News video of paramedics in Texas that responded to a school shooting.

A few thoughts:

1. After a high profile incident does your service issue a statement to local media about the EMS response?

2. Do you contact local media and invite them to interview responders?

3. Use social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to engage with local media.

4. Train with local law enforcement and school officials on shootings at schools.

5. Pre-plan a television interview location, props, and staff attire. I like the set-up in the video. High visibility of the service with a clean ambulance and well dressed and sharp looking paramedics.

6. Make sure to link to videos from your department Facebook page and embed in the agency blog.

Anything else come to mind for you after watching?

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I have been reading some great content about social media and emergency responder organizations.

Social Media Discipline During Firefighter Injury or Line of Duty Death
Many of us share the highs and lows of life through Facebook. Last week after making phone calls and private emails to my closest friends and family I shared on Facebook the passing of my beloved yellow lab. It seemed natural for me to share this down moment with the broader community that knew me and also knew that being a dog owner is a part of my self-identity.

Because Facebook has become so ingrained in our daily lives it is a natural place for us to share tragedy, ask for prayers, and solicit for additional information. The Fire Critic has written an excellent post about Social Media Discipline. Ask your crews or companies to read this post and then discuss how you will honor one another and the chain of command by using social media discipline should a colleague become seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.

Also every organization should have a LODD standard operating guidelines, policy or checklist. And just like any other significant incident that might befall your organization practice the LODD SOG. In the tabletop exercise make sure to include:

• Use of checklists
• Notification of next of kin
• Notification of on-duty crews
• Moving up resources
• Preparation of a statement for the local media
• Implementation of any occupational health procedures like drug testing
• Activation of counseling services
• Posting updates to the organization blog and Facebook page
• Directions to all staff on social network sharing

This is just a partial list for the first few hours. What else would you add to a line of duty death tabletop exercise?

Also check out this interview with Tonya Silloway about the LODD Handbook for EMS on the Medical Author Chat podcast.

2012 Social Media Predictions for Emergency Responder Agencies

Dave Konig, co-founder of PIOSocialMediaTraining.com, looks into his crystal ball and makes some very astute predictions for Social Media for Emergency Responder Agencies in 2012. If your agency is still on the fence about social media I agree with Dave that it is not a passing fad that you will be able to simply wait out. It is hear to stay.

I have noticed the changing tone within EMS about social media based on the speaking requests I am getting for 2012. In the past requests were typically “how can our agency stop social media usage?” or “how do I control the message?” Now conference organizers are telling me, our constituents have to get involved in social media. They ask, “How can they do it effectively and communicate value to their community.”

Is your agency changing its tone about social media usage? 

Read related posts and tips:

1. Link: Social Media Responder of the Year (#SMR2009) PIOSocialMediaTraining.com has just announced a contest to highlight emergency response...
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At the PIO Social Media Training blog I wrote about how to resolve or end a Facebook Rant or Complaint with a terminal comment with the goal of resolving the complaint and ending comments with out deleting the comment or blocking the user.

Fortunately at the Everyday EMS Tips blog I rarely have complaints or negative comments, but I know that EMS agencies Facebook pages can receive comments from disappointed visitors.

How do you resolve complaints on your social media accounts? 

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A new episode of the PIOSocialMediaTraining.com podcast is posted. I interview Attorney Doug Wolfberg of Page, Wolfberg, and Wirth about some of the legal and ethical pitfalls of social networking. We also preview an upcoming PWW education webinar.

Listen to the PIOSocialMediaTraining.com Podcast.

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This is a guest post by David Konig. This post originally posted at PIOSocialMediaTraining.com. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

One of the questions I seem to get quite a bit is how hard is it to write a blog post?

The short answer is that it is not hard at all.

The long answer is that, like a lot of things we do in public safety or public health, it is a process that you can become more proficient at the more you do it. Over the years I’ve refined my process with both major and minor changes that have optimized my work flow.
Here is the checklist style process that I am currently using for your reference with critical actions bolded:

Post Size-Up

• Determine the story that you want to tell in the post
• Title the post
• Consider all the elements (photos, videos, etc.) you want to use to tell that story
• Estimate the appearance of the post on the spokes you want to use to spread it

Initial Blogging

• Write the post without regard for anything other than the essentials of your idea
• Once the essentials are down, go back and fill in additional detail

Focused Editing

Go back to your initial writing and begin editing

• Focus on the paragraph flow
• Read your post out loud. How does it actually sound? Edit the rough spots.
• Focus on correct spelling and grammar usage
• Read your post out loud again. Does it sound the way you want your reader to hear it?
• Format and start placing your elements in your post including Strong and Emphasis tags to enhance your search engine optimization
• Read through your post to make sure none of your added elements break your flow
• Double check the proper spelling of names
• Double check links
• Does your title still work with the finished product? If not, re-title it

Finally either publish or schedule your post for publishing. Does your post appear the way you thought it would? If not, fix it.

• Check all your links to make sure they are working
• Check your RSS Feed in your feed reader to make sure the post a) appears and b) still functions
• Is everything working? If not, fix whatever needs fixing. If everything’s perfect, have a large French Vanilla Ice Coffee light with cream and with four Splendas.

