Electronic 

Fire 

Information

“Utilize existing systems like Inciweb, Fire EGP, websites and 

social media platforms (AZ Fire Info, AZEIN, NM Fire Info, and 

SWCC Fire Info) to the fullest extent.“

- SW Area Wildland Fire Response Plan
Interactive 

Fire Map

Interactive Fire Map - https://maps.nwcg.gov/sa/

• You can zoom to the area you want to 

see and copy the link from there to 

share on Inciweb as a related link

• Click on the dots for more info

• Click on the screen icon to view the 

national summary

• Click on the layers icon to add layers 

or change the background layer 

(street view, topo, etc.)

• Click on the graph icon to measure 

distance

• Click on the three lines on the 

bottom left to view the legend

A great resource to link to on Inciweb on 

initial attack, before incident specific map 

is available
Wildfires 

Near Me

https://wildfiresnearme.wfmrda.com

Wildfires Near Me is a beta web 

application that focuses on keeping 

you informed about wildfires in your 

area. You tell the app all the places you 

care about and you will receive an 

email or text message when a fire has 

started in that location. It's fast, 

simple, and easy to use.

If you follow your incident, when you 

get an update it’s usually a good 

heads up that a new 209 has been 

posted so you know when it’s available 

to be able to update Inciweb
Inciweb

Make sure your Inciweb password works 

– reset it or request access if needed. 

https://www.nifc.gov/PIO_bb/inciweb.html

Ness Application Portal (NAP) 

website: https://nap.nwcg.gov/NAP/#

Ness Application Portal (NAP) Account 

Request Instructions

Ness Application Portal (NAP) Log In 

Instructions

Ness Application Portal (NAP) Password 

Reset and Retrieve Username

Tip: Use Internet Explorer.

Tip: once you have access, set up 

challenge questions so you can reset it 

yourself in the future).

Operational Briefings and Public 

Meetings Videos Prohibited on InciWeb

Inciweb Best Practices
AZ EIN

https://ein.az.gov/

https://www.facebook.com/ArizEIN/

https://twitter.com/azein

The team of Duty PIOs post official 

updates including fire updates from host 

units or Incident Management Team 

Make sure they’re on your e-mail list! 

• Send news releases to 

AZein@azdema.gov so they can post 

to the blog and social media

“Leverage resources with cooperators and 

partners when looking outside the 

agencies for PIO skills to support efforts 

(coordinate with AZ Department of 

Emergency and Military Affairs). “

- SW Area Wildland Fire Response Plan
Arizona 

Department of 

Forestry and Fire 

Management App

The free mobile application can be 

found for IOS users on iTunes and 

Google Play for Android users by 

searching Arizona Department of 

Forestry and Fire Management.
WildlandFire.AZ.gov

@WidlandFireAZ

Twitter feed automatically posts 

new AZ Inciweb

incidents/articles

Best source for interagency fire 

restrictions & information, 

including fire prevention & 

preparedness tips

Considering including the links 

page as a "FAQ" link on Inciweb

Contact Dolores Garcia 

(dagarcia@blm.gov) or Tiffany 

Davila (tdavila@dffm.az.gov) for 

web content updates

The Links Page includes Resources to Address Common FAQs:

Before a Wildfire - During a Wildfire - After a Wildfire

Wildfire News and Info - Fire Weather - Maps - Wildland Fire Data in Google Earth

Arizona Fire Ecology - Wildland Fire - Fire Addapted Community Resources - Smoke and Air Quality

Fire Prevention and Education - Resources for the Media - PIO Resources - State Fire Sites

Register for Emergency Alert Notifications in your County/Community
NM Fire E-mail 

Updates

NMFireInfo E-mail Updates: Click on 

the +Follow tab in the lower right 

corner of NMFireInfo.com to sign up to 

get an e-mail when 

new NMFireInfo.com posts are added. 

You can Manage Your Subscription to 

choose to have updates delivered 

immediately, daily, or weekly or 

Unfollow when you no longer wish to 

receive updates.

