Steven Frischling
Summary
• 20+ years of experience leading high level public facing communications and external affairs.
• FEMA Advanced Public Information Officer certification.
• Develop and deliver crisis communications consulting, training and evaluation through www.CrisisComms.org
• Extensive history of developing and deploying full cycle crisis communications strategies.
• Storyteller, skilled in conveying brand awareness and crisis communications to audiences across diverse platforms.
• Develop and manage complex multilayer communications strategies for reshaping a story’s narrative.
• Highly skilled at inter-agency facilitation, with experience implementing internal and external project execution.
• Seasoned deadline driven communicator, adept in meeting the needs of the public, media and government entities.
• Team leader directing and managing organizational change management.
• Extensive experience with project management, from inception through completion.
• Experience working directly with the media, on-camera and off, addressing routine and crisis situations.
• Over 30 years of hands on experience in digital media platform management and content creation.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Public Information Officer/Captain
Chesterfield Fire Company
10.2018 - Current
- Established the Chesterfield Fire Co. Public Information Officer (PIO) position.
- Spokesperson for The Chesterfield Fire Company, Montville Fire Service, and external agencies as required.
- Manage the media relations, communications and external affairs needs for internal and external stake holders.
- Author speaking materials for Senior Leadership from multiple Fire Departments, for their addressing of the public, the media and governmental bodies.
- Develop and deploy full cycle crisis communications messaging and strategies for incident operations and reputation management.
- Serve as senior leadership advisor on organizational change management.
- Research and identify training gaps and develop preparedness plans to address training gap deficiencies.
- Train Officers and Senior Leadership in media policy and public communications best practices.
- Proactively engage external media partner coverage for both emergency & non-emergency events.
- Develop and deploy consistent proactive communications engagement strategies to effectively position the Montville Fire Service as the de facto source for emergency information for The Town.
- Lead and coordinate inter-agency communications.
- Manage public relations campaigns, from conception through development and execution.
- Develop public outreach and recruiting content, for diverse targeted audiences for multiple stakeholders.
- Conduct and analyze ‘A-B Testing' of content to determine messaging effectiveness for target audiences.
- Lead and direct community outreach initiatives, including public safety, public health and social services.
- Externally Assigned Taskings from the Chesterfield Fire Company
- Connecticut Div. of Emergency Management & Homeland Security Region 4 Incident Management Team, P.I.O.
- New London County Fire Chiefs' Association, Chairman - Communications Working Group
- Joint Eastern Region Special Operations Team – Technical Rescue Task Force, External Affairs Liaison
- Montville Inter-Company Fire Service Committee, Inter-Company Liaison
- Connecticut Div. of Emergency Management & Homeland Security IMT4 Mobile Communications
Public Information Officer – Contract
North Highland Emergency Management
08.2023 - Current
- Company Overview: (Contract–State of Florida)
- Tasked to Incident Management Team Command Staff
- Develop and deploy public information strategies in complex and evolving environments, for diverse audiences.
- Interface with and advise stakeholders to ensure the timely execution of their communications and external affairs needs during times of crisis.
- Assume the role of governmental Public Information Officer during disaster operations, at times for multiple municipalities simultaneously.
- Lead crisis and disaster communications strategy and messaging.
- Produce consistent and deadline driven messaging, including messaging for audiences that are disconnected from digital media and traditional media platforms.
- Serve as spokesman, on air and off air, on behalf of municipal agencies, as required.
- Engage external media partners to ensure timely and accurate reporting of incidents, as well as coordinating pre-incident public safety messaging.
- Establish proactive media relations to drive messaging across multiple platforms and outlets.
- Drive public facing public safety and public health messaging, operating in a disaster environment.
- Track and analyze external media reporting and social media content for accuracy and necessary response.
- Establish and manage Joint Information Center, managing the flow of real time information vetting, prioritizing and distribution of public information, in an all hazards environment.
- Prioritize and facilitate the messaging needs of external stakeholders for action by Incident Command.
- Develop contingency planning for community lifelines during disaster operations.
- Operate in the capacity of Liaison Officer and Operations Section Chief as required.
