OK, with #EMGTwitter chatting about PIOs and @SamLMontano discussing the communications issues with the East Palestine response, here's a long thread on the topic.

There has always been much confusion over what a Public Information Officer is. 1/ Yes, it is a position within ICS that is part of the Command Staff and has standards and experience requirements--but often people don't think of PIO work as being the equivalent of Safety or other General Staff positions like Operations, Plans, or Logistics. 2/

As we go through this social media transition, one thing to remember is that many of the government agencies, including the feds, do not have the freedom of movement that individuals have.

A thread. 1/ It took years for some agencies to get permission to establish a Twitter account. On fire assignments from roughly 2009-2015, we often posted in places where regular agencies were not allowed. This created tension between IMTs & agencies as it raised public expectations. 2/

I have no direct experience with EU/UK fires, but watching from afar, I suspect much of Europe is where we Americans were a few years ago. 1/ We realized things had changed, that fires were larger and more intense more often, but our old systems were still in place and mostly working. Until one year they were not. 2/

A few words on investigations: whenever you have a serious accident or fatalities, there will be an investigation and sometimes multiple ones—and they may not all agree on the issues. 1/ #DATM That was the case here as the AZ Dept of Forestry and AZ OSHA issued completely different reports. The former reflected the current thinking in the wildland fire community, which was to get away from looking for cause and blame. 2/ #DATM

Some have said this was wildland fire’s 9/11. I don’t know. I do know our community was in shock and the huge assistance from @FDNY was a steadying force as we built towards the memorial service. #DATM 1/ Also, @LACoFDPIO sent all members of their Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) program to help the IMT working the fire and all the personnel planning for the memorial service. #DATM 2/

Most families knew within 30-45 minutes from social media/news sources. This highlights how our early 20th century death notification process is no longer valid. Ideally, you’d want law enforcement, an agency rep, & a chaplain to be the first to inform the family. #DATM 1/ That takes time & can't beat social media. Also, any agency would have difficulty notifying 19 families simultaneously. We now ask firefighters to tell families that if something happens, they may find out from other sources but we will get there as soon as possible. #DATM 2/

The fallen had been taken to Phoenix because the Prescott morgue could not handle 19. There, they were under the watch of the Honor Guard 24 hours a day. #DATM 1/ On the day they were to be transported back to Prescott I was assigned to do a live interview on a street corner after the hearses had passed. #DATM 2/

Now we go to Yarnell Hill. #DATM I’m not going to comment too much on this part of the movie. I will say the dialogue is partly fiction but the last bits during the entrapment are taken from the actual radio traffic. #DATM

The first scene is legit. Experienced fire folks put a lot of thought into efficient packing. After all, you’ll be carrying it and there is an incentive for firefighters to save energy whenever possible. Still, just about everyone allows one creature comfort item. #DATM You see tools of the trade like the Incident Response Pocket Guide—the IRPG—which standardizes responses to things like injuries, air operations, and increasing fire behavior. Everyone carries one. #DATM
nwcg.gov/sites/default/…

Thanks for inviting me to #DATM. Since it is 11/11, I’d like to start out by thanking all the vets who continue to serve in wildland fire. Their skills and experience have enhanced the whole wildland fire community. Here’s some info on Vet crews: blm.gov/careers/vetera… I’m a retired wildland fire guy who worked for the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. I spent years on incident management teams and responded to over 85 major incidents. #DATM

One criticism we often hear on large fires is that we prolong the duration and risks by building indirect "big boxes" instead of "getting after it" and putting the fire out where it is. So, here's a thread on boxes with a little climate thrown in. 1/ Large wildland fires aren't like cooking fires or house fires. For those, you can hit all three sides of the fire triangle (heat, oxygen, fuel) and stop the fire. That's the experience most people have with fire. 2/

Thread on wildland fire evacuations:

First thing: If you live in an area that has even a remote chance of burning, you need to be ready to leave quickly. Too many recent fires have caught folks in the "I could never imagine" mode. Well, imagine. It's a new world now. 1/ In most states, there are 3 evac levels: Ready, Set, Go. When the sun comes up in the West for the year, you should always be at a stage of Ready. Make a list of your 5Ps: People, Pets, Pills, Photos, important Papers. Don't forget the PC/laptop/backup.

Prepare a 72-Hour Kit. 2/

During my career, I've met with countless electeds from both parties on wildland fires. Mayors, commissioners, county judges, state reps, governors, members of Congress, & US Senators. We brief them on the situation & ask that they back us up with messages to constituents. 1/ They often help coordinate resources outside the wildland fire community. Things like evac shelters, livestock and pet rescue, working with food providers and volunteer orgs, ensuring the fed, state, and local agencies are working together, and a host of other things. 2/

Let's work our way through this interview, shall we? It's something. 1/
nytimes.com/2020/10/10/bus… At AT&T I’d tell people to calm down. “It’s only telecommunications,” I’d say. “We’re not saving lives here."

I used to have AT&T until I went on too many wildland fires where their network didn't work. Verizon would bring in portable towers, AT&T wouldn't. 2/

I'm upset about the Michigan plot. I'm also upset that for years, threats of citizen's arrest & trials have been aimed at fed employees who work for the BLM & Forest Service. There are so many Sov Cit letters that the agencies (including me at times) just shrug & normalize. 1/ Many employees in land management agencies operate by themselves or in small groups in remote places. The threat to them with a @JoeBiden win in November will greatly increase. We must have plans in place to ensure the safety of field workers & the security of offices. 2/

At some point today or tomorrow, I fear we will pass the boundary beyond which there are no additional resources--no crews, no aircraft, no IMTs--to assign. If that happens, areas like NorCal and the NW will have to manage current and new fires with resources on hand. 1/ This means difficult decisions about values at risk & a narrowing of priorities to possibly just whole communities & major infrastructure. ICs and leadership will have the discretion to sacrifice valuable ground for a more favorable position to use the resources they have. 2/

Thread:

In every fire I've worked where multiple homes were burned across a large area, there have been at least some accusations that firefighters favor the richer neighborhoods over the poorer ones. 1/ It's almost a given, right up there along with the rumors that the initial response was not quick enough or deliberately delayed or executed poorly--but we have time-stamped dispatcher logs to counteract those complaints. 2/

Thread: I spent a good portion of Sunday going through my mid-January to mid-March timeline, and boy was it a beating. Lots of smart people screaming into the void. 1/ My first tweet mentioning COVID was on January 22 about the issues of firefighting during a pandemic. 2/

https://twitter.com/JimWhittington/status/1220055088338628608

Thread: After talking to a few folks who have already been on assignments this year, some things stand out about wildfire and COVID-19. 1/16 The wildland fire community has spent the last 50 years building & refining systems & processes to be as efficient as possible. Everything from how resources are allocated nationally to finance to containment tactics to where the night shift sleeps during the day. Everything. 2/

Long thread on long incidents:

There are few public health workers, medical personnel, emergency managers, & responders who have solid experience working a long-term incident. That is, an incident of more than a few days. 1/ There are extended recovery efforts, but aside from wildfires & maybe Midwest floods, we don’t have a lot of incidents that require a constant & immediate response over weeks or months. 2/

Thread: The thing about a crisis is that people quickly realize the normal no longer holds. All of sudden, complexities become evident and folks have a heightened awareness of what's at stake. 1/ My experience is only in wildland fire (plus a few all-risk incidents & one fed lands occupation), not in infectious disease outbreaks, but I think some of the principles convey. @EIDGeek 2/