NM State Forestry E-mail Updates: To 

subscribe to New Mexico State 

Forestry’s Wildfire E-mail Alert Service, 

visit http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/S

FD/ Please note that the NM State 

Forestry Email Alert Service will only 

distribute information about wildfires 

on state or private land, not fires 

burning on federal land such as 

national forests.
NMFireInfo.com Go-to source for media and public 

Feed of updates embedded on Governor’s website

Posts to NMFireInfo.com automatically post to: posts to:

• https://twitter.com/nmfireinfo

• https://facebook.com/nmfireinfo

• Even if you post on your host unit Facebook; monitor posts on 

NMFireInfo for questions too

Best Practices – Include in your post:

- Name of your agency / unit

- Link to your incident website or agency news release page (so 

folks can find updates)

- Contact information for a PIO

- If you embed an image in your post it will include an image in the 

preview on Facebook and Twitter (these tend to get more views)

Make a new post for each new update (vs. editing old posts) to 

generate Facebook and Twitter updates

Highly recommend posting all updates on NMFireInfo.com as well as 

Inciweb, but if you only post to Inciweb, please post at least once and 

leave it as a Sticky Post so folks can find your info

Contact Teresa Rigby, Wendy Mason, or Michelle Fidler for content 

updates on the site or to request access to post

Links on the Information Page:

Frequently Asked Questions

Wildland Fire Map Resources 

including Wildland Fire Data in 

Google Earth

Smoke Management & Wildland Fire 

Smoke and Your Health

Before a Wildfire

During a Wildfire

After a Wildfire

Prescribed Fire

Wildfire

Outdoor Fire Safety

Fire Education

Resources for the Media

PIO Resources
Requesting a NMFireInfo.com Password

Go to http://NMFireInfo.com
Scroll down and click “Register”
Enter your e-mail, and select a username and password.

Then go check your e-mail to confirm your account
Request an Invite

Contact:

- Theresa Rigby, trigby@blm.gov, 505-264-5699 (cell), or

-Michelle Fidler (Michelle_Fidler@nps.gov; 520-400-2932 cell), or 

-Wendy Mason, Wendy.Mason@state.nm.us, 505-690-8210 (cell)

Provide them with the e-mail you used to register your account & what your role with 

the host unit or incident is.

Note: not every PIO needs an account; generally there will be one per host unit and/or 

IMT account incident PIOs can use.

They will send you an e-mail with an invite to be an editor to be able to post.

Open the e-mail and click accept the invitation.

See related reference document for instructions on how to post updates
Virtual 

Operations

Virtual Operations 

“Updates and new technology along with improvements in hardware have allowed for 

some incident response operations to be done virtually. 

Many traditional face-to-face practices have potential to promote spread of COVID-19 

requiring reevaluation of operational procedures to prevent virus transmission. Incident 

operations have traditionally involved meeting in groups or working in close quarters to 

share information. Information presented below is meant to provide guidance on some 

of the available tools and tool selection considerations that can promote virtual 

operations, helping limit virus spread during incident management. This list is not all- inclusive but rather a starting point. Incident responders can consider developing 

operational capabilities using these tools: 

Some Available Tools: 

• Enterprise video communications (Zoom, GoToMeeting, FireNet) 

• Live streaming platforms (Periscope) 

• Instant messaging systems (Slack, Skype) 

• Video teleconferencing or video calling (VTC, Facetime) 

• Mobile applications (Wind Ninja, Collector, Google Forms, QR Code Readers) 

• AGOL (Story maps, story journals, data sharing and collaboration) 

• Government web-based applications (EGP, WFDSS, IFTDSS, WebEOC) 

• Government/public video feeds, portable incident video equipment.”

- SW Area Wildland Fire Response Plan

How to Use DSLR Camera as a 

Webcam

How to Use Your GoPro As a 

Webcam
Some Tool / 

Application 

Considerations

Some Tool/Application Considerations 

“Units will need to define task purpose and need to conclude appropriate tool/applications for 

use. Other considerations to keep in mind include: 

• Number in audience and purpose of meeting. Video platforms have participant limits. 

• Is there a need to display/share information? Will Agency firewalls limit use or sharing? 

• Will other entities such as county agencies or the public be able to access the applications and 

do the tool/applications have a good feedback loop or ability to comment? 

• Use of virtual tools may require time to train and learn. Some tools require multiple 

presenters to handle presentations and coordination of feedback. 

• Can tools/applications record presentations or save data for required documentation? 

• Licenses may be limited or need purchased, or passwords require time to acquire.

• Does the tool/application have the ability to encrypt video or data sharing for security? 

