Issue 18

“Keep Chief in your prayers”—but why?

Practical PIO analyzes real social media posts to help you improve your communications. All identifying details are blurred or removed because our goal is growth, not criticism.

A fire department asks its community to keep the chief and his family in their thoughts and prayers during “this difficult time.” The intent is clearly compassionate—supporting a leader going through something hard. But the post never says what happened, and there’s no context in the comments. Readers are left wondering: Is the chief sick? Did someone in his family die? Is this department-related or personal? Should they be concerned about department leadership? Well-intentioned support posts can backfire when they’re too vague.

Full text

Here’s the full text so you can follow along (or in case the image doesn’t load):

✅ What works well

✅ Shows care for personnel. The department is publicly supporting their members during a difficult time, which demonstrates that the organization values its people beyond just their work roles.

✅ Invites community connection. Asking the community to keep someone in their thoughts and prayers can strengthen the relationship between the department and the people they serve.

🛠️ What could be improved

Big picture

🛠️ Vague sympathy posts create confusion, not support. Readers see this and immediately wonder: What happened? Is the chief sick? Did someone die? Is this department-related or personal? Should they worry about department operations? The post offers no context—not even in the comments. When departments post vague “thoughts and prayers” requests, they often create more anxiety than comfort. People want to support their fire department, but they need to know what they’re supporting.

🛠️ Decide if personal matters belong in department communications. If this is about a personal family issue unrelated to the department, consider whether the department’s official social media is the right place for it. The chief might appreciate privacy rather than public attention. If the situation is appropriate to share (serious illness, line-of-duty injury, death of a family member), provide enough context for people to understand how to help.

🛠️ If you’re going to post, give people a way to help. “Thoughts and prayers” posts without context or action steps leave people feeling helpless. If the situation warrants a public post, tell readers what would actually help: “Meals can be dropped at the station,” “Cards can be sent to [address],” “The family asks for privacy at this time,” or “Memorial service details will be shared when available.” Give concrete ways to support—or explain why privacy is what’s needed.

🛠️ Consider whether this has become a pattern that should be reconsidered. This department appears to have done this for multiple people over time, then stopped four years ago. That suggests someone recognized these posts weren’t landing well.

Practical PIO version

If the situation warrants a public post and the family wants support:

If the situation is too personal or the family wants privacy:

Don’t post. A private message to the chief, internal department support, or a meal train organized quietly among colleagues shows care without putting personal matters in the public sphere.

Teaching note: The key question is: Does this post serve the person it’s meant to support, or does it serve the department’s image of being caring? If someone is going through something difficult, the most supportive action might be not posting publicly. And if a public post is appropriate, give enough context that people can actually help—not just wonder what’s wrong.

How does your department handle supporting personnel through difficult times? Do you post publicly, keep it internal, or take it case by case? Hit reply and let me know—I read every email.

Tool update

The Practical PIO beta remains open for testing. If you signed up for access but haven’t tried it yet, plug in a past incident to see how it works!