NIMS Activity 25: Establish a Public Information System

All schools and institutions of higher education (IHEs) establish a Public Information system within the ICS framework. Public Information includes the assignment of a Public Information Officer and the creation of a Joint Information System and a Joint Information Center.

COMMAND AND MANAGEMENT

Activity 25: Establish a Public Information System (PIS) within the ICS framework.

All schools and institutions of higher education (IHEs) establish a Public Information system within the ICS framework. Public Information includes the assignment of a Public Information Officer and the creation of a Joint Information System and a Joint Information Center.

Association to NIMS

The Public Information System establishes a system and protocol for gathering, verifying, coordinating, and disseminating timely and accurate information during a crisis or emergency situation on behalf of the incident commander.

This system uses a single Public Information Officer (PIO) to create a single message on behalf of the many agencies and organizations involved. Using pre-established policies and protocols, the PIO is the sole person responsible for communicating with the community and media and working to ensure every stakeholder has the necessary information for supporting an effective response. For schools and IHEs, a PIO may communicate to the media a brief description of the event; the school's or IHE's response; and the condition of the students, staff, and visitors. The PIO is pivotal for giving directives on family reunification for K-12 schools, making connections between families and students on campus at IHEs, as well as communicating with students about staff.

Two additional and critical components of the Public Information System are the Joint Information System (JIS) and the Joint Information Center (JIC). The JIS works to create a single message from multiple response agencies. This is another mechanism to ensure delivery of timely and accurate information. The JIC is a physical location where public information professionals from the various organizations involved in the incident response activities can co-locate to exchange critical emergency information, communicate crisis communications, and conduct public affairs functions.

Implementation Guidance

K-12 schools and IHEs should identify and train at least one Public Information Officer (PIO) who is responsible for media and public inquiries before, during, and after an incident. Prior to an incident occurring, the designated PIO should establish working relationships with a variety of local media outlets. The stronger a PIO's relationship is with the local media, the more the media can be of help during an emergency. A single point of contact for the media will help ensure the community receives the necessary information, and subsequently contribute to an effective incident response. The PIO has a distinct role within the ICS, and therefore, the Incident Commander should not also serve the role of the PIO.

Roles and Responsibilities of the District, School, or IHE Public Information Officer

During an event, the school or IHE Public Information Officer (PIO) handles:

• Media and public inquiries;
• Emergency public information and warnings;
• Rumor monitoring and response;
• Media monitoring;
• Coordinating with the JIS/JIC as appropriate;
• Disseminating accurate and timely information related to K-12 school family reunification;
• Disseminating accurate and timely information related to creating contact between students on campus and family members at home; and
• Other functions required for coordinating and clearing information with appropriate authorities.

The PIO will have roles and responsibilities throughout the four phases of school emergency management. The PIO can create information awareness campaigns for students, staff, and families promoting key prevention-mitigation and preparedness messages. The PIO should also create basic communication templates in advance addressing a wide variety of scenarios. Therefore, if an emergency were to occur, templates could be tailored quickly to provide the community with essential information. For example, a PIO can maintain an informational page on the school or IHE's campus website, providing preventative information such as how to prevent the spread of germs and critical response information such as how to get information and directives in the event of an emergency.

Depending on the nature of the incident, the joint information center might be located on or near a school campus. During incidents that occur beyond school grounds, the joint information center will likely be situated at a separate location predetermined by the local emergency plan. Schools and IHEs should plan for both scenarios.

Activities demonstrating schools and IHEs are establishing a Public Information System within the ICS framework include:

• Identifying a school/LEA/campus PIO to be the primary liaison for communicating with the public during an emergency; and
• Creating their own information centers to execute predetermined processes and procedures for communication during and after a crisis.