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Practical PIO

John Collins

Are you a firefighter, medic, police officer, or emergency manager who got “voluntold” into the PIO role? Get weekly breakdowns of real emergency services social media posts: what’s working, what could be better, and practical tips you can use immediately. Written by a fellow first responder.

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Screenshot of a series of social media posts with text asking for prayer for department members. Full text of a social media post follows in the newsletter.
Featured Post

“Keep Chief in your prayers”—but why?

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...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Screenshot of a social media post with text and photos of the incident scene. Full text of the social media post follows in the newsletter.

Issue 20 Great instinct, unclear message 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. The department that wrote this post deserves credit. They took time after a demanding incident to explain what their crews actually did—and that’s rarer than it should be. The instinct to educate the public is exactly right. But good intentions and good communication aren’t the...

24 days ago • 5 min read
Screenshot of a social media post with that simply says Assist [County] with Structure Fire

Issue 19 One sentence. Five words. Zero context. 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. Every fire department that’s ever posted on social media has done this at least once: the dispatch shorthand makes it to Facebook without any translation for neighbors. This week’s post is a good reminder of why that matters—and how easy it is to fix. Full text Here’s...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Screenshot of a social media post with text and photos of the incident scene including a posed photo of a group of firefighters in front of a fire engine on scene. Full text of the social media post follows in the newsletter.

Issue 17 Firefighters rescue unconscious person—then pose for a photo at the scene. 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. Firefighters rescued an unconscious person from a house fire—a life-threatening situation handled quickly and professionally. The release is short, clear, and resolves the patient outcome appropriately. But one of the photos in this...

about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Screenshot of a social media post with text and photos of the incident scene. Full text of the social media post follows in the newsletter.

Issue 16 15 volunteers rescued a horse. What about the injured person? 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 vehicle hit a horse and carriage, sending both into a creek bed. Fifteen volunteers responded, freed the horse from its harness, and removed the carriage from the water while EMS cared for the injured person. The volunteer effort is impressive...

about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Image of social media post showing flooded waterway with inflatable boat, hoses, and smoking, burned-out house Full text of the social media post follows in the newsletter.

Tool update The Practical PIO beta remains open for testing. If you signed up for beta access but haven’t tried it yet, I’d love your feedback—even if it’s just plugging in a past incident to see how it works. Just go tobeta.practicalpio.com. Not on the waitlist yet? There's still room. Issue 15 Floodwaters blocked access to the fire. Firefighters brought a boat. Practical PIO analyzes real social media posts to help you improve your communications. All identifying details are blurred or...

about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Screenshot of a social media post with text and photos of the incident scene. Full text of the social media post follows in the newsletter.

Issue 14 “The guy’s lucky”—great quote but a weird choice for an official release. 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. Steel beams weighing 42,000 pounds shifted forward in a crash and pierced the truck cab. The driver crawled out a window unharmed. That’s an incredible story—but the release gets sidetracked by what seems to be an emergency management...

2 months ago • 5 min read
Screenshot of the text of a social media post that contains a screenshot of a news release. Full text of the social media post follows in the newsletter.

Issue 13 Deputies find and rescue driver from freezing river—but the release reads like a report 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. Deputies can’t account for a missing driver after a snowy nighttime wreck, but find him and rappel down a steep embankment to rescue the half-submerged driver in an icy river. The driver survived because of the...

2 months ago • 5 min read
Screenshot of a social media post with text and photos of the smoky incident scene with firefighters on ladders under a blue sky. Full text of the social media post follows in the newsletter.

Issue 12 “Following the smoke” sounds good. But what happened next? 📬 Newsletter hitting your inbox okay? If you missed recent issues, catch up at newsletter.practicalpio.com. To make sure future emails don't vanish: mark this as "not spam" and add John@PracticalPIO.com to your contacts. Beta testing the tool? I'd love 15 minutes of your time to hear what's working (and what's not). Book a quick research chat here. Your input directly shapes what gets built next. Not in the beta yet? No...

3 months ago • 4 min read
Screenshot of a social media post with text and photo of the incident scene with a dark column of smoke towering over a brick house with a ladder truck in the foreground. Full text of the social media post follows in the newsletter.

Issue 11 “Heavy fire” and “defensive attack”—what does that mean to your neighbors? 📬 Getting these emails? I recently fixed some technical email issues, so if you missed the last couple newsletters, you can catch up at newsletter.practicalpio.com. And if you're in the beta group—check your inbox for a fresh invite to the tool. (Not in the beta? No worries! Newsletter tips work just fine on their own.) Pro tip: Mark this as “not spam” and add John@PracticalPIO.com to your contacts. Practical...

3 months ago • 3 min read