Bernalillo County Fire Department Policies & Procedures PDF

**PURPOSE** The purpose of this Policy is to provide direction for the Bernalillo County Fire Department Public Information Officers. **POLICY** It is the policy of Bernalillo County Fire Department to have qualified uniformed personnel act in the capacity of Public Information Officer (PIO). The...

**PURPOSE** The purpose of this Policy is to provide direction for the Bernalillo County Fire Department Public Information Officers. **POLICY** It is the policy of Bernalillo County Fire Department to have qualified uniformed personnel act in the capacity of Public Information Officer (PIO). The PIOs are responsible for conducting media and public relations as it relates to both emergency and non-emergency communications. **PROCEDURES** - **Press Release** -- Is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing information deemed newsworthy. - **Press Conference** -- A meeting, organized for the purpose of officially distributing information and responding to questions from the media. - **News Brief** -- A short informational distribution ideally 100 words or fewer broken into two or three paragraphs. - **Fact Sheets** -- A Bullet point list of facts for the media that may include formal statements. - **Backgrounder** -- A summary of facts, data or information, written and on file for distribution as supportive information to an incident or interview. Can be historical, statistical or chronological. - **Media Advisory** -- Is used to invite or impart information that will include Who, What, When, Where, and Why. If the advisory is about an event, include directions. - **Bio's** -- Specific information about personnel. Short for Biography. - **Social Media** -- A category of Internet-based resources that integrate user-generated content allowing people to communicate, share information, photos, videos and exchange text and other multimedia files via some form of online or cellular network. This includes, but is not limited to, social networking sites (i.e. Facebook, Nextdoor, LinkedIn), micro blogging sites (i.e. Twitter, Nixle), photo-and-video sharing sites (i.e. Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram). - **Social Media Post** -- Social media engagement refers to the acts of talking to, messaging or otherwise interacting with other people on social networks. This broad term encompasses several different types of actions on social media, from commenting on Facebook post to participating in Twitter chats. I. **QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING** A. Any BCFD member in good standing with the Bernalillo County Fire Department is eligible to apply for the PIO positon when the position is vacant. 1. Members selected to the position of PIO, must obtain the following certifications within a 1-year period of holding the position of PIO. a. NMBA (New Mexico Broadcasters Association) 2-Day Media Relations and Public Information Workshop. b. NIMS (National Incident Management Systems) IS-702 Public Information Systems c. DHSEM (Department Homeland Security Emergency Management) G-290 Basic Public Information Officers Course. d. DHSEM (Department Homeland Security Emergency Management) G-291 Joint Information Systems & Joint Information Center Planning Tribal, State and Local PIOs e. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration) ICS-400 Advanced Incident Command Systems and any pre-requisites. 1. Member selected to the position of PIO, must obtain the following certifications within a 2-year period of holding the position of PIO if accepted into the class by the National Fire Academy. a. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration) E-88 Advanced Public Information Officer. 2. The selection for the position of PIO is a one (1) year commitment. II. **ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES** A. Fire Chief 1. The Fire Chief will select the Department Public Information Officers. 2. In the absence of a PIO or designated alternate, the Fire Chief shall be notified of incidents of concerns to the media and the community. b. In the event of the PIO's absence, the Fire Chief will utilize the alternate/on-call PIO to handle PIO duties or designate other department personnel to assume those responsibilities. B. Public Information Officer 1. Reports directly to the Fire Chief. 2. The PIOs have been designated by the Fire Chief to act as a liaison between the Fire Department and the public. 3. Provide relevant, accurate, department information in a timely manner to those who so request. The provisions in the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) may have to be applied prior to disseminating information. 4. The PIOs are responsible for: - Press Releases - News Briefs - Fact Sheets - Backgrounders - Media Advisories - Bio's - Social Media Posts 5. Handle follow-up inquiries from all outside agencies. 6. All information will be provided to the media by the PIO 7. Fire Department personnel will be providing updated information to the PIO for dissemination to the media. 8. The PIO will be contacted by field staff when they are contacted directly by a media outlet with a request for information or an interview. 9. Oversee all PR events to include: a. Scheduling with the requesting agency b. Coordinating with Regional Battalion Commanders c. Handing out PR material as necessary for the event. 10. Manage the BCFD social media accounts. 11. Oversee fire department newsletter and highlight important information that needs to be disseminated by the Fire Chief and Fire Department Divisions. 12. Responsible for maintaining and updating the Department's official public website. 13. Each month the PIO will highlight the following: a. Total Incidents b. Total Medical Responses c. Total Fire Responses d. Total Medical Transports e. Total Fire Inspections f. Total Fire Marshal Callouts g. Total Fire Investigations h. Total PR's conducted i. Total News Stories j. Featured Fire Personnel k. Any important information that pertains to the fire department and its operations III. **NOTIFICATION, ON-SCENE, CONTACT, AND COMMUNICATION RESPONSIBILITIES** A. Notification 1. PIO will be automatically dispatched to incident types as defined by the Fire Chief. 2. PIO will monitor all command pages and make a determination on going to the incident based on the information that is being sent out on command page. a. The PIO may monitor the 800 MHz radio to determine scale of incident. b. The PIO will respond to working structure fires or large outside fires based on perceived incident scale. 3. Incident Commander (IC) will call PIO via radio or phone to respond to the incident. a. The officer will request that PIO report to the scene of any high acuity event. IV. **MEDIA CONTACT** C. Emergency Incident 1. The IC or designee at the scene of an incident will handle initial media contacts until the arrival of a PIO. 2. The IC or designee may release factual information to the media, such as, but not limited to nature of the call, time and place. Details regarding investigative matters will be released by the PIO or assigned designee after consultation with investigators. D. Non-Emergent 3. Request for information will be referred to the PIO. V. **GENERAL GUIDLINES** A. Social Media Accounts shall adhere to Bernalillo County Administrative Instruction PIO03 Social Media Use.