Photo By John Hughel | Washington Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Jason Kriess, a Public Affairs...... read more read more
CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – For more than a year now, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many of the daily aspects most of us take for granted. From the earliest challenges of stay-at-home orders to the current vaccine distribution efforts, managing information has amplified the need for accurate communication to the public.
With Washington National Guard members being mobilized across the state, telling their story has been a continuous endeavor, envisioning the role of Public Affairs Specialists in the military and how they assimilate with local media networks.
These aspects and additional in-depth training were part of the Inaugural Joint Public Affairs conference held virtually around the state, April 10-11 for Washington Army and Air National Guard members. When not busy covering news events for the Washington National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, Jason Kriess spent months planning for the first-ever forum for Public Affairs professionals.
“This is something we have wanted to do for several years and the COVID-19 pandemic only heightened the need for this type of interactive training,” said Kriess.
When the conference was being brainstormed and scheduled, Kriess hoped that everyone would be able to meet in person, but like many group meetings over the past year, the training was held virtually--the long-term communication benefactor of the coronavirus.
“In some ways, we used the virtual format to raise questions on what the future of covering and reporting news will look like -- even after the pandemic tapers down,” said Kriess.
This concept was reaffirmed by Keith Eldridge with KOMO 4 News, one of the many guest contributors for the conference. Working from his home for the past year, he described how he and his team not only cover news stories but also produce segments daily.
“We hold a daily group meeting at 10 am, much like this format, and pitch what stories we think are important and need to be prioritized,” he said, describing how editorial decisions are formulated and how the stories are produced. “We pitch various ideas but right now the pandemic is still the most important topic every day, and we do at least four COVID stories each day for our news segments.”
During part of the question and answer period, Eldridge accredited many of the stories on the pandemic to the role and response by the National Guard both locally and nationwide.
“You guys are the story -- All the missions from the food banks to supporting law enforcement during last summer’s civil disturbance, to now with the vaccination effort; the National Guard has been involved in every phase of these actions.”
During the first day of the conference, two sessions focused on how military public affairs members work with outside agencies and then transitioned into real-world scenarios. A panel of Public Information Officers (PIO) from a variety of local and federal organizations discussed the roles they play, and notably past response experiences working with the Washington National Guard.
Sarah Foster, a PIO for the Washington Military Department helped close out the first day’s discussions, moderating the diverse panel of experts that help support each other in real-world crisis management. Foster illustrated how the Incident Command System (ICS) a FEMA-based standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination functions during emergency response efforts.
“We all rely on each other because we’ve built and established relationships overtime during past emergency situations,” said Foster, as she detailed the hierarchy structure of the ICS. “The PIO works directly with the Incident Commander and interfaces with the media as the situation is constantly evolving.”
As she went through some of the FEMA slides for the Joint Conference, Foster was quick to point out that no matter how well prepared your plan is, it will ultimately be put to the test by the unforeseen nature of the crisis.
“It’s why these established relationships are so important because you have to be able to work well together in a stressful environment because as the old adages go, “No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's [main strength],” she said.
The Real-World instruction model for the group was the Amtrak derailment that happened adjacent to Camp Murray directly onto Interstate 5 on the morning of December 18, 2017. Ironically, the Washington Military Department's emergency operations center at Camp Murray was activated to coordinate the multi-agency response to the incident.
The Southbound train was on its inaugural service run between Seattle and Portland when it left the tracks at 7:33 am. Foster knew it was going to be a chaotic day when her phone began ringing within minutes of the derailment as she made her way into the office for work.
Recalling the morning, Foster said the place where the train derailed was the one spot where Federal, State, and local authorities all shared some part of oversight, yet we're not sure who would be the led agency for the incident.
“We literally had service members from JBLM and Camp Murray coming to work that morning that became instant first responders on I-5,” she said, evoking memories of that day. “The fact that the interstate was directly closed because of the site of the derailment only added to the difficulty to the response. On top of that, we had conflicting information about casualties, and there were 350 gallons of fuel spilled from the locomotive.”
The second day of the conference focused on how Public Affairs members produce their products, and the life cycle from being assigned a project to pushing out the materials to end-users. State Public Affairs Officer Joseph Siemandel who oversees all Washington National Guard Public Affairs operations led these blocks.
“We have one of the most important jobs, getting the story out to the public in a timely manner while doing so professionally and thoughtfully,” said Siemandel. “This past year has been one that we have all learned from and can continue to grow this profession.”
A lively group conversation took place about mobile recording devices as Master Sgt. Michael Stewart from the 141st Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base, along with Kriess, discussed using cell phones to shoot video production quickly in the field.
“I can shoot, edit and send out a final product from a remote location using a cell phone now,” Stewart said, as he showed off his innovative system to those watching. “It’s not going to replace our high-end gear, but it’s defiantly a way to produce a quality product quickly and in the right situation.”
As the military Public Affairs profession has been consolidating from multiple disciplines of photography, video broadcasting, print journalism, and graphic design just a dozen years ago into one career field, the conference exemplified the need for this type of training.
Addressing the group as the conference began, Washington Air National Guard Commander Brig. Gen. Gent Welsh stressed the need for Public Affairs during the COVID response.
“Early on the two people I turned to advise me were our JAG and our Public Affairs Officer Lt. Col. Alyson Teeter.”
Welsh said the demands on Public Affairs in the National Guard have been critical because of the need to counter misinformation and to tell our service members stories.
“I would say to all of you attending this conference, don’t be afraid to push your leaders out of their comfort zone. Your work has a way to reach out to new members who want to serve, and the work you’re doing helps drive this point home.”
This theme was reinforced by Washington Army National Guard Commanding General, Brig. Gen. Daniel Dent, addressing the group on April 11, an important day in military history.
“It was on this day, in 1945 that the American Third Army liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany. General Eisenhower summoned many of his top general officers and the media to bear witness to the moment,” Dent said.
Dent emphasized to the group participating in the conference, this notable legacy they hold and the reason to maintain high ethical standards.
“Eisenhower wanted the entire world to see the enormity of what was discovered at this camp and others like it,” said Dent. “You have an important responsibility to convey crucial news and stories to the public, especially in our ongoing actions during COVID operations.”
| Date Taken: | 04.12.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.13.2021 17:53 |
| Story ID: | 393764 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 245 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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