Published Examination

While I find this to be the most effective and optimal process for myself, it may not be for you. Don’t be afraid to change something to make it work better from your perspective, but keep in mind the bolded critical actions you should take before, during, and after writing each blog post to assure yourself of high quality, authoritative, and trusted content.

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About a year ago I dove into different social media tools. I think my first foray was Facebook. Then before I knew it I had multiple Twitter accounts, several blogs, profiles on five Ning social networks, a LinkedIn profile, a YouTube channel, a Flickr account, and RSS subscriptions to dozens of blogs.

Based just on user numbers most Everyday EMS Tips readers are using Facebook for their only social media presence. A few of you might have LinkedIn profiles, and a very small number of you are using Twitter or have joined the EMS Ning networks (EMSConnect, EMSUnited, orJEMSConnect).

If you are uncertain how to get started visit PIOSocialMediaTraining.com and enroll in the social media boot camp. You will learn about social media tools and actions you and/or your organization should be taking.

One of the trends that has begun in the last few years and will continue to build momentum in the 2010 is the importance of building your own personal brand. Like it or not you are leaving foot prints as you wander the web commenting or writing on blog posts, uploading videos and photos, and creating social networking profiles. When was the last time you Googled your name? Were there any results? Are you proud of those results? Will those results help you when you apply for your next job or promotion?

In 2010 commit to positive “oversharing” online that demonstrates your curiosity, willingness to share with others and learn from others, and commitment to the EMS profession. Ways you can begin to “overshare” and build your online brand include:

1. Comment on blog posts by other EMS professionals. Listen to and comment on podcasts.

2. Create and maintain social networking profiles at places like LinkedIn.com, EMSConnect.com, and Twitter.com. Once you have a profile send me an invite to connect. I can also introduce you to other professionals.

3. Start your own blog or ask to contribute posts to established blogs. I accept guest blog posts and I know Chris Kaiser of LifeUndertheLights.com also considers guest blog posts. Jamie Davis also accepts guest posts for the MedicCast blog.

4. Create a series of videos about assessment and treatment procedures you excel at. Ask your friends and family to star in the videos as patients and rescuers.  Upload your videos to YouTube and then tell people in your network about those videos so we can embed them in blog posts or link to them from Twitter.

Do you think having a personal brand matters for EMS professionals? Tell me why or why not.

This is the 7th installment of the 31 Days of CE series for Everyday EMS Tips.

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PIOSocialMediaTraining.com has just announced a contest to highlight emergency response agencies effectively using Social Media to reach their goals to connect with their communities using the best practices possible. With that in mind, PIOSocialMediaTraining.com is now accepting nominations for who you would consider to be the Social Media Responder of 2009. Learn how the nomination e-mail or Twitter (follow using the Twitter hashtag #SMR2009) will work at PIOSocialMediaTraining.com.

Five Finalists will be selected by a Panel of Judges from the list of eligible Nominees, based on the following criteria:

* Social Media Presence
* Use of Social Media to connect to their communities
* Quality of Nomination Tweets
* Quality of Online Postings and Social Media Conversations
* Quality of Design Elements

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If you are using Twitter this screencast shows how to add a Twitter “follow me” button to a page, post, widget, or sidebar. Twitter has a set of buttons available as a link from the Twitter Goodies page.

View this screencast for a quick demonstration on how I added the Twitter button to a post at PIOSocialMediaTraining.com.

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Listen to a discussion I had with Mike Waraich about about social media and emergency communications for first responders with a special focus on police for the Law Enforcement 2.0 Podcast. We talk about how police can get up and running with social media, where to begin with social media, and the best practices to maintain an effective social media presence. The concepts we discuss in this podcast are applicable to EMS, fire, and police.

PIOSocialMediaTraining.com co-founders Greg Friese and David Konig are available for media interviews, podcasts, conference presentations, and webinars. Contact us to discuss you article, project, webinar, or conference.

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In 2009 I have gone all in with social media. The connections I have made have led to a podcast (EMSEduCast.com), a new live online EMS education training program (EMSBootCamp.com), and a new website (PIOSocialMediaTraining.com). Together these projects have broadened my audience and exponentially expanded my network. They are also becoming a small and growing source of income.

I hear from colleagues that are looking for full-time or free lancing opportunities. My first question is always, “How are using social media in your job search.” Inexplicably most say, “I am not.” Whoa! Get on board – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogging, YouTube, and more are all free tools for you to grow a network and showcase your skills.

These are my Everyday EMS Tips to start using Social Media for your job search:

1. Establish a presence NOW! Start a LinkedIn and Facebook account a minimum. I would be glad to connect with you.

2. Read Chris Brogan’s excellent free ebook “Using Social Media to Find Work.”

3. Buy (that would be nice) or ask me for a free copy of my ebook “The 4 Most Important People for your Professional Network.” I will give you a free copy if you tell your social media community about this ebook. Pretty easy.

4. Share resources, ideas, and tips with other professionals in the industry you want to be in. Get started. Stop reading and start contributing.

5. Enroll in the PIO Social Media email boot camp. It is free and will give you the base knowledge you need as an emergency response professional about social media.

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