The Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC) at The Center for Rural Development is helping first responders understand how to work with the media in emergency or crisis situations.
Many rural first responder organizations do not have dedicated personnel to fill the role of a Public Information Officer (PIO), and so they must understand how to best work with the media, and the available media outlets for disseminating updates and information to the public.
Dealing with the Media: A Short Course for Rural First Responders is a self-paced, 6-hour, web-based course designed to provide first responders with the skills and knowledge they need to quickly adopt the role of a PIO. Through this course, rural first responders will gain an understanding of what the media is looking for at the scene of an emergency/disaster, as well as in ongoing public relations campaigns. The course will also provide information on how to successfully give interviews and write news releases.
The course is ideal for audiences from emergency management organizations, emergency medical service organizations, fire service organizations, government/administrative agencies, healthcare organizations, law enforcement agencies and public health organizations.
The course addresses the following core capabilities:
- Infrastructure Systems
- On-Scene Security Protection
- Operational Communications
- Operations Coordination
- Physical Protective Measures
- Public Information and Warning
- Situational Awareness
To participate in this training course, you must be a U.S. citizen. There is no tuition for qualifying individuals.
This course is one of many DHS-certified courses available through the RDPC at The Center. If you would like to learn more about the RDPC or schedule training, visit www.ruraltraining.org. The RDPC helpdesk is also available 24/7 at (877) 855-7372.
The Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium is a program at The Center for Rural Development and is funded through the Department of Homeland Security. RDPC provides training and resources to rural first responders. RDPC courses are offered both in-person and online, and are provided at no cost.
