Depending on agency affiliation, there is required training for Publication Information Officers. In addition to the requirements, also consider the free on-line training opportunities offered by www.fema.gov
Two courses recommended for PIOs are:
IS-702 National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) Public Information Systems
This course describes how agencies work together in Joint Information Systems and if needed Joint Information Centers to effectively manage public information at an incident regardless of the size and complexity.
And
IS-700 National Incident Management System; an Introduction
NIMS provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents.
And it wouldn’t hurt to click around on the FEMA site just to see if there are other courses that are valuable.
Do not rely on your agency’s minimum training requirements to develop a personal training program. Be proactive about informing and training yourself. Professional development only begins with the minimum agency standards for qualification.
Professional affiliations
Sometimes joining an organization is cost or time prohibitive. But there are many professional organizations that offer updating resources free to those who visit. Being aware of and taking advantage of these opportunities can have profound professional impacts.
Some of the on-line sources that PIOs may want to look at include http://www.fcn.gov which is the web home for Federal Communicators Network, and http://www.centerforriskcommunication.com which is the web home for the Center for Risk Communication.
Also the U.S. Department of Agriculture research stations have web sites. The Northern Research Station, www.nrs.fs.fed.us, published “The Public and Wildland Fire Management: Social Science Findings for Managers.” This is an excellent publication and is available both at the research station web site and it is posted in the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned library.
