Public Information Officer (PIO) Basics Course

This training equips participants with the skills needed to be full or part-time PIOs, including oral and written communications; understanding and working with the media; and basic tools and techniques to perform effectively as a PIO, both in the proactive/ advocacy times and crisis/ emergency response. Most importantly the training provides valuable skills that can be applied to both daily and emergency operations.

We understand this is a large time commitment, but our ability to relay effective and timely information is critical during both small and large incidents.

CLASSROOM L0105 PUBLIC INFORMATION BASICS COURSE

Hosted by: Fairfield County Emergency Management Agency October 30 – November 1, 2023

Course Description:

To equip participants with the skills needed to be full or part-time PIOs, including oral and written communications; understanding and working with the media; and basic tools and techniques to perform effectively as a PIO, both in the proactive/ advocacy times and crisis/ emergency response (the learner must achieve a minimum passing score of 75% on final knowledge assessments). L-105 is a “Required” Pre-requisite for the E/L 388 Advanced PIO Course.

Application Deadline:

Ten working days prior to the course. Seating availability is limited so register early.

Course Registration time:               7:30 AM – 8:00 AM (on day one)

Course Time:                                     8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (each day) One-hour Lunch

Training Location:                            Fairfield County EM & HS Agency 240 Baldwin Drive

Lancaster, OH 43130

Recommended Participants: The primary audience for this training is individuals who have public information responsibilities as their main job or as an auxiliary function at the federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial level of government, and in the private and nongovernmental sectors.

Required Prerequisites: IS-29: Public Information Officer Awareness (access the link below). https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-29.a&lang=en

Enrollment: Students must enroll via the Department of Public Safety Training Campus website: https://learning.dps.ohio.gov/PSTC/. Course registration will usually close 10 working days prior to the course start date and applicants can check enrollment/approval status via the Department of Public Safety Training Campus website.

Course Costs: There is no charge for participants to attend this course. However, Lodging, Meals, Per Diem and all other travel expenses are the responsibility of the student or the parent organization.

State Point of Contact: Lisa Jones, DSC 2, Ohio EMA, SAA Training Point of Contact, (614) 799-3824 ljones@dps.ohio.gov.

It is the goal of Ohio EMA to ensure that all students have the tools necessary for successful course completion. If students require additional accommodations, they should make the Ohio EMA training office aware, and staff will confidentially meet reasonable requests.

Mission Statement

To coordinate activities to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.