I was recently looking at the “competition’s” websites as I often do to see what other departments are posting and updating. There are some really great fire department sites on Long Island. Unfortunately it dawned on me that even some of the top sites, and even in their contact areas, do not list an email address to reach.
Archives for public-outreach
Ever since the enactment of The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 confusion has reined in our profession about exactly who and what is covered in the law, and what we can and cannot report on and take pictures of. I think allot of what we hear is fact but allot of the interpretation of the legislation is based on “folk law” handed down since the passing of the bill.
I recently received an e-mail from a fellow PIO and newsman asking for assistance in mucking through the separation of fact from fiction.
What’s currently the toughest crisis communications job in the world of public relations and public information? It very well could rest in the hands of one Brian Sibley who is the hired gun from his very own Sibley PR who is currently in the uneviable position of serving as spokesman for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Incident Command post, the central information command for everyone involved in the Gulf coast oil spill clean up.
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Suppose we were asked as PIO’s to meet with the media directly after a structural fire where much more went wrong than right. Instead of confronting the situation and transparently addressing where we succeeded, where we failed, and what we should have done to make things run better we took a different tact. We decide to ignore the present, forget about the fire and tell the press that things would have been much worse under the leadership of the past Chief and things are going in the future to get much better. The press would look at us like we were raving lunatics.
With the line getting longer for businesses, government entities and displaced workers seeking funds from BP and the federal government to assist in a crucial time of need, one does not exactly think of PR services as a fundable project – well think again.
When I brief a Chief or department official on what to expect if a media interview appears that it will have negative connotations two of the simplest techniques I offer are:
1. never repeat a reporter’s negative language in your response, and
2. try to frame all your answers using positive language.
Sounds simple enough. Yet the news is filled with examples of people who disregard these tips.
Meg Whitman former eBay head honcho is running for Governor of California. She has held multiple town hall meeting around the state to promote her agenda. Obviously with such open forums tough questions arise from the audience.
At a recent town hall in Modesto, Whitman was asked a question, I can’t tell if it was from a reporter or audience member, in which she was asked – “Have you or any members of your family been arrested or run afoul of the law?”
I have tremendous admiration for GEN Stanley McChrystal. I respect his dedication to attain victory, his strategic objectives and his pursuit to get the assets this country needs in the Afghan theater to get the job done.
Through some of my past posts, referring to President Obama’s crisis leadership, you may sense that I am less then enamored of his decision making process. Yet in the McChrystal-Obama dispute I have to lean towards the Presidents side in this one.
The lifeblood of the volunteer fire service is the adherence to the chain of command. If a Captain is badmouthing or second guessing the Chief, the chain is snapped and chaos ensues. Lack of response to direct orders or discrediting the Chief to members of the Department has never resulted in a positive outcome. It can only lead to internal firehouse strife and ineffective operations on the fireground.
After my appearance last night on Firefighter Netcast, which I thoroughly enjoyed I sat down to recap exactly what my responsibilities are as a PIO. We touched on a number of the areas last night.
A PR lesson for all of us PIO’s to learn today comes from none other then General Motors. When we write a release we have to look to all of our collateral (website, brochures etc.) to make sure they are all up to date and in sync with what we have written. This is just one of the problems that is plaguing GM for what I consider to be a gut reaction to a marketing scheme that has not taken into consideration all of the ramifications of what they are looking to accomplish.
The PR team at General Motors is spinning their wheels today in an attempt to clarify an internal memo that said employees should only use the word “Chevrolet” when referring to the brand, not Chevy.
The Air Force won top honors at last weeks PRSA Silver Anvil Awards for their “Dignified Transfers” program. When Defense Secretary Robert Gates reversed the media ban on the solemn ceremony that takes place when service personnel remains return to the U.S., an approach was needed to balance both requests by the media for coverage, and the individual wishes of the families of the fallen.
There has long been a battle over the defining line between marketing and public relations. A goal of many of us in PR for many years was to take command of all communications functions, including advertising and marketing. Well it appears that this is finally coming to fruition.
I just received some PowerPoint slides from a presentation I saw in Las Vegas a few weeks back that tackled this issue. I thank Peter Clarke of Omnex Marketing and Media Solutions for the presentation he sent.
Here are some of his salient points. Some pertain to our work as PIO’s, some are more business and agency related, but still interesting reading -
While I was at a conference in Las Vegas last week I had the opportunity to speak to some SONY execs. I always like to hear top corporate marketing people talk about the trends and new techniques they are examining.
The talk turned to social media. As this form of communications continues to evolve the stark reality is if you are waiting at the station the train has already passed you by. If you are not actively engaged in social media or even on the most basic level, frequent updates on the content of your website, you are letting the fastest growing form of communication with you community slip away.
When I departed Long Island for Las Vegas a few days ago I noticed that the TSA was profiling blue hair. Oh I understand everyone is on edge with recent breeches, put this was the definitive example of perhaps spending too much time on the wrong person.
I’m in Las Vegas this week attending a conference. Last night I went to dinner with a bunch of guys from Medina, Ohio who are huge Cleveland Cavalier fans. We positioned ourselves near a mega screen monitor so we could see the Cavs ultimately pounded by the Celtics 120-88.
Early on, when the game was relatively close and spirits were higher, the LeBron James rumor mill was the talk of the moment. Facing July 1 free agency everyone at the table had an opinion on whether LeBron will stay or go. With each opinion came a rumor about what someone told someone about LeBron’s status. Also with each rumor and opinion came blame. Who to scapegoat and take to task if LeBron seeks mega millions elsewhere?
