I was recently asked a question on Twitter about what relevance I thought an article has for EMS Agencies:

The article that Greg Friese was inquiring about in the tweet above is called Speed, Social Media and Crisis Communication. The article cites a study of the 2007 pet food recall that examined social media messages and the types of messages that pet owners at that time indicated they wanted. I believe the article is very relevant for EMS Agencies as the country moves towards a new health care model that equals the focus on both acute treatment and condition prevention.

From a public safety agency standpoint, let’s take a recent event and use it as an example of what an agency could have done as compared to what it actually did in communication during a crisis.

DC Metro Red Line Crash June 22, 2009

Here is what could have happened if DC Fire & EMS were engaged in social media:

• The DC Fire & EMS SMPIO (Social Media Public Information Officer) is advised that there are multiple calls on a potential rail incident on the Red Line. There are many units responding but there is no situation report available yet
• On Twitter which is syndicated to their Facebook Page status: DCFIREEMS is receiving multiple calls for a rail collision on the Metro Red Line near Fort Totten. Expect potential delays. (123 characters)
• On their Blog: The DC Fire & EMS SMPIO would ready a blog post for the first situation report with the right categories and tags
• Once the first situation report comes in, the SMPIO would translate it into “plain english” and post it on the blog. The SMPIO would also Twitter the URL of the blog post and then summarize the first situation report into a message under 140 characters and establish a #hashtag for the event such as #METRODCRAIL on Twitter
• As future situation reports come in the SMPIO would continue to translate them into “plain english” and add them to the blog post already established as well as summarizing them on Twitter maintaining the #hashtag
• Due to the size and nature of this particular incident, the SMPIO should be deployed to the scene. He would bring with him his social media “jump bag”, consisting of a laptop/netbook with a wireless broadband air card, a FliP video camera, and a 6MP or greater digital camera. The SMPIO should continue to update the blog post, Twitter the updates, and is now able to post video and photos to the agency’s YouTube account and Flickr account

Here is what did happen:

• The unverified DCFireEMS Twitter account posted two vague updates
• The DCFireEMS YouTube account posted one video a day later
• The Fire Chief gave a statement with the mayor at a hastily thrown together press conference

So just how ready is DC Fire & EMS when it comes to social media?  It seems they are not very ready at all in the end. Their lack of preparedness lost them the opportunity to become an engaged and trusted authority with the public.

For a great example of a city agency embracing social media in preparation of a crisis, check out NYC’s Office of Emergency Management on Facebook and Twitter

Five Steps To Establish A Trusted Social Media Presence

Here are five easy ways that an EMS Agency can show themselves as a trusted source of information in today’s social media climate:

1. Develop an agency Social Media Policy that includes honest and transparent communication as base values and engagement with the public as a foundation to build upon
2. Appoint SMPIOs who then familiarize themselves with and adhere to the Agency Social Media Policy
3. Establish a blog within the agency website with RSS and e-mail syndication
4. Establish an agency Twitter account
5. Establish an agency Facebook Page

The most effective communication is the type of communication that comes from a trusted source. Ask yourself which channel do you turn to when there are rumblings or rumors of a crisis? Did you answer CNN? Perhaps MSNBC or Fox? That is probably because you have found them to be a trusted source of information when there was an earlier crisis so you naturally turn to them again under similar circumstances.

Now what is one of the biggest complaints from EMS Agencies? The way they are perceived by the public and portrayed in the media. Who’s fault is it really? With today’s technology EMS Agencies have the ability to craft the public’s perception themselves. EMS Agencies have the power to become authorities and trusted sources of information in their own right, therefore they have no one to blame but themselves for not engaging in social media.

In the end, EMS Agencies need to be a trusted source of correct up to date information daily for the public so that there is no question about the information disseminated in a crisis.

Related posts:

1. EMS Using Social Media In Action: LAFD
2. Why It Is Important To USE Your Social Media Presence Once Established
3. Social Media Policies For EMS Agencies
4. How EMS Agencies Could Be Using Twitter Effectively
5. How EMS Agencies Should Effectively Be Using Blogs

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