BOOK: Administration SECTION: Public Information Officer Pg. 2 of 6
PUBLIC INFORMATION OPERATING PROCEDURES
CAPTAIN/CHIEF CERTIFIED STUDY MATERIAL ONLY
OPS/001 INTRODUCTION 1
OPS/002 RESPONSE TO INCIDENTS 1
OPS/004 MEDIA RELATIONS 4
OPS/005 RELEASE OF VICTIM NAMES 4
OPS/005.1 JOINT POLICE DEPARTMENT/FIRE DEPARTMENT HOMICIDE OR DEATH SCENE INVESTIGATIONS 4
OPS/006 NEWS RELEASES 6
OPS/007 PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER ABSENCE 6
OPS/008 PUBLIC INFORMATION WORKSHEET 7
OPS/001 INTRODUCTION
It is the policy of the Oklahoma City Fire Department to maintain a positive working relationship with the news media.
This directive establishes a standard operating procedure to provide the news media with information requested from the Fire Department. The standard operating procedure will define: incidents the Public Information Officer (PIO) responds to, incident operations, how fire personnel should handle requests from the media, the policy on releasing victim names, news releases, and the policy on the absence of the PIO. This policy also contains a Public Information Worksheet that is utilized during incident operations.
OPS/002 RESPONSE TO INCIDENTS
During regular business hours, when possible, the Public Information Officer (PIO) responds to large working structure fires, large hazardous materials incidents, significant fire injuries to civilians, significant firefighter injuries, and any other incidents deemed necessary by the Fire Chief.
After regular business hours, when possible, the PIO responds to all, three-alarm or greater commercial fires, large hazardous materials incidents, significant fire injuries to civilians, significant firefighter injuries, and any other incidents deemed necessary by the Fire Chief.
During non-business hours, Fire Dispatch will notify the PIO of the above listed incidents. (See Chart Below) If an Incident Commander needs the PIO during non-business hours for any type of incident, they will notify Dispatch and the PIO will respond.
For incidents where the PIO does not respond, the District Officer will be responsible for public information during and after the incident.
OPS/003 INCIDENT OPERATIONS
Incident Command is responsible for the management of public information prior to the arrival of the Public Information Officer (PIO). As soon as possible, the Incident Commander establishes a Public Information Sector that they can lead, or Command may assign an officer to lead the Public Information Sector.
The Public Information Sector will operate in the following manner:
1. Obtain a Public Information Worksheet from a Command Vehicle and begin gathering data indicated on the worksheet.
2. Watch for the arrival of news media members. When reporters arrive, show them safe areas where they can shoot video.
3. Let the reporters know that you will return shortly with information.
4. After gathering all data, verify information and what you can and cannot release with the Incident Commander.
5. Assemble all reporters to one location and disseminate the information concerning the incident. Obtain a phone number from each media outlet so you can give them follow-up information.
6. After an incident, the Incident Commander will re-assemble all reporters to disseminate follow-up information such as the cause of a fire and a damage estimate. If the reporters have already left the scene, the Incident Commander will use the previously gathered phone numbers to call each media outlet with the follow-up information.
7. If the Incident Commander is unable to complete the incident report before shift change, please email the PIO with pertinent information, such as, condition on arrival, tactical information, the cause of the fire, and a damage estimate.
If an incident does not require the response of the PIO, or the PIO is not requested, the Public Information Sector will operate as indicated above, with the Incident Commander or their designee in charge.
If responding, upon arrival, the PIO will report to the Incident Commander and, if requested, establish a Public Information Sector, or if already established, relieve the officer in charge.
Several guidelines will assist with the successful operation of the Public Information Sector.
1. Do not be afraid to talk to reporters. They will report the facts as you give them. Tell them everything you can about the incident, but be sure what you tell them is correct.
2. When possible, include any information to the story that will make it more interesting to the public. Examples are; an extremely hazardous situation, a rescue, a smoke detector save, a fire company or firefighter that did an outstanding job.
3. If you are asked about things that you do not know, tell the reporter you do not have that information. Obtain a phone number from that reporter and call them later when you gather the information.