As a PR guy this got me thinking. It’s not about just LeBron, it’s about sports in general. Each day is filled with stories in the paper and online, as well as sports radio and television, that are based on heated rumors and bashings about one team, coach, manager or athlete.
If these were stories about our fire departments, chiefs or firefighters we as PIO’s would be apoplectic! We would be in total crisis communications mode!! This would constitute one of the worst days of our careers.
I had the opportunity last August at the American Legion Convention in Louisville to hear Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff speak. During his talk one thing kept on ringing clear to me, Mullen wanted the public to have as much knowledge of the current conflicts as possible so they could make an informed decision on where they personally stood. This was refreshing in that Mullen wanted the public to have access to all the information at hand, both good and bad.
Now Mullen has blueprinted a new social media strategy for himself that is stunning in its scope and outreach. I can think of no other military or public official that has such a keen understanding of the value of social media and citizen outreach. It is a lesson in openness and transparency that we as PIO’s should take note of.
I’ll admit it, I’m getting old, but as the saying goes “the more things that change, the more they remain the same.” I was recently going through a bunch of old boxes and found some college books and papers that included an article written by Larry Litwin and Ralph Burgio back in 1971. It was on the timeless topic of the definition of public relations. Although computers and others technological tools we take for granted, and which play a big part in our work, were nowhere to be seen back then, their definition is still time tested and right on.
Here are some nuggets from their wisdom -
We all know the feeling of getting the page in the wee hours to respond to an incident that requires the attention of the public information office.
The attempted car bombing that took place in Times Square in NYC on Saturday evening is one such type of incident where the split second coordination of internal and external information to and from many departments is required.
I was cleaning out my favorites file from Internet Explorer last night. Many websites that you initially list as a favorite fade fast from the memory. I came across a site I made a favorite about a year ago. The “Ambassablog” is an employee blog of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. Since I last looked several months ago, it has become an “award winning blog.”
This is a testament to Steven Shultz, the deputy PR director for the Authority. We all know as PIO’s, whether in a paid or volunteer department, the difficult process at times of convincing the powers that be to use creative tools to enhance our relationship with both the public and employees. Sometimes it’s better to sun on the beach then go in the water and get hit by a big wave.
I just received an outrageous e-mail about a new political candidate in our congressional district whose campaign rep requested the pleasure of our company at an event taking place sometime at a restaurant in our community. I say sometime because no date or time was listed on the e-mail invite, just the restaurant. A rather small oversight don’t you think.
The lack of proofreading while ridiculous is not what got me angered. What did is the fact that as first responders, in our roles as firefighters, EMT’s, Chiefs, PIO’s etc. we really must maintain an apolitical posture. This e-mail smelled like a good opportunity for this candidate to have some photo opp time with folks in uniform. You want to tour our department and hear in a straightforward manner about what we do and how we serve the community, that’s fine, but don’t put us into one of the rings of your traveling circus.
I recently hosted a webinar for a freelance marketing assignment I am working on. There were about 100 people in the audience, so I knew, since they couldn’t see my face that I would have to create some quick rapport with them to grab attention.
I recently read the book ”Brain Rules,” by Dr. John Medina, who wrote “You’ve got seconds to grab your audience’s attention and only minutes to keep it.”
I had this brilliant idea last year of doing a public service campaign to promote the fact that my Department had an active Twitter presence that provided relevant information about fire scenes and MVA’s in real time so residents could know what roads where being closed and how traffic was being diverted. This I thought was a great way to utilize Twitter for the public good.
We held our 102nd Installation of Officers this past Saturday night. I wrote a post on public perception of installations a few days ago. Contrary to popular belief we did not have to tap the nuclear arsenal to quell any disturbances in the community from rampaging firefighters.
In addition to the installation of officers, Firefighter of the Year Awards, (I was shocked to get the 2009 Firefighter of the Year) service pins (two 50 year members) and speeches, two legislative awards were presented. Congressman Timothy Bishop and Suffolk County Legislator Lynn Nowick were given Special Achievement Awards. Both help our department in many ways. Bishop helped us obtain a new ambulance through a grant and Nowick works the Legislature for us to make sure we get our just due when it comes to extra County funding.
As Public Information Officer I think it is important that we publicize these types of legislative awards as much as possibly. This is a kinder and gentler form of political payback for a job well done.
What is it about blue lights? In New York State a blue light can be used by a firefighter responding to an alarm, but it serves strictly as an indication for another driver’s courtesy. The public does not have to yield. It seems blue lights have this hypnotic, mezmorizing effect that causes most motorists to become totally oblivious to your attempt to get to the fire house as quickly as possible while staying within the speed limit and rules of the road. Many doesn’t know exactly what to do, a number of sadistic drivers intentionally slow down, while a few good citizens actually yield.
I had the opportunity a few years back to visit Microsoft’s Home of the Future at their headquarters in Seattle. The “house” features what technology could possibly look like in the year 2019. It as very cool and I was privileged to be invited.
The most striking part of the tour for me was how our guide kept on emphasizing that the majority of technology will eventually emanate from a cell phone sized device that would in essence control our day. The device would open the door to our homes, start our cars, work as a computer, make video calls, scan products on shelves for nutritional information etc., etc, etc.
