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Public Information Officer Complex

PIOC decorative banner: photos depicting PIOC position. PIOC position description: The Public Information Officer (PIOC), a member of the Command Staff, is responsible for the formulation and release of information about the incident to the news media, local communities, incident personnel, other appropriate agencies and organizations, and for the management of all Public Information Officers assigned to the incident.

The Public Information Officer Complex (PIOC) participates in the collection and dissemination of incident information and may be the first public point of contact. They may be assigned to information center operations, community engagement, media relations, or other branches. The PIOC may function as a member of the Command and General Staff (C&G) and supervise the public information function of an Incident Management Team (IMT), or the PIOC may support a branch of an IMT as a single resource. The PIOC may report to the Public Affairs Officer (PAO), Agency Administrator (AA), or Incident Commander (IC). The PIOC works in the Command functional area.

The Forest Service and Department of Interior are enabled by Administratively Determined Pay Plans (AD Pay Plans) to hire persons for temporary duration for the following reasons:

  1. To cope with a sudden and unexpected emergency caused by a fire, or extreme fire potential, flood, storm, or any other all-hazard emergency that threatens damage to federally protected property, has the potential to cause loss of life, serious injury, public health risk, or damage to natural or cultural resources unless brought under immediate control.
  2. To provide emergency assistance to States under formalized agreements.
  3. To meet mission assignments issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Incident Business Committee (IBC) reviews positions annually and establishes pay rate classifications for each position.

For more information on the AD Pay Plans, visit Incident Business Committee.

Date: Jan 2024

Updated Positions Qualification Requirements as follows:

Added:

  • To PIOC Qualification Requirements:  ***S-420, Command and General Staff or L-481, Advanced Leadership for Command and General Staff or O-305, Type 3 All-Hazard Incident Management Team, and I-400, Advanced ICS for Command and General Staff, must be completed before initiating the NWCG Public Information Officer Complex, Position Task Book, PMS 311-106.

Updated: 

  • S-520, Advanced Incident Management OR Complex Incident Management Course (CIMC) OR Complex Incident Management Field Evaluation (PDF) OR a completed X-520,NWCG CIM Field Evaluation Form (PDF).
Date: Jan 2023

Removed: NOTE: This qualification standard is effective until December 31, 2022, per NWCG Memorandum 22-002, Amended

Added:

To Required Training:

To Required Experience:

OR

  • Satisfactory performance as a Public Information Officer Type 3 (PIO3)
  • AND Completion and Certification of Public Information Officer Complex (PIOC) Position Task Book, PMS 311-106

OR

  • Satisfactory performance as a Operations Section Chief Complex (OSCC)
  • AND Completion and Certification of Public Information Officer Complex (PIOC) Position Task Book, PMS 311-106 (see note)

OR

  • Satisfactory performance as a Incident Logistics Section Complex (LSCC)
  • AND Completion and Certification of Public Information Officer Complex (PIOC) Position Task Book, PMS 311-106 (see note)

OR

  • Satisfactory performance as a Safety Officer Complex (SOFC)
  • AND Completion and Certification of Public Information Officer Complex (PIOC) Position Task Book, PMS 311-106 (see note)

OR

  • Satisfactory performance as a Planning Section Chief Complex (PSCC)
  • AND Completion and Certification of Public Information Officer Complex (PIOC) Position Task Book, PMS 311-106 (see note)

Note: Individuals utilizing this pathway must complete the Public Information Officer Course (E/L 952) prior to position qualification.

To These Positions Maintain Currency For PIOC:

  • Public Information Officer Type 3 (PIO3)

To PIOC Maintains Currency For These Positions:

  • Public Information Officer Type 3 (PIO3)

To Other Training Which Supports Development of Knowledge and Skills:

Date: May 2022

Position created.

USWDS Paragraph Bundles

Primary Committee: Communication Education and Prevention Committee
Steward: Public Information Officer Subcommittee
Key Stakeholder(s): Incident Command Subcommittee


Page Last Modified / Reviewed:

NWCG Latest Announcements

Updated NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515

Date: May 10, 2024
Contact: IFUASS Qualification and Curriculum Board (IFUASS) 

The 2024 revision of the NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515 is now available. PMS 515 standardizes the processes and procesures for interagency use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including pilot inspections and approvals. This publication is now available as a PDF for easy use offline.

References:

NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515

Memorandum 24-003: Removal of Type 1 Command and General Staff (C&G) Incident Position Qualification Pathways

Date: May 10, 2024
Contact: Aitor Bidaburu 

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide NWCG direction for removal of the Type 1 Command and General Staff (C&G) incident position qualification pathways to transition to Complex Incident Management (CIM). Responders may continue to utilize available NWCG pathways to attain Type 1 C&G qualifications until December 31, 2024.

References:

Memorandum 24-003

CIM Story Map

2024 Professional Reading Program

Date: April 26, 2024
Contact: Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program (WFLDP) 

The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program is announcing the 2024 Professional Reading list! The intent of the Professional Reading Program is to promote the reading and discussion of these books throughout the year. Discussion guides are provided and the corresponding Wildland Fire Leadership Levels have been identified.

The five books chosen for this year are: Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean, The Wisdom of the Bullfrog by William H. McRaven, The Art of Clear Thinking by Hasard Lee, Emotional Agility by Susan David, and Writing to Persuade by Trish Hall.

References:

Professional Reading Program

Wildland Fire Leadership Levels

NWCG Training Catalog now on Wildland Fire Learning Portal

Date: April 25, 2023
Contact: NWCG Training  

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has migrated the training catalog from the NWCG website to the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP) as part of our ongoing efforts to streamline processes and improve efficiency. To facilitate this transition, the training catalog remains available on www.nwcg.gov through April 2024.

Starting May 2024, the training catalog will no longer be accessible on www.nwcg.gov. However, you can still access the complete training catalog by logging in as a guest to the WFLP.

References:

Wildland Fire Learning Portal