• Have capabilities been explored for tools/applications we currently have? Are there low-tech 

solutions that could be used that would be effective in a virtual environment? 

• What equipment is needed to use the tools virtually and be effective? Cameras, Monitors, 

portable printers, scanners headsets, hotspots, MiFi. 

• Is Enterprise e-ISuite functional enough for virtual use? Are there mobile apps available to 

implement virtual Check-in and Demob, as well as for entering time worked?”

- SW Area Wildland Fire Response Plan

As a reminder, all employees should 

refrain from discussing sensitive 

matters or exchanging personally 

identifiable information or other 

sensitive data when attending any 

type of videoconferencing.
Next Generation 

FireNet

Incident E-mail

Firenet

Next Generation FireNet Information

FireNet365

NextGen Firenet FAQs

Firenet365 User Guide

Requesting a Firenet Account

Video walking you through initial sign on

FireNet365 User vs Guest User

How to access Microsoft Teams in FireNet365 

as a guest

Incident Firenet Setup Instructions

Firenet Contacts: Tech Support & Incident Help

How to Manage Your Junk Email Filter

“Use email lists and/or email subscription services to distribute daily incident 

updates, maps and other information as an “electronic trapline.” 

- SW Area Wildland Fire Response Plan
Next Generation 

FireNet

Incident E-mail

• Unless you're on an IMT, you may need to wait to get an account until you're 

assigned to an incident.

• Highly recommend taking the security test now (FS version is generally the 

simpler version), so you have the certificate of completion ready to go – save 

it – you'll need to provide it if requested (FireNet usually asks for them once a 

year) and/or will need to provide it when requesting your account.

• The federal security test is required annually. Take it now and hang onto your 

certificate so you can submit it when requested (if you already have an 

account) or send it to your sponsor when requesting an account.

• If you're a non-fed, a federal employee will need to sponsor you from an 

agency e-mail account (not a FireNet email). The sponsor can be your host 

unit dispatch or a member of the IMT for the incident you're supporting.

• Review any training updates available on the FireNet website.

• We expect incident PIOs will need to have their own accounts (vs. Signing in 

with agency accounts as guest) to be able to delegate access to the inbox, like 

how it used to work when FireNet was in the Gmail platform)

-

What does it mean for PIOs?
Microsoft 

Office 365 

Try googling “O365 and your 

question and platform” (ie. 

Mobile app, Web app or 

Desktop app) as 

instructions/functionality vary 

slightly between them

Microsoft Teams– potential 

uses: team chat/meetings, 

small-group video conferences, 

live public events, file sharing

OneNote– potential uses: 

collaborative document 

development

Outlook– email

Office 365 Training

Note: MS Teams is the new 

name for Skype, and has 

matching versions for Skype 

for Business and Skype for 

Education. Skype and Teams 

are compatible until Microsoft 

finalizes it migration to the 

Teams solutions. 
Internal 

Communication 

Firenet

- Group Chats (between specific individuals 

or groups of individuals)

- Can join as a guest or login with account.

- You can include up to 100 people in a 

group chat.

Channel Chats (between everyone in the 

channel)

• Manage Notifications

Group Texts https://bit.ly/InternalText

Groupme Free app for download on 

mobile/tablet, or recipients can receive SMS 

text messages (no app required); can access 

from web as well. Easy to add/remove users 

and personnel transition. Users can choose to 

“mute” the conversation to avoid getting 

audio alerts, but still receive messages.
Practice and 

Prepare

“Practice and prepare to enhance 

knowledge and the skills necessary to 

efficiently conduct work off-site. “

- SW Area Wildland Fire Response Plan

Make sure your Inciweb password works – Instructions

◦ · Ness Application Portal (NAP) website: https://nap.nwcg.gov/NAP/#

◦ · Ness Application Portal (NAP) Account Request Instructions

◦ · Ness Application Portal (NAP) Log In Instructions

◦ · Ness Application Portal (NAP) Password Reset and Retrieve Username

◦ · Tip: Use Internet Explorer.

◦ · Tip: once you have access, set up challenge questions so you can reset it 

yourself in the future).

