Well-equipped when it comes to public relations - this applies to the press officers and managers of the fire brigades in the region. On Saturday, 13 September, they attended the practical workshop on "Communication" organised by the Giessen District Fire Brigade Association and Giessen Municipal Utilities. In March, the two partners had already organised a seminar on the basics of press relations.
Answering questions from the radio at the scene of an emergency, writing press releases for the media and maintaining a constant presence on the Internet - these are the demanding tasks that all press officers at volunteer fire brigades regularly face. In contrast to media professionals from other emergency services, such as the police, most volunteers in this position do not have the relevant professional training. They usually learn the tools of the trade on the side in their free time. Michael Weber, Chairman of the Giessen District Fire Brigade Association (KFV), therefore believes it is all the more important to provide appropriate training, as was recently anchored in the cooperation agreement between Stadtwerke Giessen (SWG) and the KFV. "We are delighted that Stadtwerke Gießen is helping as a partner to organise and host professional training seminars for the media officers of volunteer fire brigades."
An extensive theory workshop with high-calibre speakers took place back in March. This was followed by the practical part on Saturday 13 September, where the participants had to get hands-on.
Mastering tasks as a team
"The entire day is all about trying things out and practising. Together with the district fire brigade association and the speakers, we have developed tasks that can also be performed in real life," explained Ulli Boos, Head of Marketing at SWG, at the start of the communication workshop. "We hope that the participants will take away as many helpful insights as possible and feel well equipped for future challenges in terms of public relations."
The programme of the practical seminar was divided into three subject areas. Constanze Schleenbecker-Büttner, journalist at Hessischer Rundfunk and communications trainer, practised writing press releases together with the seminar participants. She gave examples of what is particularly important in this type of text. The working group led by Stefan Thörner and Carsten Kestawitz, both press spokespersons and heads of the public relations team at the Lich Volunteer Fire Brigade, focussed on maintaining a Facebook presence. Among other things, they answered questions about suitable content for social media channels and common mistakes. The participants were able to prepare for an interview in front of a camera during the workshop organised by Stefan Becker from the district fire brigade association and Constanze Schleenbecker-Büttner - a unique opportunity to act out this situation under professional guidance.
"Many seminars and further training programmes offer good content, but remain at a theoretical level. Today has shown once again: Nothing beats first-hand experience. Enriched with valuable tips from experts, they are the best preparation for major challenges or everyday tasks," emphasised Ulli Boos.