Kristin Tinsley joined the Seattle Fire Department in 2017 as the Sr. Communications Manager/Public Information Officer. As the Sr. Communications Manager, she leads the department’s public information team which is responsible for sharing critical and timely information to the public and media. She handles policy communications for the department and develops communication plans for launching external-facing programs and initiatives.
When on-scene of significant incidents, Kristin serves as a public information officer for the department and handles media relations and emergency alert notifications. She has responded to many major incidents, including the Oso 530 Landslide, multiple-alarm fires, major rescue extrications, serious hazardous materials spills, and more.
Kristin holds a BA in Communications from Western Washington University. Prior to joining the Seattle Fire Department, she worked in the field of public outreach and communications for the City of Seattle Office of Emergency Management, Pierce County Public Works and Pierce County Department of Emergency Management. Kristin has worked in government for 11 years, and is passionate about working for first responder agencies to help them positively impact the community they serve through digital communications, media relations, in-person engagement and sharing of critical messaging.
11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m. PT — Wednesday, August 18, 2021
The public information team from the Seattle Fire Department will explore the concept of editorial planning with participants, sharing how to create an editorial planning calendar of content to successfully forge positive relationships with the online community. The team will discuss how to smoothly incorporate seasonal public safety messages with incident communications, along with which types of social media posts receive the most engagement. Finally, a case study of communicating with the public during COVID will be shared with participants, and how the regional and consistent messaging helped to enforce public health guidance.