standard operating procedure college station fire department

SUBJECT: Operating Guidelines SOP: 100.8.11
CATEGORY: News Media Relations PAGE: 2 of 3
B. Public Information Officer (PIO) cont.
2. The PIO shall work with the responding law enforcement agencies to
establish a media area inside the perimeter established for the general public.
This area should be selected to enable the media to get clear photographs
and video of the event while ensuring their relative safety and noninterference
with operations.
3. The PIO shall work closely with the incident commander in gathering
information about the incident and determining what shall be released,
pursuant to legal and policy guidelines.
4. The PIO shall establish and maintain a liaison with all on-scene media
representatives, assisting them with their newsgathering efforts while
ensuring noninterference with department operations and preserving the
integrity of investigations.
5. The PIO shall provide periodic briefings to the media and should, if conditions
allow, make the incident commander and/or department members involved in
newsworthy actions available to the media for interviews.
6. At the conclusion of the incident, the PIO shall prepare a news release
documenting the event and disseminate it to local news media organizations.
In cases involving sensitive matters or continuing investigations, the PIO shall
review the release with the incident commander or assigned investigator
before release. Copies of the release shall be routed to the fire chief and the
fire marshal.
C. Fire Officers and Firefighters
1. The senior officer at the incident, or his designee, shall be the department's
spokesperson in the absence of the PIO.
2. All personnel are cautioned not to give out any information relative to the
cause of an incident unless the investigating authority has authorized such
release.
3. All personnel are encouraged to cooperate with the news media as much as
possible. Members who speak to the media should limit the information they
provide to what they can confirm and of which they have first hand knowledge.
Even when members cannot accommodate a particular request from the
media, they should strive to be as polite and courteous as possible.
4. Members should avoid releasing information of a medical or investigatory
nature. Release of specific medical information regarding a named patient
may constitute an invasion of personal privacy and the release of information
regarding the cause of an incident mat compromise an investigation.
5. Members should not release the names of deceased or seriously injured
persons.
6. Unless designated as the official department spokesperson, members in
contact with media representatives must express and clarify that they are not
the official spokesperson for the department and that their observations and
comments are personal in nature.