Washington, DC—Your coworker arrives in the office and says during her commute she saw smoke in the direction of the forest nearby. Concerned, you check your cell phone for news from family members who live near that area. You see several notifications from a public information officer that a wildfire, which started earlier that day, is now almost 100% contained, and that there have been no evacuations. With a sigh of relief, you (mentally) thank the officer for the good news, and get back to work.

This scenario illustrates the role of public information officers during an incident. PIOs are responsible for communicating information about incidents and interacting with different audiences, including community members, media, emergency agencies and others. PIOs also inform and educate the broader public on how fires can be managed responsibly and safely to prevent or reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

Throughout 2022, a small team of PIOs from Region 2 collaborated with counterparts in Brazil, which included presenting two Introduction to Incident Information courses, also known as S-203, and consulted about how Brazilians might choose to adapt and apply U.S. wildfire techniques.

In October, they traveled to Brazil for the first in-person delivery of an S-203 course outside the United States and contributed to strategic planning for prescribed fire communications alongside Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation staff.

Forest Service PIOs Brenda Bowen, Kristie Thompson and Dawn Sanchez are members of National Incident Management teams with years of experience providing public information for national wildfire and all-risk incidents. Their dedication and cooperation with local counterparts were key to the success of the course hosted by Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, in Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Twenty-nine people from different federal environmental agencies, other public agencies, firefighters, and journalists gathered to exchange knowledge and experiences in incident information. The course offered strategies for communicating effectively and ensuring transparency during incidents. Students left with a toolbox of products for use during real world events.

The class was a learning opportunity for students and instructors alike and made a lasting impact.

“Sharing cross-cultural fire-related practices, being a part of the cadre to deliver the first in-person S-203 course held in the country of Brazil and experiencing the beautiful public lands of Chapada dos Guimaraes will most certainly remain a highlight of my Forest Service career,” said Kristie Thompson. “This was a year in the making and undoubtedly worth the preparation. We took just as much away from this training as we were able to share.”

"The more we communicate and make the whole process transparent in every way, whether for our internal audiences or for communities, the less noise we have and the more credibility we gain by having partners by our side," said Cintia Brazão, chief of the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park.

The course was supported by Forest Service International Programs, ICMBio and the U.S. Agency for International Development. This experience opens the door to the possibility of bringing S-203 to additional countries as wildfires increase in intensity and frequency worldwide.

“We look forward to bringing this learning opportunity to both instructors and students as we collaborate with partners around the world,” said Dawn Sanchez. “Collaborating with partners and learning from their experiences allows us to bring that knowledge back and apply it to situations we are confronted with here in the United States.”