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AWR-209 Working with the Media: A Course for Rural First Responders - Apr 2026 EMC/RDPC

Brief Description
Dealing with the Media: A Short Course for Rural First Responders
Full Description
The purpose of AWR-209 is to provide rural first responders with the skills needed to effectively communicate with the public through the media. This course helps to prepare rural first responders who may be tasked with assuming the role of Public Information Officer, with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to interact with the media before, during and after a crisis situation. Whether it be roadside at the scene of an incident, or on camera conveying instructions to the public in a crisis, this class will teach responders what to say, how to say it, both effectively and professionally.

AWR-209 also provides insight into how the media works, explaining the types of information they want and how responders can coordinate with them to efficiently relay information to the public via print/electronic interviews, news releases, social media postings and other mediums.

This course fosters a Whole Community approach to media relations and encourages participation among law enforcement, emergency management, EMS, fire service, governmental/administrative personnel, local appointed and elected officials, and public health personnel, as well as other community stakeholders who may be tasked with the role of PIO for their organization. The Whole Community approach reinforces the benefits of cross-discipline collaboration in advance planning for event security.

Course Objectives
Module 1 – Introduction and Course Overview
Identify the two situations in which rural responders primarily communicate with the media.
Review overall course learning objectives.
Conduct a pre-test.

Module 2 – Understanding the Media
Explain the importance of working with the media.
Discuss the elements that make a story newsworthy.
Describe the forms of media and the format of information used by each.
Describe the strengths and limitations of each type of media.
Review the best practices for improving media relations.

Module 3 – Communicating with the Media – Emergency Situations
Describe the National Incident Management System (NIMS) components that impact public information and the dissemination of information related to an emergency situation.
Explain the roles and responsibilities of a Public Information Officer (PIO) in emergency situations.
List the information the public wants to know in an emergency situation.
List what the media wants on-scene at an emergency situation.
Explain the components of Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) and associated tips.
Compare the similarities and differences between interviews, press conferences and media briefings.
Describe the methods to prepare for interviews, press conferences and/or media briefings.
Discuss the contributing factors, best practices and techniques for conducting successful speaking engagements and selecting a media staging area.
Discuss the recovery-related tasks that should be performed by a PIO.
Prepare and present a media briefing for a given scenario.

Module 4 – Communicating with the Media – Non-Emergency Situations
Explain the roles and responsibilities of a Public Information Officer (PIO) in non-emergency situations.
Describe the purpose of public awareness campaigns.
Explain the media’s role in public awareness campaigns.
Describe the common processes in a structured communications plan.
Review lessons learned from effective public awareness campaigns.

Module 5 – Writing and Disseminating Press Releases
Identify the key elements and formats of effective press releases.
Explain the inverted pyramid strategy and how the 5Ws + 1 can be used to support that strategy.
Discuss the best practices for generating and disseminating press releases.
Draft and present a press release for a given scenario.

Module 6 – Post-Test and Course Evaluation
Identify areas of improvement as well as competency regarding the course content and instruction by completing a course evaluation form.
Training Dates
04/01/2026 - 04/01/2026
Training Times
08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Hours
8h 0m
Fee
None Specified
Training Location
Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center
600 W 7th Avenue
Anchorage, AK  99501
Reporting Instructions
None Specified
Documents
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