TheInformation Officer - (IO) is responsible for developing and releasing information about the incident to the news media, to incident personnel, and to other appropriate agencies and organizations.

Only one IO will be assigned for each incident, including incidents operating under Unified Commander (UC) and multi-jurisdiction incidents. The IO may have assistants as necessary, and the assistants may also represent assisting agencies or jurisdictions. The Joint Information Center (JIC) Manual should be reviewed regarding the organization and duties of the IO.

Agencies have different policies and procedures relative to the handling of public information. The following are the major responsibilities of the IO, which would generally apply on any incident. The major responsibilities of the IO are:

• Review Common Responsibilities
  
  
• Determine from the Incident Command (IC) if there are any limits on information release.
  
  
• Develop material for use in media briefings.
  
  
• Obtain IC approval of media releases.
  
  
• Inform media and conduct media briefings.
  
  
• Arrange for tours and other interviews or briefings that may be required.
  
  
• Obtain media information that may be useful to incident planning.
  
  
• Maintain current information summaries and/or displays on the incident and provide information on the status of the incident to assigned personnel.
  
  
• Maintain Unit/Activity Log (ICS Form 214, 5 KB PDF^*).