I was on a case recently in Crestview, Florida--a train derailment. It 

 was difficult simply because we had a lot of local government participation. 

 We had a local sheriff who wanted to direct the public information and a fire 

 chief who wanted to talk. Anybody the media approached was quite willing to 

 talk. As far as the Federal response, all the information came from the 

 Public Information Officer and the OSC. But, a lot of inaccurate information 

 still was given out. It was inaccurate information which in turn caused 

 multiple problems in Washington, D.C. as well as at the local level. Try to 

 avoid that problem by trying to funnel all the information dissemination to 

 one source who should be located on the scene of the incident. 



Anticipate the questions that the press will ask about fish and wildlife. 

 In turn plan your answers. If you are on camera, the newscaster is going to 

 spend about a minute interviewing you and probably will use only 15 seconds 

 of that interview in televised newscast. Anticipate the type of questions so 

 you can give good, accurate, and intelligent responses. If you communicate 

 well, you are going to come across personally looking better. There is a 

 better chance of the media utilizing that information or that tape in its 

 newscast because it is going to make for a better looking newscast when it is 

 aired. 



My job is to promote the national program, not to act as a public re- 

 lations man for the U.S. Coast Guard. Promote the fact that there is a 

 national plan to deal with these things in an emergency situation—something 

 that cuts through the red tape. 



I am not sure what you, as FWS representatives should have as your 

 communication objective. Think through what you want to say so when you are 

 asked a question it is very easy to bring up the subject that covers your 

 communication objective. In other words, it allows you to make your point. 

 If you plan what to say before going on camera you have a much better chance 

 of saying it than if you go on without preparation. 



Please stick to the facts. As a FWS representative you have a respon- 

 sibility to maintain the agency's credibility. Do not pass rumors, speculate 

 on issues, or avoid direct answers. Limit your responses to those questions 

 which relate directly to your area of expertise. As I mentioned before, 

 just as the U.S. Coast Guard and EPA should not answer FWS questions, you 

 should not be answering their questions. If you do not know the answer--say 

 so. Indicate that you will find out, or that those data are being collected 

 and are not yet available. This is one of the strengths of the National and 

 Regional Response Team organization. Agency representatives can be found on 

 the scene who can field a variety of questions relating to most, if not all, 

 aspects of a pollution incident. 



Another part of public information programs is public education. I 

 feel as though, in running a public relations program, I have a responsibility 

 to inform the public about the problems with oil, chemicals, and their 

 associated transportation problems so citizens are more concerned about the 

 environment. If I can increase the public knowledge of the whole situation, 



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