- Deployments include Hurricane Idalia, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
Crisis Communications & Public Affairs – Contract
Kenyon International Emergency Services
08.2024 - Current
- Develop and deploy crisis communications and public affairs strategies during catastrophic crisis incidents for multiple targeted audiences.
- Work with internal and external stakeholders to address catastrophic crisis incidents with transparency while mitigating damage to stakeholder reputation.
- Track and analyze both traditional and social media coverage of incidents for accuracy and appropriate response.
- Operate both within the structure of a Joint Information Center and independently to manage the flow of real time information vetting, prioritizing and distribution of information to the public.
- Establish reputation management messaging strategies, consistent with scope and timeline of incident.
- Manage proactive public affairs messaging across multiple platforms and outlets, ensuring victim sensitivity and cultural awareness.
- Conduct ‘A-B Testing' to analyze effectiveness of content for target audiences.
Principal and Chief Strategist
DigitalFish Solutions
01.2006 - 01.2024
- Developed and led digital communications and digital marketing projects for clients including KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, SkyTeam, Airbnb, British Airways, Gannett, Southwest Airlines, Hyatt, Bombardier, American Express, National Geographic and Qatar Airways.
- Oversaw client storytelling to advance branding and crisis communication across a broad spectrum of platforms, to connect with diverse target audiences.
- Directly managed crisis communications for global airline and travel brands, overseeing global social media messaging for incidents including fatal commercial aviation accidents, confirmed acts of terrorism in commercial aviation, wide-spread severe weather events and high profile negative encounters with international celebrities.
- Established brand reputation messaging and content strategies to reduce brand exposure to negative incidents.
- Developed comparative corporate communications strategies and messaging concepts, to determine effectiveness of deployment, to enhance client return on engagement.
- Led and managed communications teams of 2-to-20 personnel for periods of 3-to-16 months on behalf of clients.
- Managed client team operations & evolution, with direct reporting staff, across a broad spectrum of project taskings.
- Oversaw budget and resource allocation, ranging from project development to marketing execution.
- Produced internal and external communications products, to enhance engagement with diverse audiences.
- Established & executed Air France-KLM's global social media content & communications engagement strategy, under the KLM brand, allowing the global airline to measurably enhance its global brand presence, increasing customer attraction and audience retention, while monetizing digital media platforms.
- Initiated development of, and fully executed, global social marketing campaigns for the SkyTeam Alliance, advancing audience penetration, marketing initiatives, and loyalty requirements of stakeholders from 20+ global airlines across 19 countries.
- Served as Interim Director of Digital Media, successfully establishing the stand-alone Digital Media Department, from the ground up, building a team of 9, to support two independent casinos, along with their related four hotels, restaurants and clubs, 5 golf courses and other associated properties.
- Successfully oversaw the seamless transition of the newly established Digital Media Department, and its newly created team of 9, over to the Oneida Nation at the completion of the project, more than a month ahead of schedule.
- Increased client return on investment through realignment of multiple internal brands to a single brand presence.
- Provided analysis of established digital media platforms to enhance target audience attraction & retention.
- Conducted communications platform viability research, determining functional integration & return-on-investment.
- Established and deployed real-time digital audience development and engagement for a diverse global client base.
- Executed and led digital corporate communications and marketing initiatives across diverse verticals including travel, leisure, aerospace, media, technology, gaming, retail and legal.
- Designed & executed visual storytelling to advance client branding, audience penetration & control-of-messaging.
Public Information Officer
Cohanzie Fire Company
10.2016 - 11.2019
- Established the Cohanzie Fire Company's Public Information Officer (PIO) position.
- Executed daily public content on fire safety, emergency incident updates, public awareness and recruiting.
- Create and deploy effective storytelling to bolster public awareness and drive consistent recruiting goals.
- Served as senior advisor to the Chief on external affairs, media relations, internal policy and hazard mitigation.
- Developed and deployed crisis communications plan for operating in an all hazards environment.
- Researched and developed contingency planning for community lifelines during disaster operations.
- Served as spokesperson for the agency, both on air and off air.
- Routinely authored public statements for senior leadership, addressing policy and governmental affairs.
- Created documents and graphics for interaction with local, state and federal entities, as well as legislators.
- Trained Senior Leadership, Firefighters and EMS personnel in media best practices and media interaction.
