The practice of public affairs as it pertains to public safety and emergency management will occur at the PAST Fusion Cell Academy. In collaboration and conjunction with the PAST Fusion Cell, the Academy will continue to produce highly effective and well-footnoted training curriculum for public information officers (PIO), public affairs officers (PAO), external affairs officers (EAO) and other public affairs professionals.
When most people think of public affairs, they think media relations. Even among PIOs, PAOs, and EAOs, training has traditionally been focused on media relations. While they are certainly part of the equation, media relations have been allowed to overshadow other crucial elements of public affairs.
Emergency management public affairs comprise all aspects of public safety (emergency medical services, fire service, law enforcement, public health) and include the following specific duties:
- Risk communication
- Internal communication
- Event planning
- Reputation management
- Media relations
- Digital and social media
- Crisis communication
- Community relations
- Public education
Much of the world has joined the ‘280-character culture’ dominated by social media. Public affairs staff need to be well versed in non-emergency, as well as emergency, public information responsibilities for these platforms.
Highly effective, hands-on and user-friendly training from the PAST Fusion Cell Academy will allow public affairs, public information practitioners to “amp” up their presentations to internal and external stakeholders for better communications, before, during and after an emergency.
