Comments on: Why You Need A Social Media Presence: The Case Of Pittsburgh EMS

By: EMS Blog Rounds Edition 32

EMS Blog Rounds Edition 32 — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:12:44 +0000

[...] and write an original story instead of just reposting the Associated Press drivel. Chief McCaughan, my offer still [...]

By: DavidKonig

DavidKonig — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:12:37 +0000

Chris, I completely agree that we don't have all the information. There is no mention of shift hours, number of calls responded to compared to a "normal" day, and there is no inkling of the successes that I'm sure occurred for Pittsburgh EMS… which is exactly my point.

Pittsburgh EMS, and for that matter ALL Public Safety/Public Health agencies, need to stop relying on the media to tell their stories. I would venture to say that the successes far outnumber the failures, but it is the failures that seem to garner all the attention. That needs to change and the only people who are going to be able to make that change happen is us.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:09:58 +0000

Having worked as a Paramedic myself in the Pittsburgh area for more than 10 years I can attest that winters get pretty vicious in the Burgh. I can also say that the first rule of EMS is don't become a patient yourself. While I am not condoning the conduct of the EMS crews I am saying that perhaps we don't have all the information.

By: Weekly Digest for March 1st

Weekly Digest for March 1st — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:12:40 +0000

[...] Shared Why You Need A Social Media Presence: The Case Of Pittsburgh EMS. [...]

By: Media Stream Digest for February 26th | PIO Social Media Training

Media Stream Digest for February 26th | PIO Social Media Training — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:24:46 +0000

[...] Why You Need A Social Media Presence: The Case Of Pittsburgh EMS. Why You Need A Social Media Presence: The Case Of Pittsburgh [...]

By: DavidKonig

DavidKonig — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:55:01 +0000

I agree, too many departments undervalue the PIO position. While it's understandable that during tough budgetary times departments look to trim and do more with less, I don't think they realize that what they lose out on by not having a PIO is their need to tell the story as to why the budget cuts are not necessarily a good thing.

Oddly enough, it's the same thing facing newsrooms around the nation, and they are the ones who actually report the news to begin with.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:18:53 +0000

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By: Rhett Fleitz

Rhett Fleitz — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:42:58 +0000

Great Post! The incident was unfortunate at best. All we can hope is that there are lessons learned from the experience and that changes will be made.

I often find myself thinking about how many departments have sub-par PIO's or none at all.

This day in age, you have to be able to get your stuff together to get to the press prior to others making the story for you. Otherwise, you can't lay out the facts and at least try to influence the media to your points.