Posts Tagged: Media
Brooklyn Citizen Finds Firefighters “Joyriding”.
Or, “Engine 255 Shops for the Meal”
John Q. Public thinks your are supposed to brown bag it each day.
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Identity Crisis Grows
“Ambulance Drivers”, “First Responders” and now “Special Forces”
While I personally believe "firefighter" suffices, I have nothing against "Emergency Mitigation Response Specialist" either.
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Handling bad news: PA’s West Hazleton FD responds to hooker’s claim of ‘booty call’ at ‘Pat the firefighter’s house’ along with one planned for firehouse.
Fire department response to paper sets the right tone for bad situation involving deputy chief.
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EMS official grabs WNBC-TV camera. Apparently they don’t read U.S. Court of Appeals decisions in Suffolk County, New York.
Was Long Island exempted from the Constitution?
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Misguided Anger
Maybe some of us can't handle the truth, that this is what is expected. Maybe some of us have lost focus and forgotten about "getting the baby!" Maybe it's the kinder, softer-side of firefighting, that makes reality more harsh.
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Media relations video: EMS crew member tells reporter where to go at fire scene in Coudersport, Pennsylvania.
EMS crew member says videographer has no right to shoot her in public place.
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Zen Zone #12
There is a time when decisions must be made.
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Zen Zone #8
If you are going to be the Chief, it helps to have thick skin.
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Line Of Duty Deaths. Canadian Editorial Asks Why All The Fuss?
"Ah, but they selflessly sacrifice themselves for the "public good." Ditch the martyr complex. Growing broccoli or roofing a house is just as socially beneficial as apprehending a shoplifter."
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Scary Rhetoric and Hypocrisy
People love to hate hypocrites. And in this day and age where so many people are looking for heroes, when we get it wrong, we get it wrong in a big way.
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Rhetorical Lesson No.5: Maybe T-Shirts and Patches Make a Difference?
If the customers and the politicians read, and they do, does what they see match the story?
Does it matter?
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Shut Up
Perhaps part of the problem in anonymity is that people feel compelled to say what they think, which in this and more than a few other cases, isn't much.
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Tuscon – There But For The Grace of God Go I
You can speculate, you can imagine, you can insinuate, and you can opinionate, but the long and short of it is that YOU DON’T KNOW.
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Residential Fire Sprinkler Comparison
If this doesn't illustrate the live-saving capability of residential sprinklers, I don't know what else to tell you. You can dry things off after they get wet. You can't unburn your family or your home.
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Yelling Down a Black Hole
In one of the more bizarre recent occurrences surrounding the amazing story of the 33 trapped Chilean miners it seems that need to express themselves clearly is towards the top of the agenda. It appears that PR types are yelling instructions down the shaft telling these guys the appropriate way to speak to the media upon rescue. If there ever was a way for the miners to get good nights sleep it would come as the result of some media consultant telling them what to say upon seeing the sunlight for the first time in months. Enough for anyone to go into a catatonic state!
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PIO Responsibilities
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.
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A Double Dose of Stress
Hurry to the head of the line for a stress test because we also rank in the top 10! According to the same study public relations officers ranked eighth in stressful occupations.
If you have the unenviable task of being in a volunteer fire department and serve as both firefighter/PIO it appears you are heading for the five packs of Marlboro’s a day plan.
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Make your Department’s Message less Cumbersome
Talking about all the virtues of your department in one sitting can create a muddled message. Sometimes it is better to just focus in on one issue at a time.
My department. the Smithtown Fire Department, answers over 3,000 calls a year, maintains 12 pieces of fire apparatus, has over 160 members etc, etc, etc. While these numbers may be somewhat impressive, they can evoke yawns from the media and community residents.
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What should be in an FD website Pressroom?
One of the areas on my Department website that I am not satisfied with is the Media Pressroom tab. I had information in the Pressroom, but was never really satisfied with the way it was presented. So, on this Monday, I present you with some of the items I will place on my retooled media area and look in return for your suggestions on administering a Pressroom on your website.
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Crisis Management for an Inebriated Firefighter in Uniform
The FDNY is currently trying to unravel the details concerning an allegedly drunk individual in uniform, sleeping at the entrance to an apartment building following St. Patrick’s Day festivities in New York.
A few years back my department was confronted with a similar situation. The proper crisis management of inebriated firefighters in uniform can be a difficult one to call for a PIO and department leadership.
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Has the Media gone Totally Insane?
I guess the media trend is leaning towards interviewing the first eyewitness to be found at a fire scene and taking their word as gospel.
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PIO’s should be Repetitive to get their message across to the Media
The seven-minute broadcast interview is typically truncated to a seven-second sound bite of the spokesperson’s main position within the report. The thirteen-minute print interview? A spokesperson is lucky if one attributed quote is more than thirteen words. The rest of the media story is typically filled with “texture” to round out the subject: an opposing point of view, “person-at-the-scene” reactions, related data and facts, etc.
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Values
If your organization doesn't have agreed-upon values, it's a good time to get your people together and discuss some. Value statements provide direction to those who have to make a watershed decision at some point with little guidance otherwise.
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Nothing to say says Volumes
In my humble opinion the quickest way for us to become instant villains as well as guilty until proven innocent is to utter the words “no comment.”
In a sticky situation that begs for solid crisis communication techniques the two most dangerous words you can ever tell a reporter is “no comment.”
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“Not Gonna Do It”