1.
Case
Study:
Reaching
the
Public
Before
the
Fire
Reaches
Them
Province
of
B.C.
Forest
Fire
Digital
Strategy
2009
Purpose
For
the
Province
to
be
able
to
connect
directly
with
the
public
in
a
rapidly
changing
emergency
situation,
such
as
a
forest
fire.
Scope/Context
In
2009,
the
British
Columbia
provincial
government
had
a
strong
internal
emergency
response
structure
but
was
not
yet
active
in
the
emerging
social
media
sphere
nor
did
it
have
any
official
guidelines
in
place.
Challenge
Relying
on
the
static
website
as
the
hub
for
emergency
information
meant
that
it
could
only
be
updated
during
office
hours.
But
forest
fires
happen
around
the
clock.
The
provincial
government
needed
a
way
to
get
vital
information
about
evacuations
and
alerts
out
to
the
public
instantly.
In
addition,
it
was
clear
that
conversations
about
the
forest
fire
situation
in
B.C.
were
already
taking
place
in
the
social
media
sphere.
But
because
the
provincial
government
wasn’t
present
on
those
platforms
it
was
losing
an
opportunity
to
educate
the
public
and
stop
misinformation.
Actions
To
respond
to
the
immediate
need
to
provide
real-­‐time
information
the
communications
team
created
a
Twitter
feed
(bcgovfireinfo).
The
Twitter
feed
incorporated
the
hashtag
#kelownafires,
which
was
already
being
used
online,
so
that
government’s
information
would
be
part
of
the
conversation.
The
Twitter
feed
was
used
to
share
real-­‐time
information,
correct
misinformation,
and
drive
traffic
to
important
safety
information
on
the
provincial
website.
Citizens
were
finding
the
Ministry
of
Forests
website
too
dense
and
difficult
to
navigate.
The
communications
team
then
created
a
Wordpress
site,
FireSafeBC
(now
Emergency
Info
BC),
as
a
client-­‐centered
portal
for
information
on
forest
fires.
This
site
was
simple
and
interactive,
with
limited
text
per
page,
concise
navigation
and
prominent
photos,
videos
and
maps.
The
Wordpress
site
housed
everything
from
the
latest
evacuation
orders
to
important
safety
information.
Staff
were
able
to
update
it
whenever
necessary,
ensuring
that
it
was
always
contained
the
most
up-­‐to-­‐date
and
reliable
information.
Because
of
the
high
volume
of
questions
and
conversation
occurring
on
Twitter,
the
communications
team
decided
to
create
a
BC
Forest
Fire
Info
Facebook
page.
The
Facebook
page
still
provided
real-­‐time
information,
but
focused
more
on
engaging
with
their
audience.
The
majority
of
the
traffic
on
the
page
consisted
of
people
asking
personal
questions
(Where
is
the
smoke
coming
from?
Is
there
a
fire
near
my
house?
Where
am
I
supposed
to
go?).
By
responding
to
personal
questions,
the
team
was
able
to
reassure
its
audience
and
stop
misinformation
from
spreading.

2.
The
government
used
a
Galaxy
model
–
with
the
Wordpress
site
as
the
hub,
and
Twitter
and
Facebook
as
satellites
to
engage
the
public
and
drive
them
to
the
hub.
All
three
of
these
channels
were
integrated
into
the
wildfire
ad
campaign.
By
using
a
multi-­‐pronged
approach:
advertizing,
media
and
social
networks,
the
government
was
able
to
raise
forest
fire
awareness.
Results
Through
its
social
media
campaign
the
government
was
able
to:
• Provide
a
single
‘face’
of
government
during
fires
that
threaten
communities.
• Provide
needed
online
support
for
local
municipalities
in
times
of
emergency.
• Maintain
coordinated
messaging
across
different
organizations,
even
when
the
fire
season
got
busy.
The
public
response
to
the
provincial
government’s
social
strategy
was
overwhelming.
On
Twitter
the
government
was
able
to
connect
with
other
emergency
organizations
instantly,
re-­‐
tweeting
their
information
or
clarifying
information.
Reporters
were
able
to
follow
the
feed
and
get
real
time
information.
And
the
government
was
able
to
increase
awareness
of
campfire
bans
and
driving
conditions
by
broadcasting
information.
The
Facebook
page
took
off
as
the
users
started
to
take
ownership
of
it.
It
became
THE
place
on
Facebook
to
connect
about
forest
fires
in
B.C.,
which
meant
that
people
started
connecting
with
each
other,
not
just
with
the
government.
They
also
became
a
self-­‐moderating
community.
The
page
did
have
a
moderator
policy,
but
it
was
seldom
invoked,
as
users
would
instantly
chide
those
using
the
site
improperly.
The
government
received
strong
support
and
approval
for
its
use
of
social
media
during
the
2009
fire
season.
The
public
thought
the
government
was
being
proactive
by
using
social
media
to
connect
with
citizens
and
were
positive
towards
the
government
online.
Best
Practices
See
it
from
public’s
point
of
view
–
All
the
tools
were
created
in
response
to
a
public
need
and
with
the
user
in
mind.
This
determined
the
look
the
type
of
information
of
each
site.
Go
where
people
are
–The
provincial
government
went
to
where
conversations
were
already
happening
–
Twitter
and
Facebook
–
and
joined
in.
Be
mobile
–
The
tools
needed
to
be
updatable
by
anyone,
at
anytime,
anywhere.
Using
social
media
meant
that
staff
did
not
need
to
be
at
a
computer,
they
could
be
in
the
field
with
a
mobile
device
or
at
home
(during
evening
shifts).
Break
down
silos
–
All
relevant
partners
were
brought
on
board,
so
that
the
Ministry
of
Forests
wasn’t
acting
alone.
By
looping
other
relevant
provincial
ministries
into
the
planning
stages
the
communications
team
was
certain
their
channels
had
accurate
information
and
support.
Operationalize
–
Before
the
fire
season
was
over,
staff
training
had
been
developed
on
how
to
use
the
tools,
and
guidelines
were
created
to
manage
content.
This
meant
that
more
people
could
participate
in
managing
the
channels
without
the
channels
losing
their
personality.

3.
Conclusion
In
times
of
emergency
the
public
looks
to
the
government
for
direction.
The
British
Columbia
provincial
government’s
social
strategy
provided
clear
leadership
and
instilled
public
confidence
because
the
government
went
to
where
its
audience
was
already
active
and
provided
them
with
valuable
real-­‐time
information.