Every EMT and paramedic learns the 6 “rights” of medication administration – a mental checklist that facilitates safe medication administration. When it comes to giving medications, the 6 “rights” give providers a way to slow down, think critically, and deliver interventions in a way that benefit patients and improves outcomes.

In the same way, the 6 “rights” of public relations (PR) allow EMS agencies to think strategically, consider the big picture, and tell their story in a way that helps them build support, gain trust from their community, and advance their organization’s objectives. This is more than a luxury; it’s an operational necessity as EMS agencies are increasingly stretched thin and relying on support from their community.

Keep reading to learn more about the 6 “rights” of PR and how to use them:

1. The Right Objective

Good PR is about more than social media posts, press interviews and community events. Good PR starts and ends with a goal – maybe it’s garnering support for more municipal funding, increasing donations for your annual fundraising efforts, or making your agency more attractive to prospective team members. Whatever your organization’s objective, define it and use it as the anchor for your PR efforts.

2. The Right Audience

There is no single “public.” Instead, your organization serves many different publics: the media, the community, politicians, partner agencies, and more.

A message intended for everybody will be received by nobody. Just like on an incident scene, you need to know who you are talking to and clearly direct your communication to make sure it reaches them.

The right audience can and should be directly connected to your organization’s objectives. For example, if you hope to build support for an increase in municipal funding, you should focus on building connections and telling your story to the city council, county executive, or voters who make that decision.

3. The Right Message

A good message is simple, jargon free, and consistent. Good communication isn’t just about saying something – it’s about saying it in a way that lands with the people you want to reach, backing it up with facts, and then making sure you and others are repeating often it to create a clear and authentic ethos for your organization.

4. The Right Channels

It’s not just what you say, but how and where you say it too. Where your organization shows up matters.

A fundraising letter is a great tool (yes, even in today’s digital world) but it means little if it’s the only time your community hears from your organization. Similarly, a social media post will only get you so far in securing a 5- or 6-figure subsidy from your town.

Building relationships, highlighting your achievements online and in the media, and being present in the community are all vital parts of making your organization’s story known.

5. The Right Timing

The best time to tell your story and build a strong reputation is before you need it. Being a known and trusted entity in your community can go a long way toward advancing your agency’s objectives when your budget is up for a vote, your contract is up for negotiation, or when an incident happens involving your team.

But sometimes, being ahead of the curve just doesn’t work. When your agency finds itself in the spotlight, remember the three “Ts” in the moments that follow:

• • • Timely: Speak up early – tell your story before it gets told for you. Have the infrastructure in place to be able to make an initial comment within minutes, not hours.
    • Truthful: Be transparent. What happened? What are you doing about it? The community places trust in your organization and expects accountability in return – especially when things go wrong.
    • Targeted: Stick only to the facts you can prove. What happened? When? Where? To/by whom? Avoid the temptation to speculate. Offer to follow up if you don’t know an answer right away.

6. The Right Source

Choose the right person to tell your story, depending on who you’re talking to and what you have to say. Not every messenger is built equally. For example, your medical director might be the best voice to speak about new protocols you’re enacting to better serve the community, while a member of the community may be a good partner in highlighting how those protocols helped save a life.

When agencies communicate with intention, consistency, and credibility, they build a reputation that supports long-term sustainability: stronger partnerships, smoother negotiations, better recruitment, and deeper community support.

Planning ahead and having a roadmap for how your agency will tell its story, goes a long way to making sure your organization shows up in the best way possible when it matters most. If your agency doesn’t yet have a structured approach to communication, now is the time to build one.

If you’d like to learn more or discuss how we can help, get in touch.