The Public Information Officer (PIO) is a critical link between the organization for which they work and the communities they serve. It is important for the PIO to have tools and resources available for immediate utilization during an incident.

During a crisis, the PIO will be bound to their phone, tablet, or laptop and may need to relocate from an Emergency Operations Center, to a Joint Information Center, or even out into the field. This resource provides a list of items for a PIO operational readiness, developed by SummitET® Strategic Communications experts.

It is also important to note that prior to an incident or planned event, agreements with businesses or agencies should be established to assist with operations to ensure there are no limitations on information sharing and aggregation products. Examples include;

• Contracts with translation services

• Printing companies (in order to publish brochures, fact sheets, or other emergency documents)

• Social media services (such as agreements with Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

Resources