America’s 9-1-1 professionals are often taken for granted. Most people have no idea how much training and strength of character it takes to do the job, or how under-funded the 9-1-1 system is. The typical 9-1-1 authority has only one person to handle external communications, or it is often just a part of someone's job.
Do these problems have real-world costs and consequences? Yes! There are lives at stake. If the 9-1-1 community cannot communicate effectively about 9-1-1 and get the public to understand it and support it, that ultimately puts people’s lives and property at risk.
Moreover, if 9-1-1’s advocates cannot persuade governments to fully fund and support 9-1-1, then the health and wellness of 9-1-1 call takers will be at risk, as well. 9-1-1 professionals have sedentary and stressful jobs, which can lead to obesity, hypertension, depression, even PTSD and suicide. This can affect their performance and make it harder to recruit and retain new staff, putting more pressure on those who remain.
At the recent annual conference of NENA: The 9-1-1 Association, I had the honor of leading a discussion on this topic, and I asked a group of about 50 9-1-1 professionals: “How are we doing?” Approximately 85% said the 9-1-1 community, collectively, needs to do a better job of educating the public about 9-1-1’s challenges.
So, what can be done?
For almost 10 years now, Team DCC has had the honor of helping NENA advocate for America’s 9-1-1 system and its people. We have only a small team and small budget, which requires us to be creative and persistent in our approach.
Here are three common-sense PR techniques that have worked for NENA at the national, state and local levels, and which may be relevant to advancing your organization's cause.
Develop simple messaging that resonates. Most Americans aren’t familiar with technology or public policy jargon. Thus, it is essential to simplify the message and frame it in plain English that strikes a chord with common sense and emotion. Focus on why the message is relevant to the listener, not the speaker.
For example, our advocacy messaging for the 911 SAVES Act, which would change the federal job classification of 9-1-1 from clerical to public safety, emphasizes, “It’s time to give our ‘headset heroes’ the recognition and support they deserve.” Everyone believes in recognizing heroes.
Likewise, our messaging for the Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911) Act stresses that “NG911 will mean faster, more accurate emergency response for you, your family, your community.” That’s what’s in it for me!
It’s also very helpful to humanize the message. For example, we started a practice of saluting our “#911Heroes” on NENA’s Facebook page every time we saw a media story about a hometown 9-1-1 professional saving the day, such as coaching CPR on a baby, locating stranded hikers, and so on.
State your messaging in common-sense terms, with a human connection and an emotional punch, and watch heads start nodding.
Take a multimedia approach with strong visuals. In the “old days,” the primary modes of getting one’s story across were buying ads; persuading reporters to write or air flattering stories; hosting live events and hoping people showed up; and sending out direct mail.
These days, people consume news and information from a proliferation of sources: websites, social media platforms, emails, texts, video, as well as traditional media sources. The chief media device is the smartphone, and people tend to scroll through multiple sources multiple times a day.
Although it can feel challenging to cover so many channels at once, there are several amazing benefits of this trend. Communicators have more control over their own channels and can reach their targeted audiences more precisely. Audience members can instantly share your content if they like it, easily multiplying your reach.
It’s also imperative to always use a strong photo, illustration, or video clip. Amid an ocean of competing content, visuals are a guaranteed way to attract and increase viewer engagement. Smartphone photos and videos and graphic design apps like Canva or Piktochart make it easy to create the visuals you need.
Cultivate strong allies and partners. The “go to” partner of most 9-1-1 authorities is the local school system, which offers a captive audience of rising young citizens. However, the adult public is largely ignorant and apathetic about 9-1-1 and needs to be reached as well.
This is why NENA launched its #ThankYou911 campaign, going beyond basic education on how to use 9-1-1 properly and beyond its public policy agenda, to raise awareness and appreciation of the hard work done by 9-1-1 professionals. To the extent we succeed, there will be less apathy and pushback when the 9-1-1 community calls for investment in NG911 technology upgrades or more support for stressed-out 9-1-1 workers.
The core element of the #ThankYou911 campaign is partnering with other organizations and individuals who can help NENA reach a wider audience, such as local and national government leaders; local companies; sports teams and players; and celebrities.
For example, using a website called Cameo, NENA obtained brief video testimonials for the 9-1-1 cause from actors Sean Astin of Goonies and Lord of the Rings, and Ice-T of NBC’s Law and Order: SVU. The latter video was NENA’s best-performing social media post of all time, earning 520,000 views and 25,000 engagement actions.
Through plain, old-fashioned outreach and persistence, NENA has also earned highly visible support from TV, film, and music stars including Halle Berry, Angela Bassett, Rob Lowe, Connie Britton, Craig Morgan, and Luke Wilson.
We’ve also worked with star athletes, like Garnet Hathaway of the Washington Capitals, who have posted social media shout-outs; and with major league sports teams and corporate sponsors, like the Seattle Mariners and Comtech to host “9-1-1 Days” at home games. We’ve even partnered with convenience and food store chains like KwikChek, Wendy’s, and Starbucks to treat local 9-1-1 workers to free beverages and snacks.
The measurable results have included more than 2.5 million views of our celebrity videos and thousands of dollars raised for education and wellness programs for 9-1-1 workers. The “priceless” benefits have included higher VIP and public support of 9-1-1.
Click on this link to see the results of this amazing campaign.
For more information: Local 9-1-1 authorities who are interested in launching such programs can call on me or NENA Communications Director Chris Nussman for advice, resources, and support. We have a proven track record of successfully advocating for 9-1-1.
Also, my slides are here, and to listen to the full audio of the conference session, visit the NENA Live Learning Center. Under “Conference,” click on “NENA 2021”; under “Track,” select “Pub Ed & Outreach;” and then select “How to Educate the Public About 9-1-1’s Challenges.” The recording is free to anyone who purchased the full registration at conference; others may access individual videos for a nominal fee. END