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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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When a chemical incident triggers the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents, communications stops being a “nice to have” and becomes operational. We’re back with Greg Barta, Public Information Officer for the Orange County Fire Authority, to dig into the nuts and bolts of crisis communication that most people never see: where to stage a press conference, how to set the tone, and the subtle skill of knowing when it’s time to end Q&A before it turns into a loop of repeats and rumors.

We also get candid about staffing and endurance. Greg walks through how his incident management team scaled PIO coverage with a 24/7 posture, including clear assignments for on-camera interviews, a dedicated media phone line, and a rover role to absorb surges. If you’ve ever wondered how agencies keep messaging consistent across multiple shifts and multiple partner agencies, this is a practical look at building a battle rhythm that holds up after the chaotic first 24 to 48 hours.

Then we zoom out to coordination: the interplay between the PIO shop and the liaison officer when elected officials are intensely engaged, and why a dedicated elected officials briefing can protect the core response while keeping leaders informed. On the public side, we talk community hotlines run through the Emergency Operations Center, the flood of social media comments and X direct messages, and what happens when “helpful suggestions” start clogging the system.

If crisis management, emergency communications, media relations, and incident command are part of your world, you’ll leave with tactics you can apply immediately. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more crisis leaders can find the show.

#ocfa #gknaerospace #crisiscomms #crisiscommunications #PIO #gardengrove #emergencymanagement #orangecounty

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We'd love to hear from you. Email the show at Tom@leadinginacrisis.com.

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Imagine being PIO for an incident that includes the evacuation of 50,000 local residents and and a real threat of major explosion or chemical release that could cause massive damage to homes and businesses. That' black swan scenario is what PIO Greg Barta was facing with his team at Orange County Fire Authority this past Memorial Day weekend when a runaway chemical reaction threatened their community. Greg serves as lead Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Orange County Fire Authority and gives us an inside look at how the team organized and managed communications to local residents and media around this incident.

We walk through what it looks like to staff up communications on a holiday weekend when you only have a few full time shift PIOs who just completed their PIO training the day before the incident. Talk about being tossed into the deep end of the pool!

Greg shares with us his strategy for relying on videos and social media to communicate critical incident updates to the evacuated communities. This proved an effective strategy, largely owing to the communications skills and empathy of the incident commanders and fire chief who appeared in the videos.

We also dig into the mechanics that keep a unified message intact: media advisories, daily talking points as living documents, and a fast approval loop with unified command so information moves quickly without getting sloppy. Finally, we talk media relations when the story goes national, reporters are clustered at the command post, and a press conference expands to nine speakers, plus the pre briefing steps that kept the event controlled and on message.

This is part one of a multi part deep dive. Subscribe, share this with a communicator who needs it, and leave a review.

#OCFA #gknaerospace #crisis comms #crisiscommunications #PIO #orangecounty #gardengrove

Support the show

We'd love to hear from you. Email the show at Tom@leadinginacrisis.com.