COFPC Communications Plan
Background:
The Central Oregon Fire Prevention Cooperative (FPC) was formed in 1979 to "promote an interagency exchange of ideas and resources to encourage members to prevent fires through coordinated fire safety education programs, projects and presentations" (bylaws, FPC) in the Central Oregon area. Public fire and life safety agencies and departments pool scarce resources, such as people and funding, to accomplish programs they may not otherwise be able to pursue. Providing consistent fire prevention messages across Central Oregon has been an important function of the FPC since its formation.
The Central Oregon FPC is interested in improving its cooperative delivery of fire prevention messages externally as well as internally.
For this purpose, in January 2002, the Central Oregon Fire Prevention Cooperative (FPC) established the position of Information Officer within the FPC. Following is the description of duties.
Prepare, update and implement the annual communication plan. The plan will provide for external and internal information and news reports on the purpose and special activities of the Central Oregon Fire Prevention Cooperative. Seasonal fire prevention public service announcements will be released in a timely manner as scheduled on the Cooperative's calendar of activities.
A. PURPOSE AND GOAL OF THE PLAN
1. The purpose of this plan is to provide consistent interagency public service announcements and news releases on Central Oregon-wide fire prevention issues, to market the COFPC, and highlight the unique interagency coordination within Central Oregon.
The Central Oregon FPC recognizes that individual departments and agencies, as well as fire information staff from the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center and fire teams will continue to have their own specific needs for communications. This would include burn bans, closures, public use restrictions, and specific fire cause issues. Agencies are encouraged to coordinate news releases and PSA’s with the COFPC IIO to avoid duplicate messages. The co-op asks, when these messages are sent out, they be acknowledged as shown by the following example:
"This message brought to you by Jefferson County Fire District #1 and the Central Oregon Fire Prevention Co-op" or "This message brought to you by Jefferson County Fire District #1, a member of the Central Oregon Fire Prevention Co-op."
2. The goal of the plan is to "promote the prevention of destructive fires through coordinated fire safety education programs and presentations." (bylaws, FPC)
B. OBJECTIVE
Deliver coordinated monthly fire prevention messages to Central Oregon communities pertinent to the season and current issues.
At the end of each message should appear the tag line, "Brought to you by the Central Oregon Fire Prevention Cooperative."
C. KEY MESSAGES
The Central Oregon FPC will participate in the "FireFree – Get In the Zone!" program; however, will not send out news releases or PSA’s. Media for this program is handled by a professional marketing agency.
- We recreate and live in a fire environment.
Topics include: Defensible space, prescribed burning and fuels reduction, spring cleanup, hunter safety, safe debris burning, burn barrels, fireworks, campfires, barbecues, firewood cutting.
- Your house is your home—keep it fire safe.
Topics include: Heating, candles, wood stoves, chimneys, smoke detectors, Holiday and Christmas safety, Halloween safety, electrical, kitchen.
- Children are our future; teach them to be fire safe.
Firebuster program, team teaching, juvenile fire setters, escape drills, special events such as fairs, parades, carnivals, rodeos.
D. TARGET AUDIENCES
1. Recreationists
2. Residents
3. Children
4. Agency and department employees and volunteers
5. Media
E. ACTION PLAN (methods and products, who’s responsible, due date)
- Central Oregon FPC annual planning and events calendar.
- Central Oregon FPC public service announcements and seasonal or special events news releases.
JANUARY
PSA Fire safety in the Home (Heating and Candles)
FEBRUARY
PSA Fire Safety in the Home (Heating, chimney, smoke alarms)
MARCH
PSA - Spring clean-up, outdoor burning
Special Activity News Release on the Team teaching program
APRIL
PSA - Safe debris burning, changing smoke alarm batteries with daylight-saving time
MAY
PSA - Outdoor burning, campfires, and barbecue safety
JUNE
PSA - Fireworks, juvenile fire setters, kitchen and barbecue safety
Seasonal News Release on summer wildland fire safety and July 4th
JULY
PSA - Defensible space, juvenile fire setters
AUGUST
PSA - Arson awareness, wildland severity message
SEPTEMBER
PSA – Firewood cutting, prescribed burning
Seasonal News Release on Hunter Booths
Special Activity News Release on the Firebusters program
OCTOBER
PSA – Chimneys and wood stoves, open burning, Halloween safety, changing smoke alarm batteries with standard time change
NOVEMBER
PSA – Home electrical, heating safety, general holiday season safety
DECEMBER
PSA – Holiday safety, tree, packaging, heating, candles
F. EVALUATION (how will you measure the effectiveness of your communications?)
- Participation and cooperation by members
- Number of public service announcements
- Number of news releases
- Timeliness of PSAs and news releases
- Media contacts made
