatively scheduled to be held in October.
It’s been a busy day so far. I am attempting to rectify a crisis communications issue on the regular job, track the large number of alarms the department is receiving for rain and flood related conditions on this part of Long Island, as well as prepare for a business trip to Texas that starts tomorrow. The Texas trip is the one that gives me the most trepidation.
I’ve posted before about the fine line of balancing responsibilities as a PIO and firefighter. A recent automatic alarm call was a case in point.
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From a PIO standpoint, I thought I would never say this, but I would rather see a total press blackout then continue to allow the blather coming out of government official’s mouths about the tragic fire in Flint, Michigan last Saturday night that took the lives of four young children.
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.
