Social Media Policy
Lawrenceville Fire Dept.
Date: 2-5-2012
Lawrenceville Ambulance Association
Lawrenceville Auxiliary
This policy addresses the issues related to communication
and participation in social media channels, and it is intended to protect the integrity,
reputation, status and good name of the Lawrenceville Fire Department, their members,
officers, and directors. As a member of the Lawrenceville
Ambulance Association and Lawrenceville Auxiliary, you must first be a member of the Fire
Department, this policy applies to all three divisions of the Lawrenceville Fire Department.
Social
media can take many different forms, including internet forums, blogs, online profiles, wikis,
podcasts, pictures and videos, emails, and instant messaging, to name just a few. Social networking
sites like Face book, Twitter and LinkedIn, news sharing and bookmarking sites, like Delicious
and Digg, as well as photo and video-sharing sited like Flickr and YouTube can be exciting
venues for communication in our professional and personal lives. However, please keep in mind that
online conversations and posting are not private. Anything you post online can be searched
, used and shared by others.
It
is not our intention to restrict your ability to have an online presence and a mandate what you can
and cannot say. We believe social networking is a very valuable tool and continue to advocate
the responsible involvement of those associated with the Fire Department in these forums.
While we encourage this online collaboration, we
are providing you with Department policy and a set of guideline for appropriate online conduct
to avoid the misuse of the communication medium.
This social media policy applies to all individuals
associated with the Lawrenceville Fire department under the following circumstances:
1) If you are
participating in social media in your official position and/or official Responsibilities
as a representative of the Fire Department.
2) If your
personal social media activities including but not limited to, online conversations, communications
and posting, give the appearance of speaking about or on behalf of the Fire Department or
those associated therewith.
3) If you are
discussing fellow Fire Department members, officers, directors, or the Department policies, decisions or practices.
Adhering to the following principles in any situation
will provide protection for you and the Fire Department and all those associated therewith.
1) Always express
ideas and opinion in a respectful manner. Think of what you say online in the same way as
statements you might make to the media, or emails you might send to people you don’t
know. Social medial sites are not the forum for venting personal complaints about other members,
officers, directors, or even members of the public.
2) Always write
in the first person and make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on the behalf
of the Fire Department. Use a disclaimer such as “The opinion expressed on the
site are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Fire Department”
to make it clear that your views are not reflective of the views of the Fire
Department.
3) Always be
aware that your comments may have the potential to cause ill-will, reduce morale, convey
unintended position statement or the wrong impressions or messages regarding the Fire Department policies and/or procedures
or create a hostile work environment.
You are responsible for the content you
post. Keep in mind that anything you post online remains in cyberspace forever, and information on networking profiles is
published in a very public place. Even if you post anonymously or under a pseudonym,
your identity can still be revealed. You should not assume confidentialility of information that you share through social
media.
The Fire Department may monitor content on the web
and reserve the right to remove posts that violate this policy. Any online posting, comments, or actions that directly or
indirectly reflect poorly on or impair the reputation or good name of the Fire Department, or negatively impacts the officers,
director, or other members violate this policy. Any violation of this policy is subject to disciplinary and/or legal action,
including but not limited to, termination of membership from the fire department.
If you have any questions about this policy, please
contact one of the following members;
Current Fire Department President
Current Ambulance President
Current Auxiliary President
Current Fire Chief
Current Ambulance Chief
Any of the current three Board of Directors