4. When disseminating information to the media, it is useful to assemble all media members to one location. This will eliminate the Sector Officer from having to provide numerous “sound bites” to the media.
5. While conducting an on-camera interview, look at the reporter who is asking the questions. Do not look around at each reporter and do not look directly into the camera.
6. The media will be interested in follow-up information that they can use to bring a story to a close. This includes the cause of a fire and the damage estimate.
Each Division Officer is responsible for the safety of media personnel in the area. If media personnel create a safety problem, or hinder operations, they should be requested in a positive manner to move to a safer location. Avoid confrontation. The policy of the Oklahoma City Fire Department is to cooperate with the media.
OPS/004 MEDIA RELATIONS
REQUESTS FROM THE MEDIA
When Oklahoma City Fire Department members receive requests for information or interviews concerning any Department activity, they should contact the Public Information Officer (PIO) with these requests. The member should not provide information until cleared with the PIO. However, this standard does not apply to Public Information Sector Officers during incidents as outlined in OPS/003 Incident Operations.
In some situations, after approval from the PIO and/or the Fire Chief, personnel will grant interviews to the media. This is especially true concerning special programs that the Oklahoma City Fire Department is sponsoring. Often, the personnel who are intricately involved in these projects are more suited to provide interviews for the media. Utilizing personnel working on these projects for interviews will greatly enhance the public image of the Oklahoma City Fire Department.
FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL CONTACTING THE MEDIA
Members of the Oklahoma City Fire Department should not contact the media directly concerning any department activities without first clearing the information with the Public Information Officer and/or the Fire Chief. However, this standard does not apply to Public Information Sector Officers during incidents as outlined in OPS/003 Incident Operations.
As citizens, fire personnel are certainly free to exercise their right to speak to and contact the media about issues that concern them; however, fire personnel cannot represent themselves as an official spokesperson for the Oklahoma City Fire Department or the City of Oklahoma City.
For example, if a member of the Oklahoma City Fire Department wanted to write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, that person could sign their name as a firefighter. However, they should not sign with their rank, station assignment, the Oklahoma City Fire Department, or any other notation that would give the impression that they are speaking for the Oklahoma City Fire Department of the City of Oklahoma City.
OPS/005 RELEASE OF VICTIM NAMES
The Oklahoma City Fire Department will not release the names of injured and deceased fire and accident victims. The Police Department is responsible for notification of next of kin. The Medical Examiner's Office will do a positive I.D.; therefore OCFD will not release the names of victims.
The Medical Examiner's Office or the Police Department will release names of victims.
OPS/005.1 JOINT POLICE DEPARTMENT/FIRE DEPARTMENT HOMICIDE OR DEATH SCENE INVESTIGATIONS
PURPOSE
The purpose of this procedure is to ensure an organized and professional approach to the protection and management of FIRE SCENES THAT HAVE RESULTED IN OR LED TO THE DISCOVERY OF A DEATH.
PROCEDURE
Homicide Unit Investigators will investigate deaths when a body is discovered at the scene of a fire, whether the fire is intentionally set or not. Additionally, they will investigate where the cause of the fire is either unknown, uncertain, deliberately set, or set to cover up, or to commit a homicide. In these instances, the Oklahoma City Fire Department Incident Commander will respond to the scene. The Incident Commander (or designee) will contact dispatch to request Fire Investigators and the on-call Homicide Lieutenant supplying the pertinent information surrounding the fire and discovery of the body. In all cases when OCPD and/or OCFD personnel are on a fire death scene, the scene will be secured and protected as prescribed, and all witnesses will be separated and secured with the assistance of police operations personnel. Public safety, crime scene investigation, and evidence preservation, are of paramount importance during the initial arrival of first responders. Anytime there exists a possibility of evidence loss during the initial stages of response, then the first investigators to arrive at the scene, whether it Police or Fire personnel, will take the necessary steps to preserve that evidence. Once anyone from the OCPD Homicide Unit arrives at the scene, the Homicide Unit Investigator(s) and or Lieutenant(s) will take charge of the crime scene investigation. Fire Investigators and the Police Department Homicide Unit will investigate the death conjointly.
