Many fire managers are beginning to use the community information meeting as an avenue for making contact with the area’s residents as soon as they arrive on an incident. It is a good strategy if fire managers think of this initial meeting as an opportunity to focus on the concerns voiced by the audience members. This will build confidence among area residents that the team is sincerely interested in meeting their needs.
It may seem counterintuitive to some fire managers, that a community meeting is needed even before they get started working on the incident. PIOs must gauge the needs of the community and stay alert to anxiety levels. It is much better to be pre-emptive with a community meeting than too late. By then, anxiety has gone too long and evolved into frustration which is expressed in angry outbursts.
Anatomy of a public meeting during an emergency – Read what Frank Mosbacher, PIO1, wrote about a community information meeting held during an incident in 2007. His insights may help you to prepare.
Community Information Meeting Checklist – Review this checklist if you are preparing for a community information meeting. Remember the term “public meeting” has legal connotations – “public meetings” must be legally posted three days in advance and are used by local governing bodies. Sharing incident information with the area’s residents does not fit those criteria.
Sample Community Information Meeting PowerPoint – This sample presentation offers information officers a quick and easy to use template to develop their own incident specific visual presentation. Note the photos included that show how some areas where the fire passed through were affected.
Coordinating a News Conference – If a community meeting is not practical, a news conference may be a tool that is more usable in the circumstances. Review these tips developed by the California Interagency Incident Management Team 2 for coordinating this type of event.
