In public relations, we work at the speed of news. It is typical to hear someone say they spent their day “putting out fires.” And the comparison is more apt than you might think.
I would know; for the last few years, I’ve spent my days putting out fires. Literally. I worked across the country, protecting our communities and public lands as a wildland firefighter.
While I find myself having to sleep on the ground a lot fewer nights now, there are some parallels between the constantly changing, fast-paced work I did then and the work I do now.
One of the foundational standard firefighting orders applies just as well to working in public relations: Be alert. Keep calm. Think clearly. Act decisively.
Be Alert
On a fire, your environment is constantly changing throughout the day. You track the trends in weather and wind. You keep your head up for falling trees or rolling debris. The most dangerous thing a firefighter can be is complacent, to avoid danger and take advantage of opportune moments for action.
Working in PR, we are also constantly on alert. We track trends in the news and the courts. We stay ahead of potential news or crisis communication events. We avoid being complacent, to ensure we don’t miss major opportunities.
Keep Calm
Working against a roaring fire, the heat and noise can be overwhelming. It is easy to become disoriented and let stress creep in. Similarly, in our job, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with a breaking news story or reporter request we aren’t anticipating.
In the face of any of this stress, staying calm is what allows us to best serve our mission or our client. Keeping calm is what allows us to follow the next instruction:
Think Clearly
In a cloud of smoke, it’s easy to let your judgment become clouded. The same is true in communications, though less smoky. It often requires you to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. On a fire, that might mean a tactical pause in the heat of the day to regroup. In PR, it might mean a tactical pause to ensure that any pitch, press release, or interview gets us closer to our strategic goals.
Act Decisively
This last part of the order requires all the previous instructions be followed. You must: Be alert. Keep calm. Think clearly. But once all of that is done, this is arguably the most important piece of the order. On a fire, when an opportunity arises, it is often safer to fight fire aggressively. Getting to our goals quickly, leaving less room for errors.
In public relations, the same is true. It’s why we almost never recommend a “No comment” response to media inquiries. Decisively taking control of any opportunity allows us to drive the narrative. When the moment arrives, we move with precision and control, but never passively.
I may not spend my days putting out literal fires anymore, but this order remains a mantra, guiding how I approach every story, client and crisis.
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