After a fire has been extinguished, the Fire or Police personnel that first discovers the presence of a person's deceased body will:
§ Check for conclusive signs of death, and then call for EMSA if necessary.
§ Secure the scene and maintain scene security until relieved by personnel from either Fire Investigators or the OCPD Homicide Detail.
OPS/005.1 JOINT POLICE DEPARTMENT/FIRE DEPARTMENT HOMICIDE OR DEATH SCENE INVESTIGATIONS - continued
The Incident Commander will be required to notify the following agencies and personnel:
1. EMSA (if needed).
2. Police dispatcher, to request Homicide Units.
3. Fire dispatcher, to request Fire Investigators.
Such personnel will also gather or maintain a complete list of persons who entered the scene prior to and after discovery of the death.
Upon arrival of the Homicide/ Fire Investigators, they will be briefed concerning the fire circumstances (if known), information pertaining to possible witnesses, fire survivors, and the discovery of human remains. Additionally, a crime scene walk through may be needed for a complete understanding of the event.
Preliminary crime-scene walk through:
An assigned Homicide Investigator along with an assigned Fire Investigator will be allowed to walk through the crime scene for preliminary investigation ONLY.
In most instances, there will be no need to have more than one Homicide Investigator and one Fire Investigator assigned to the walk through unless otherwise determined by a Homicide supervisor to be in the best interest of the case. A Homicide Investigator may request a member of the assigned C.S.I Unit to participate in the preliminary walk through.
If there is detailed information learned during the walk-through that is paramount for other Homicide or Fire investigators to view, photographs will be taken at the time of the walk-through by CSI and brought outside to the outer perimeter where the evidentiary photos can be reviewed by other investigators assigned to the case.
At the end of the initial scene investigation, those photographs will be downloaded and stored with the case file photographs.
For the purpose of this procedure, a preliminary investigation will mean a walk through of the crime scene only. No item will be moved, touched or processed.
In order to maintain proper crime scene control and investigation, the Homicide supervisor will be in charge of death scenes once the Homicide Unit becomes involved in the investigation.
A. He / She is to be briefed by Homicide personnel and/or Fire Department personnel on the scene.
B. He / She will be responsible for the assignment of an investigating team consisting of the necessary Fire Investigators, Homicide Investigators, and Technical Investigators to process the scene.
C. He / She will also be responsible for notifying the Medical Examiner's Office concerning the investigation.
D. Homicide Investigator(s) or supervisor(s) shall have the authority to restrict access to the scene to only those necessary to the criminal investigation.
E. Homicide investigators will be responsible for interviewing all witnesses, suspects, and other involved parties.
F. Anytime the Oklahoma City Police Department Homicide Unit is conducting an investigation into a fire death, all media releases pertaining to the case will be made through the Oklahoma City Police Department Public Information Office or their designee.
Determination of the actual cause of the fire will remain the responsibility of the Fire Investigators. While investigating the immediate area where the victim(s) body is located within the burned structure or area, the assigned Homicide Lieutenant is responsible for contacting the State Medical Examiner's Office and coordinating with them.
Physical evidence that surrounds the origin of the fire that is generally collected by Fire Investigators will continue to be collected by them. If requested, C.S.I. personnel are available to assist in the collection of fire related evidence. Physical evidence in the immediate area where the victim's body is located within the burned structure or area that may or may not be related to the death, will be the responsibility of Oklahoma City Police Department CSI personnel as directed by the assigned Homicide Investigator(s).
In the days to follow, if it is determined the Fire Death is in no way a Homicide, or related to a criminal act, the assigned Homicide investigators will make their reports available to the Fire Department's Investigations Unit for closure of the investigation by the Fire Department.
OPS/006 NEWS RELEASES
The Public Information Officer (PIO) will write news releases concerning Department activities. News releases must be approved by the Fire Chief before dissemination to the media. Upon approval, the news release is faxed to the local newspaper, radio, and television media outlets. If any Department member has a subject they believe would be newsworthy, contact the PIO at 297-3314.