Editorial

From the Editor’s Desk

Dennis Whittam, Editor Are You Ready To Meet The Press?

As we enter the holiday season, I ask everyone to pause for a moment and say a prayer for our brothers and sisters who have died in the line of duty. Take the time to remember the members in your department, who have served and have passed, leaving a void in their department. Experience tells me that the fire service will never forget those members who have passed in 2022.

To our officers, who prepare to lead their companies and departments in 2023; are you ready to make a difference? Ask yourself what you can do differently in the upcoming new year to instill an awareness of safe enthusiasm. I am proud to see my company members coming down to the firehouse on their own to check the rigs, test equipment, and to make sure their gear is in order, so they can quickly and safely respond to calls.

In November, I had the honor to attend the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation fundraiser as a Public Information Officer. No matter how large or small and incident is, you should be following the guidelines of the Incident Command System to make sure that every aspect of your event is safely covered by a qualified and responsible person. My job was to prepare to greet the press that may or may not show up to our event. I prepared a package that gave the history of Black Sunday, and I explained the purpose of the organization and how it has helped firefighters stay safe over the past 10 years. My job was to greet the press and set up a liaison from our group who could take the press around the handson training evolutions and answer any questions that they may have had for us.

As the editor of Fire News, I often receive telephone calls, text messages and emails requesting coverage for a special event at a local fire department. I explain to the person asking for help that I will do whatever I can to help them, but I cannot guarantee that one of our photographers will be able to make the event. I let the departments know that the Fire News photographers are freelance reporters, who typically cover emergency situations in their area. During my conversation, I will often ask, “Do you have a Public Information Officer?” It is my hope that they do.

APIO is the perfect job for a senior member who has good communication skills and knowledge of their department’s events. Today, with the advent of cellphones, word processing skills and email operations, your PIO can get photos and a writeup to all the local press, Fire News included. Your local fire academy often has a class to teach your PIO what to say and what not to say. Yes, sometimes the PIO must explain to citizens why certain situations appear to have gone wrong at a call when in fact nothing went wrong at all. A good PIO is a buffer between the public and the chief. Achief really cannot say he didn’t know something went wrong. APIO can say, “Let me get back to you on this.”

PIOs should start out slowly. Prepare a few photos and copy, about the event and send the information to Fire News. Now that Fire News has grown to 12 editions, turn to page three to find the email address for your paper.

I look forward to your stories. Have a safe holiday season!

- Dennis