Chapter 4: Press Kit for Wildland Fire1
This document is a chapter in the Wildland Fire Education Handbook. To learn more about this handbook, please refer to Chapter 1: Introduction to the Wildland Fire Education Handbook (FOR 72).
This chapter of the Wildland Fire Education Handbook contains a set of sample and adaptable media documents to help publicize and gain media coverage for programs, educational demonstrations, prescribed burns, demonstration area events, and the concept of wildland fire in general. It also includes Tips & Tools for adapting and using this press kit and copies of the media's documents used in Volusia County's demonstration burn. For more information about this burn, see Volusia County Case Study in Chapter 5 (FOR76).
Media Tips and Tools: Adapting and Using the Press Kit
In order to help you make the best use of media opportunities, we've included press releases, media alerts, Dear Neighbor Letter, and news articles in this press kit. Look in the "Media” folder on the CD-ROM in your toolkit for Word and WordPerfect versions of these documents or download the attached pdf's.
Publicity is newsworthy information released to gain attention or support. Facets of newsworthiness include location, timeliness, consequence, human interest, celebrity involvement, etc. Keep this in mind when issuing a press release or news article. Reporters will ask themselves 'Is this newsworthy?' prior to covering your event or story.
There are many tools that publicists use to communicate an event or topic to reporters:
Fact sheets, Q&A sheets;
News releases, public service announcements, and media alerts;
Black-and-white or color photographs, slides, maps, and renderings;
Extras such as posters, flyers, shirts, buttons, and bumper stickers;
Invitations or tickets; and
Backgrounders that include longer summaries about activities
This press kit contains the following samples:
Media Alert to invite reporters to a demonstration burn, (view PDF)
Q & A sheet describing the value of prescribed fire, (view PDF)
Dear Neighbor letter to inform citizens of an upcoming burn, (access word processing file)
News Article to provide the public with information about prescribed fire, (access word processing file)
Press Release to announce a public program. (access word processing file)
These are the basic media tools that will help you deliver a message to the community. However, don't limit yourself to the tools included in this kit. As you plan your events—whether they be prescribed fires for the media or forums for the public—be creative!
Please keep the following tips in mind when using this kit.
Know your audience.
Know your local media; make personal contact with reporters and editors.
Find out about deadlines and word counts for guest editorials and other columns that might be appropriate for your topic.
Have compelling black-and-white and color photographs or illustrations available.
Adopt a clear and concise writing style and stick to it. Many journalists use the Associated Press (AP) style when writing, although it is not required that you present all of your written documents in the AP style.
Below are guidelines for each of the media forms included here.
Media Alert Tips for Conducting a Demonstration Burn
Make your media alert clear and concise like a press release.
Provide a prescribed fire fact sheet or additional background information.
Follow up with media contacts to get an accurate count of how many reporters and photographers will be attending the event.
Have a press release, fact sheet, and other information available at the burn.
Assign one person to be media contact person and host for the day. On larger burns, you might have the media contact person in radio communication with the burn boss for regular informative updates on the progress of the burn.
Create a staging area for media representatives at the burn. Check attendance, distribute materials, and brief reporters on the day's events.
Know the names and affiliations of all members of the fire crew so photographers can record the information correctly.
Provide fire protection gear if possible.
"Dear Neighbor" Letter Tips
Make the letter friendly, clear, and informative.
Send your letter one or two weeks prior to the prescribed fire.
Include information such as traffic detours, road closings, and other happenings that could affect residents.
Mention the possibility that the burn date may be changed due to weather conditions.
Include a phone number where residents can call for information.
Clearly identify the entity conducting the burn (e.g., city, county, state, private)
On larger burns in or near developed areas, consider having a public-information table at a school, shopping center, or other public area close to the burn. This can be an information source for people who stop to see the burn. Consider having the information table in radio contact with the burn manager for informative updates.
News Article Tips
The news article included in this kit is an example of the type of story appropriate for a weekly or monthly publication.
Contact the weekly newspapers in your area for information regarding deadlines, word counts, photographs and other details relevant to article submission.
Have compelling photographs or illustrations available.
Use quotes from local people, including local experts.
Press Release Tips
Research your local newspaper, make contacts, and get to know the different departments within your newspaper.
Send your release to the appropriate department.
Make sure your release is well written. Use a clear and concise writing style.
Include all important details in your release.
Keep the release as short as possible (one page maximum).
Regularly update your media distribution list.
Volusia County Examples
These documents were pilot tested in Volusia County to inform citizens of the reasons land managers used prescribed fire as a management tool (view PDF), and to inform the media of upcoming burn in a subdivision (view PDF).
Footnotes
This document is FOR 75, a chapter in the Wildland Fire Education Handbook, Circular 1245, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published in January 2000; revised in July 2001. Reviewed August 2006. Part of this publication may be reproduced for educational use, please provide credit to the School of Forest Resources and Conservation. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
Frances Nevill, Public Relations Manager, The Nature Conservancy, 222 S.Westmonte Drive, Ste. 300, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714; Martha C. Monroe, Assistant Professor, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal
Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational
information and other services only to individuals and institutions
that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed,
color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital
status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations.
For more information on obtaining other extension publications,
contact your county Cooperative Extension service.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service,
University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative
Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer, Interim Dean.
