A great item from Paul Roszkowski over at the District 13 blog, related to the earlier story about the false passenger-overboard report.
Well, we had an interesting morning, not that every morning isn’t interesting but this one will stand out as the day that things changed. I don’t like to write stories about myself and don’t believe that public affairs should be part of the story we tell, but in this case it is the story.
I got a call from KOMO News, one of our local tv stations, asking about a report of a man overboard from the Washington State Ferry Wenatchee. The duty PA was out covering another event so I took the call and told the person on the other end that I’d have to check with the command center. Indeed, there was a report of a man overboard from the ferry. A passenger reported seeing someone in the water between Bainbridge Island and Seattle in Elliott Bay. I called KOMO back with the details and went into public affairs mode. I double checked with Sector Seattle, confirmed the information and opened our website to start a release. Then the phones started ringing off the hook.
What follows is, as best as I could capture, a tweet by tweet account of the unfolding case.
First Tweet @ 0826
komonewsA person has fallen off of a Washington State ferry on the Bainbridge-to-Seattle run. Details soon at http://komonews.comJohnLivengoodMan overboard report on the Seattle/Bainbridge 7:55 boat. Not confirmed but we’ve turned around. http://yfrog.com/5azsmj
tharkad Hey @toddaburke, can you let everyone know that I’m going to be late for work – there’s a #manoverboard on the Bainbridge ferry.
KING5SeattleReport of a possible person overboard from Ferry Wenatchee on run from Bainbridge to Seattle – Coast Guard assisting in search
uscgd13Coast Guard is launching on a man overboard off the Ferry Wenatachee on the Bainbridge Island run.
uscgd13One helicopter from Port Angeles and a boat from Station Seattle on the waty
KING5AMNEWSBREAKING NEWS: Search underway for passenger who may have fallen off Bainbridge Island ferry “Wenatchee”. USCG helping in search.
[Read more (LOTS more) tweets...]
Last tweet @ 0935
In the end it was a false report and everyone was safe, but the way it ran, the way we were able to follow it real time, from passengers, media, rescuers and partners will be an expectation in the future rather than an exception to the rule.
Why no formal press release? No time, no one to write it, but since we consider any time we talk to the media a press release, well this is just a micro-press release.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been trying to figure out a productive use for Tweeting and I think this is it: on the spot reporting of crisis events (even if the event is later reported to not be a crisis). Thanks to the US Coast Guard for being in the fore front for accepting and using this technology, too.
It was something that we had been kicking around as an idea. Micro-press releases, using twitter or SMS messaging. I thought it was the right time to try it. It was very interesting to see how it played out and if you look we didn’t post much and WA Dot has a role in this too. They were just as on top of thing including retweeting tweets from passengers aboard the ferry.
Chief Petty Officer Paul Roszkowski, Assistant Public Affairs Officer, 13th Coast Guard District