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Public Information Officer, Technician

PIOT decorative banner: photos depicting PIOT position.

The Public Information Officer, Technician (PIOT) participates in the collection and dissemination of incident information and may be the first public point of contact. The PIOT may be assigned to information center operations, community engagement, media relations, or other branches. On a Type 1, 2, or 3 incident, the PIOT reports to the lead Public Information Officer (PIO) as part of the Command Staff. On a Type 4 or 5 incident, the PIOT may work for the public affairs office, Agency Administrator (AA), or Incident Commander (IC). The PIOT 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 2023

Added: Public Information Officer Type 3 (PIO3) to "These Positions Maintain Currency For PIOT."

Date: Mar 2022

Added: IS-700, NIMS: An Introduction added to Required Training.

Date: Dec 2021

Added: Incident Position Description (IPD) approved.

Date: Oct 2021

Position created.

  • There is no position task book and no requirement for incident experience. Agency certification can be accomplished once training is complete.
  • All current qualified Public Information Officers (PIOF) can be qualified as PIOT.
  • All PIOF trainees will be qualified as a PIOT if they have taken the required PIOT courses.
    • S-110 would not be required for qualified or trainee PIOFs once they have taken S-130.
  • Read the complete 2021 PIO Transition Plan.
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:
USWDS Paragraph Bundles

 

NWCG Latest Announcements

2024 Week of Remembrance

Date: June 27, 2024
Contact: 6 Minutes for Safety Subcommittee 

As we approach the 2024 Week of Remembrance (WOR), June 30 to July 6, we dedicate this time to thoughtfully reviewing and recognizing the events of the 2018 Mendocino Complex. As such, this year’s theme of “Learning From the Mendocino Complex” embodies a longstanding hallmark of WOR, honoring through learning.

Throughout the week, our energy will be directed toward fostering generative conversations in briefing rooms and at tailgates.

References:

6 Minutes for Safety - 2024 Week of Remembrance

Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

Updated NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment, PMS 236

Date: June 24, 2024
Contact: Incident and Position Standards Committee 

The June 2024 update of the NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment, PMS 236, is now available to meet the current needs for incident management typing.

The NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment should be used to evaluate firefighter safety issues, assess risk, and identify the appropriate incident management organization based on incident complexity. Assessing risk, determining incident complexity, and identifying an appropriate incident management organization is a subjective process based on examining a combination of indicators or factors, which can change over time.

References:

NWCG Wildland Fire Risk and Complexity Assessment, PMS 236

Operations Branch Director (OPBD) Next Gen PTB Available

Date: June 10, 2024
Contact: NWCG Feedback 

The NWCG Position Task Book for Operations Branch Director (OPBD), PMS 311-109 is now available for use within the OPBD position qualification pathway. As part of the transition to Complex Incident Management (CIM), the OPBD Next Gen PTB was developed and the position qualification pathway updated.

More information about the Next Gen PTB format can be found on the NWCG Position Task Book webpage.

References:

Operations Branch Director Position Page

Operations Branch Director Next Gen PTB

NWCG Position Task Books

Updated NWCG Standards for Interagency Incident Business Management, PMS 902

Date: June 5, 2024
Contact: NWCG Incident Business Committee 

The 2024 revision of the NWCG Standards for Interagency Incident Business Management, PMS 902 is now available. The uniform application of interagency incident business management standards is critical to interagency fire operations. PMS 902 assists NWCG agencies in constructively working together to provide effective execution of each agency's incident business management program.

References:

PMS 902