PIO Contact Information

The Columbia Fire Department maintains a staff of Public Information Officers (PIO's) to provide information on current events, departmental affairs, and emergency events.

Emergency events often generate the most interest from the media and the public. At major or unusual events, it is likely a department PIO will be called to the scene to gather information to disseminate the in the form of a formal press release.

Press releases are disseminated electronically. Both the media and public may elect to receive press releases from the Columbia Fire Department by clicking here and following the instructions on the link. This link may be used to subscribe and to unsubscribe to Public Safety Press Releases. We do urge journalist to update their contact information frequently to ensure timely delivery of press releases.

At times, the media may need some clarification or request additional information from the PIO. The on-call PIO may be contacted by using a paging service. Dial 573-499-7035 and follow the voice prompts. We respectfully request that only media outlets use the PIO paging system. We also request that journalist enter the phone number they can be reached at and not to leave a voice message on the pager. Entering a phone number, including the area code, for the PIO to call you back at will result in faster service.

It should be noted, that the PIO may have other duties on an emergency scene and may not be able to return a phone call immediately. Our goal is to recognize news outlet deadlines and to return calls within 30 minutes of the page whenever possible.

Journalist may also wish to contact the department to inquire about issues other then emergency events. Feature stories and other story ideas are always welcome. During normal business hours, a PIO may be reached for non-emergency issues at 573-874-7556. After 5:00 PM and on weekends and holidays, please use the PIO pager number.