Social Media and the Fire Service

Zachary Polvino
Jul 28, 2017 · 8 min read
© Zachary J. Polvino

For a long time I have been interested in Public Relations and how to leverage these skills with the tasks of a Public Information Officer in the fire service. As a young firefighter it was drilled into me that we are there to serve the public, and that our image as firefighters was dependent on the professionalism we exhibited at the scene, at the firehouse, in public, and what we say and post on the internet. When I joined the fire service, Facebook and Twitter were beginning to take-off in popularity and usability. Not many fire companies, if any, had pages specific to themselves. However, it was still evident that we needed to be careful what we posted and to maintain sensitivity about the details of incidents we responded to. As services such as Twitter and Facebook grew, so did the fire services exposure; this included both positive and negative experiences. We watched as large cities leveraged these tools to alert the public to emergencies, and to educate the public on fire safety, and to give a glimpse into the world of firefighting and emergency services. For me this laid the bedrock- the foundation for where I see social media and the fire service.

©Zachary J. Polvino

Over the past few years, I have been a Page Administrator for my Volunteer Fire Departments Facebook Page. This has allowed me to represent my department to the public, our residents, fellow firefighters, and the world at-large. We have been able to post meaningful and insightful information and posts, safety tips, and incident recaps. Posts include pictures or graphics to engage a viewer and draw them into the post. Recently, our District Commissioners approved the creation and administration of a Twitter page for the Fire Department. Creating a Twitter account has allowed us to leverage social media to engage with residents, community partners such as the Police Department, Mutual Aid fire companies, and fire service leaders. This ability has given us a voice, and allowed us to use our voice as a champion of the fire service, and advocate for our membership. While I take great pride in our social media presence, I also know that it is a privilege.

When running a Social Media account for your Fire Company, either Paid or Volunteer it is imperative that you remember a few key principles. The most important, to me, is that you or your social media team is representative of your fire company, its image and the image of the Fire Service everywhere. It is a huge responsibility to manage a Twitter or Facebook account, as you constitute the ‘Public Face’ of the organization, disseminating news and information that may end up in the media. Additionally it is important to remember the audience you are targeting. Many of your followers are not just your friends or fellow firefighters in your department, or neighboring firefighters and firefighters from across the globe. Many of your residents in the community regularly check these pages for information. They’re curious why the barn was emptied, and all the trucks were down the street from their houses. They’re interested in what you do besides respond to calls, the training your members do, the equipment we wear and use, the trucks, and what it is like to be a firefighter. Social Media can help immensely in recruitment, by engaging young adults who are interested in the fire service, giving them a glimpse of what we do, and how we do it.

I’m not a trained social media expert. I have some PR experience from college, and from work experience. I constant look for improvement on how to better reach my target audience, and how to craft my message to stay on brand, and on target. I also know it is a privilege to represent my volunteer fire department on social media. I am grateful to the Chief Officers and District Commissioners who agreed that this “experiment” was a worthwhile endeavor, and that they have given me their trust to be the man behind the public face of our organization.

Public relations work takes time, energy and thought to craft a message; to take an idea and work it to become a meaningful post. Anybody can post to Facebook or Twitter. If you want to ensure your Fire Company looks as professional online as you strive to make it look in quarters, and on a scene, then take the time to hone your craft. In addition to reading about the fire service, intersperse material on how to write content and post at optimal times. There are plenty of resources available, from free White-Papers, to studies, and tips and tricks published by Public Relations professionals. If you are committed to being a Public Information Officer, or working in that capacity for your department, then it behooves you to sharpen these skills as often as we sharpen our skills on searching or hose line advancement.

© Zachary J. Polvino

Many times I see on both Facebook and Twitter, what I call a misuse of that trust; both from your fire company, and your audience. Deep down I know these page administrators have the best intentions, but sometimes lack in their duties. I get it; for the most part these tasks are done on their own time, and without any real guidelines. When posting work, I always try to think of how the public will view it, and how it will reflect on my department, and the fire service.

One of the biggest problems I see is posting or “liking” political posts. I certainly understand that we all have different political leanings- but that should be saved for your personal accounts, not your fire companies. It’s critical we remember the audience we are serving, and the audience who may see our posts. One of the cardinal rules of running a social media account for a brand or organization, is to remember it is not yours, but your fire companies. It’s not reflective of your personal opinions, but reflective of your fire companies and the fire service as a whole.

It doesn’t take much for people to lose the trust they’ve given you.

Posting on Social Media has to also be about professionalism. The fire service is built on professionalism, and it needs to be continued. Every day we strive to advance the fire service in a way that makes our forefathers proud; we take what they have built and continually expand onto it for the next generation. Everything you post, like or retweet is reflective of your company, and the fire service as a whole. Your audience doesn’t want to see that you’ve liked a post by Politician A, as they may have differing views. These off brand or off topic posts are reflective of that misuse and mistrust. Similarly to political posts, your audience probably doesn’t want to see what the fire companies Twitter thinks of a local sports team’s recent play, or if they need a new head coach. One afternoon I watched on Twitter, a local fire company tweeted up to 30 times about the current status of a NFL game. I was shocked. Why would you use your fire companies Twitter account in that manner? These posts are fine, but on your own account, not that of your fire company. As a NFL fan, I tweet a lot about my personal feelings too, but never from an account I manage, always from my own personal account. Can you imagine what a resident of that fire district must think? If it were I, I’d be skeptical of the information they tweet. It doesn’t take much for people to lose the trust they’ve given you.

From time to time I post report of a specific call we’ve been on; often times these are fires, or serious car accidents. It is crucial to remember the sensitivity of what we do as firefighters, and that what may seem normal to us, may not be received the same way to the general public. The way in which we refer to these calls- referring to a house fire as “good job” comes to mind. We may define that, as a well-involved house fire, with plenty of work to be done, from extinguishment, to searching and overhaul — a good job to be on, or that, we as a fire department did a good job. The public may interpret that as we are happy that somebody’s house burned. Along these lines we need to remember HIPAA laws, and patients’ rights to privacy when posting about a serious car accident. When posting about calls, I tend to avoid posting the numerical address. I’ll write, “We returned from a fire on Main St.” instead of saying “We returned from a fire at the Smith residence at 1234 Main St.” This protects the privacy of the resident, and for serious calls keeps gawkers away.

When posting I try to avoid heavy jargon laden posts- we as firefighters may understand what an SCBA or Halligan bar is, but will your grandmother? Again, when posting we need to think of the audience, and how our message will be received by the public.

Sometimes generating content can be as simple as taking a few photos of a piece of equipment and writing a post that explains how that equipment works, and why it is an important piece of gear. Break it down in a way that is understandable by the public, or in another way understandable by a new firefighter who is learning about this for the first time. There are many, often times paid departments in big cities who post content like this regularly: the FDNY, Seattle, Boston, LAFD, And Toronto. Follow their pages and try to emulate what they do. Look at some of their posts and think of ways you can adapt them for your department.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Zachary J. Polvino is a Volunteer Firefighter, and past Lieutenant with the Snyder Fire Department in Amherst, NY. He currently runs the SFD Facebook and Twitter Accounts, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from State University College of Buffalo. In addition to his work with the Snyder Fire Department, Zach works in Project Management within Technology for a regional financial institution.

Zachary Polvino

Written by

Project Management and Volunteer Firefighting. Interested in Leadership Development, Communications and Growth.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade