Why do we need a Public Education Officer?

The answer is simple. Somebody has to answer the requests that are made by the public for programs, talks, classes, tours, etc. This person does not necessarily need to hold a rank within the department, but should have the authority to involve the department in outside activities based on the Chief’s approval.

Another reason that you want to have a person in charge of your public education program, is that you will need to schedule and coordinate your events. It’s easier for one person to delegate the programs and keep track of the events, than to have several people trying to accomplish this task. This does not mean that you do not need help. By all means, try to involve as many department personnel in your department’s program. However, you run the risk of too many cooks spoiling the broth if you have too many managers in your program’s infancy.

How much time does it take to be involved in Public Education?

It takes as much time as you are willing to devote to this activity. Many career departments have full-time public education personnel. However, public education can be just as effective with a volunteer firefighter. It all depends on how willing the department personnel are when it comes to getting involved in the program. Remember, everything that your department does involves public education and community relations in some manner. A few hours a month and a willingness to talk to groups of people can be just as effective as spending 40 hours a week on community programs.

To borrow a cliche, you don’t have to re-invent the wheel. There are many free programs available to you to adapt into your own departments program. Also, check with your neighboring departments for other ideas. They may have something that you are looking for. Call them up and borrow their ideas. One of the best ways to develop your public education program is to network.

What does a public education officer do?

Some of the tasks that a public education officer may take care of include:

• Scheduling of all public related events and ensuring that there is manpower available to handle the request.
• Promoting the department and it’s activities through various media outlets
• Developing public education programs based on area needs
• Maintaining inventories of handout material
• Coordinating Fire Prevention Week activities
• Returning phone calls and answering questions concerning the department’s participation in public functions

This is only a brief list of some of the things that a public education officer does. A good reference book to use for more information is the IFSTA manual Fire and Life Safety Educator and the NFPA Standard 1035 Standard for Professional Qualifications for Public Fire Educator