Burning news: covering wildfires subject of fall CEJ seminar

By Josh Blumenfeld

Extreme drought, low humidity and an abundance of fuel combined to create a 2002 wildfire season that wildfire historian Stephen Pyne has called "the equivalent of the perfect storm." Covering this story required, among other things, close cooperation between public information officers at the fire scene and the media.

Last November 14, the Center for Environmental Journalism brought together two public information officers and four journalists to describe their experiences during last summer's wildfire season as part of the CEJ's fall symposium. Speaking to about 30 journalism students, the panelists discussed the problems faced by public officials who have information and journalists trying to get this information - often under extremely stressful and rapidly changing conditions.

"Safety is the top priority," said Justin Dombrowski, wildland fire management officer for the City of Boulder Fire Department. "This can result in a lack of access to a fireline or a lack of timely information due to rapidly changing or unexpected environmental conditions." Dombrowski noted that the PIO has two, sometimes conflicting, duties when dealing with the media during a wildfire: providing timely information and access while at the same time ensuring the safety of the journalists along the fireline.

Pam Gardner, assistant director of public government affairs for the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region, agreed with Dombrowski. She noted that while a good PIO is sensitive to news deadlines, a fire is not. This requires flexibility by the media. While Gardner realizes that this is difficult while under a tight deadline, it is necessary for safety along the fireline.

To foster better communication during wildfires, the U.S. Forest Service adopted the Incident Command System in the 1970s, which established a standardized chain of command during a wildfire. The incident commander has the final say about all fire fighting decisions. The information officer is near the top of the command structure and answers to the incident commander.

During a wildfire, the information officer is responsible for much more than media relations. According to Gardner, the PIO also is responsible for internal communication for firefighters and the command staff; conducting community relations and meetings; dealing with elected officials and handling governmental relations; supervising and organizing staff, supplies and documents; and dealing with accidents, incidents and fatalities along the fireline. Understanding that giving information to the media is only one of the PIO's responsibilities will help the media get their story, Gardner and Dombrowski said.

Still, Gardner said, the number one rule of the PIO is that "the media will always get there before you do."

Representing the media on the panel were Alex Stone and Cory Lopez, radio reporters with Denver's 850 KOA, Robert Weller of the Associated Press and photojournalist and CU adjunct professor Kevin Moloney. All four have extensive experience covering wildfires.

Stone and Lopez both completed a 32-hour wildland firefighting training course and received a "red card." The card, along with special protective equipment, allows them onto the front lines of a wildfire. Both Stone and Lopez noted their frustrations getting access to the firelines, especially when dealing with local sheriff's officials. Addressing Dombrowski and Gardner directly, Lopez said, "Let us help you get the story out."

Bob Weller spent last summer covering the Hayman Fire and the Big Elk Fire, among others. To Weller, the biggest problems in covering a wildfire are editors (especially editors in the East who don't understand Western wildfires and the distances involved), cell phone reception and the people in charge of controlling access to the fireline.

"It's a hell of a lot of fun to go inside the fireline," Weller said. "But it can be a big waste of time."

Weller's biggest piece of advice to reporters covering a wildfire is to watch what you say and where you say it.

"You might have just gotten a great story," he said. "But don't go into a bar and brag about it when there are folks who have just lost all they had."

Photojournalist Kevin Moloney covered last summer's wildfire season for the New York Times. The nature of his work added additional challenges to his reporting.

"A photojournalist MUST be on the scene," Moloney said. "The only picture the editor wants is that big, flaming tree with firefighters in front hacking away with axes."

The flames are not the only dangerous part of a wildfire, according to Moloney. Many of the individuals on the scene are curious, nervous, high-adrenaline people who all want to be in the center of the action.

"You take all these type-A's and put them together, things are going to get a little tense," Moloney said. "Sometimes I think they should just slurry-bomb Valium onto the site."

Whether this summer's fire season will be as active as last summer's is unclear. What is clear, though, is that through better communication between PIOs and the media, a better understanding of the process of fighting a fire and, above all, patience, the story of the fire will get out.

Josh Blumenfeld is a Master's student in environmental journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder.