In the beginning, there is a briefing…
The lifespan of an assignment has a fairly predictable schedule in terms of the products PIOs are expected to produce.
At the beginning of the assignment PIOs are expected to:
- Get a briefing from someone. If you’re team is the first to arrive on an incident you’ll be receiving an Agency Administrator’s In-briefing. At this meeting, no matter how formal or informal it is, what needs to be determined is what the local unit wants from the incident management team’s information function. The home unit’s needs, as they relate to information about the incident, are what should be identified.
At the Agency Administrator In-briefing – is a document that lists several items to ask about in order to determine how to proceed for the duration of the incident and what information will need to be relayed either to the hosting unit at a close-out meeting or to the information officers who will be assuming the role if the incident extends past the current team’s assignment. The information gathered here will assist in developing a sound incident information strategy.
