When tens of thousands of people have to leave home over a chemical incident, the hardest part isn’t just operations, it’s keeping the public confidently informed while the story explodes across the news. We pick up our conversation with Greg Barta, Public Information Officer for Orange County Fire Authority, on what actually works when the phones won’t stop ringing and every word can move a community.
We dig into OCFA’s crisis communication strategy on X, why it remains their primary channel, and how that choice serves two critical audiences at once: residents who need clear instructions and the media who amplify official updates. Greg shares how the team uses short incident commander video messages to “feed the beast” with accurate B roll and soundbites, while still carving out time for one off interviews with local affiliates and national outlets without pulling chiefs away from running unified command.
We also get real about pressure points: a tiny on air wording slip that triggers hours of follow up, how media monitoring helps you spot problems fast, and why it’s better to admit uncertainty than to guess. Then we zoom out to crisis websites, the danger of information vacuums, and what it signals when a responsible company is largely invisible in public messaging. Along the way, Greg talks onboarding brand new PIOs mid crisis, choosing between specialists and well rounded reps, and the leadership support that makes timely, accurate updates possible.
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