ICS-403 (E0952) Public Information Officer Training Course - Long Beach, CA (June 15-19)

ICS-403 Public Information Officer

Course Overview

ICS-403 prepares emergency management and response personnel for the role of Public Information Officer (PIO) on an Incident Management Team. The course builds on ICS fundamentals and focuses on the PIO’s duties and responsibilities, including incident response and effective section management. Training is delivered in small, instructor-led groups in your region, featuring hands-on exercises, realistic scenarios, and personalized coaching to ensure job-ready skills.

Course Objectives

• Explain the role and importance of the Public Information Officer (PIO) in incident operations, including initial response.
• Describe the fundamentals of information management and how to establish the PIO staff and workspace.
• Develop an effective communications strategy and media plan for sharing incident information.
• Demonstrate best practices for media relations, including social media engagement and problem-solving during incidents.
• Identify the roles and responsibilities of Assistant Public Information Officers and their relationship to the PIO.
• Explain how to build and maintain effective relationships with the Incident Management Team and participate in meetings and briefings.
• Describe steps for establishing and maintaining community relations during an incident.
• Apply appropriate actions for managing special situations involving public information.
• Describe safety considerations for PIOs and those they escort or work with in the incident environment.
• Outline the PIO’s responsibilities during incident transition and demobilization.
• Evaluate PIO effectiveness and apply lessons learned through exercise components.

Target Audience: Responders who may be assigned duties as a PIO during an incident.

Duration: 31 hours, delivered over 4 days, in person.

The ICS-403 course is designed as a blended learning experience. While the core content is delivered in four days of instructor-led, face-to-face training, additional asynchronous activities are included to reinforce learning and meet the full 31-hour requirement.

Pre-requisites are required.