The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management: Public Information Management (PIM)

Public Information Management (PIM):

Writing a media release General guidelines

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Home > For the CDEM Sector > Public Information Management (PIM)

Public Information Management (PIM)

This information is adapted from Public Information Management: Information for the CDEM Sector. Go to the PIM Guidelines download page.

Key national PIM contact details
NCMC media and PIM telephone: 04 494 6951
NCMC e-mail: pim@ncmc.govt.nz

When NCMC has been activated, calls to the telephone number will be answered by a person not a voice mail system. If the call is not answered, the system automatically hunts for a free extension where the call can be taken. The shared PIM e-mail inbox is accessed by anyone carrying out the PIM role in NCMC. That helps avoid the problem of e-mails possibly being sent to a person who is not there or is busy on another task and is not clearing their e-mails as they come in.

Please note that these contacts are for when Ministry staff are working from the NCMC during an emergency. They are not day-to-day office contacts.

General definition
Public information management during an emergency involves collecting, analysing, and disseminating information to the public. It promotes effective leadership and decision-making, and enables the people affected by the emergency to understand what is happening and take the appropriate actions to protect themselves.
The goal of the PIM is to:

to create strong public confidence in the emergency management response
to support public safety with public information
to positively influence public behaviour with public information
to manage public expectations

Public information management achieves these ends by:

providing timely, accurate, and clear information to those who need it
promoting effective information management between government agencies, CDEM Groups, emergency services, lifeline utilities, the media, and the public

Responsibilities
In an emergency, as PIM Manager you are responsible for:

dealing with the media
issuing public information to the community and managing community relations
managing the public information centre and team

You may also be responsible for managing:

the public enquiry helpline
visitor reception at the emergency operations centre
site visits by VIPs and media

To fulfil these functions, you and your team must:

plan, practise, and prepare for an emergency
ensure you develop the necessary skills