- Routinely worked with external media partners, securing coverage for both emergency & non-emergency events.
- Externally Assigned Taskings from the Cohanzie Fire Company
- Eastern Connecticut Technical Rescue Task Force – Public Information Officer and External Affairs Liaison
- State of Connecticut Urban Search & Rescue Task Force - Public Information Officer
Education
Associate of Science -
FEMA National Disaster & Emergency Management University
Emmitsburg, MarylandAssociate Degree - Media & Mass Communications
Newbury College
Brookline, Massachusetts01.1995
Skills
- Public Affairs
- Crisis Communications
- Media Relations
- Strategic Communications
- Disaster Management
- Corporate Communications
- Incident Management
- Reputation Management
- Content Development
- Social Media
- Executive Communications
- Communications
- Training
- Stakeholder Management
- Content Strategy
- Community Outreach
- Crisis Management
- Team Leadership
Websites
Certification
- FEMA National Disaster & Emergency Management University
- Advanced Public Information Officer
- Public Information Basics
- State of Connecticut Fire Academy
- Public Information Officer
- ICS-300 Intermediate Incident Command System for Expanding Incidents
- University of Hawaii, National Disaster Preparedness Training Center
- Social Media Platforms in Disaster Management
- Coordinated Disaster Communications
- Texas A&M Engineering Extension Services - Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Public Information In An All Hazards Incident
- Readiness: Training Identification and Preparedness Planning
- Centre for Crisis and Risk Communications
- Social Media in Crisis Communications
- Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency
- ICS-400 Advanced Incident Command System for Complex Incidents
- Continuity of Operations Planning Essentials
- New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services - Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Foundations of Emergency Management
- Science of Disaster
- Planning : Emergency Operations
- Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program
- FEMA Center for Domestic Preparedness
- Effective Use of Social and Traditional Media During Emergencies
- Harvard University
- U.S. Public Policy: Social, Economic and Foreign Policies
- Citizen Politics in America: Public Opinion, Elections, Interest Groups, and the Media
- Team Rubicon
- PIO 101—Introduction to Public Information Officer
- PIO 201—Writing & Media Relations
- PIO 301—Social Media
- PIO for Field Leaders
- Handling Press & Filming Inquiries On-Site
- FEMA National Disaster & Emergency Management University – Emergency Management Institute
- Public Information Officer Awareness
- Social Media in Emergency Management
- NIMS Public Information Systems
- Emergency Support Function 15 - External Affairs
- Emergency Support Function 2 – Communications
- Emergency Management for Senior Officials
- Concepts of Religious Literacy for Emergency Management
Timeline
Crisis Communications & Public Affairs – Contract
Kenyon International Emergency Services
08.2024 - Current
Public Information Officer – Contract
North Highland Emergency Management
08.2023 - Current
Public Information Officer/Captain
Chesterfield Fire Company
10.2018 - Current
Public Information Officer
Cohanzie Fire Company
10.2016 - 11.2019
Principal and Chief Strategist
DigitalFish Solutions
01.2006 - 01.2024
Associate Degree - Media & Mass Communications
Newbury College
Associate of Science -
FEMA National Disaster & Emergency Management University
Similar Profiles
Rachel WinterRachel Winter
Firefighter/ALS Provider at Chesterfield Fire & EMSFirefighter/ALS Provider at Chesterfield Fire & EMS
Robert SadlerRobert Sadler
Firefighter at Chesterfield Fire And Emergency Medical ServicesFirefighter at Chesterfield Fire And Emergency Medical Services
Sanjae McKinnonSanjae McKinnon
Human Resources Analyst II at Chesterfield Fire and EMSHuman Resources Analyst II at Chesterfield Fire and EMS
Wendy FleuryWendy Fleury
Public Information Officer/911 Public Safety Telecommunicator at Pierce County Emergency ManagementPublic Information Officer/911 Public Safety Telecommunicator at Pierce County Emergency Management
Gina CopasGina Copas
Administrative Assistant / Public Information Officer / Public Education & Recruitment Lead at Chehalis Fire DepartmentAdministrative Assistant / Public Information Officer / Public Education & Recruitment Lead at Chehalis Fire Department