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PIO Training Opportunities

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  Online Independent Study Training for PIO’s through FEMA Go to https://training.fema.gov/is/crslist.aspx You can scroll to see the list of classes or search by title Most classes only take an hour or two to complete. IS-29.a Public Information Officer Awareness Training  The goal of this awareness course is to provide an orientation to the public information function and the role of the Public Information Officer (PIO) in the public safety/emergency management environment. IS-42.A Social Media in Emergency Management  The purpose of this course is to provide the participants with best practices including tools, techniques and a basic roadmap to build capabilities in the use of social media technologies in their own emergency management organizations. Classroom Training for PIO’s Public Information Basics (L105) Dates:  August 19 – 21, 2026 – Phoenix This course is designed to equip participants with the skills needed to be full or part-time PIOs, including ora...

What Every City Council Member Should Know About Community Risk Reduction

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What Every City Council Member Should Know About Community Risk Reduction Brent Faulkner, MAM, FO   Read Original Article May 26, 2026 Author Every year, in budget meetings across the country, elected officials make decisions about Community Risk Reduction funding without fully understanding what they are deciding. They are not making those decisions carelessly. They are making them with incomplete information — because the fire service has not always done a good job of explaining CRR in language that connects with how elected officials think, what they are accountable for, and what their constituents actually experience. This article is an attempt to close that gap. It is written for city council members, county supervisors, and elected officials who oversee fire department budgets. It is also written for fire chiefs and CRR professionals who want to help their elected officials understand what is actually at stake when prevention funding is on the table. You Are Not Just Funding ...