FireNet365

· NextGen Firenet FAQs · Firenet365 User Guide

Microsoft365 (Office365)

Microsoft Teams – potential uses: team chat/meetings, small-group 

video conferences, live public events, file sharing

· OneNote and OneDrive – potential uses: collaborative document 

development

· Outlook – email

Making Documents 508-Compliant in Microsoft Word

◦ - Review tab > Accessibility Checker
Social Media 

Resources

CONTENT RESOURCES

Official Fire Information Logo

Official Fire Information Logo jpg

If You Fly, We Can’t Flyers, Posters, and 

Social Media Graphics

AZ Ready, Set, Go! Social Media Toolkit

Ready.Gov Preparedness Calendar

Ready.Gov Wildfire Safety Social Media 

Toolkit

NFPA Wildfire Preparedness Social 

Media Toolkit

FEMA Outdoor Fire Safety Social Media 

Toolkit

“Utilize VOST (Virtual Operations Support Team) for social media monitoring 

and transmission of approved messages, further minimizing travel to incident.”

- SW Area Wildland Fire Response Plan

NIFC PIO Bulletin Board Social Media

Social Media Guidance and Best Practices for PIOs

DOI Digital Media Guide

USFS Digital Strategy

Go.USA.Gov URL shortener

Accessibility of Short URLs

Flickr – How to Upload Photos and Videos

Twitter (including how to post photos, create live videos, and 

make images accessible

Social Media Accessibility Toolkit Hackpad

508 Accessible Videos—Why (and How) to Make Them

Digital.gov: Copyright & Free Stock Footage and Music & Audio

Social media PIOs Facebook group

NIFC PIO Bulletin Board COVID-19 Virtual Operations Resources

FEMA Social Media Emergency Management Guidance Tool 

(includes information

Virtual Operations Support Group (VOSG)

Virtual Operations Support Team (VOST) Workbook Template
Social Media

Facebook Live

Facebook Help Center

Schedule a Premiere (upload pre-recorded videos to broadcast live on 

your Facebook page)

Live With on Facebook (add a guest into your Page livestream)

Facebook Live overview

Facebook Live for Government Officials

Tips and best practices for Facebook Live

Facebook Live Producer

Facebook Live Producer Tutorial

Get Started with Facebook Creator Studio

Go Live from Facebook Creator Studio

Facebook Live Video API

Using BlueJeans for Facebook Live

Using Zoom for Facebook Live

Free

Unlimited viewer access; anyone with a 

Facebook account can watch live, no account 

required.

Viewers can type in questions live.

Monitoring public questions received via 

phone, e-mail, and general questions / 

comments in broader social media 

monitoring can help you anticipate questions 

to address.

Facebook supports closed captions for 

Facebook Live broadcasts

Tip for typing transcripts for audio files (if 

Facebook auto caption file isn’t close enough 

to work with editing) .... Use your Microsoft 

Word text to speech. Turn it on. Play your 

audio file. Also works with Google Docs. You 

still have to clean up typos.

Partner agencies may have access to Be.Live which has the ability to broadcast with < 4 people on screen. Overview

Upcoming Training

Facebook 101

May 19, 2020, Time: 2:00-

3:00PM ET, RSVP HERE

May 26, 2020, Time: 2:00-

3:00PM ET, RSVP HERE

Facebook Live

May 20, 2020, 3:00-4:00PM 

ET, RSVP HERE

May 27, 2020, 3:00-4:00PM 

ET, RSVP HERE

Facebook Gov’t, Politics 

and Advocacy Hub
Social Media

YouTube

YouTube Live Stream Tutorials

Get started live streaming

Create a live stream via webcam

Need 1,000 subscribers to be able to stream from a mobile device, however you can 

livestream for less than 1,000 if it’s through desktop or web cam.

YouTube Premieres

YouTube has a setup called YouTube Premieres, where you can upload a video and 

schedule a "premiere" that will launch the video at a scheduled date and time, and you 

can couple that with live chat.

Because YouTube offers auto-captioning, this could be a nice setup to consider. You can upload your video, fix the auto captions that YouTube provides to ensure they are high- quality, schedule the premiere, promote it, and then tune in live with their followers.

View automatic captions on live streams (for channels with over 10,000 subscribers) 

Live caption requirements (involves an embed code) 

Add your own subtitles & closed captions

When editing the auto-generated captioning it autosaves your work constantly and you can download the finished caption file for use on Facebook. 

If you have a transcript from a community meeting (which you will if it the meeting is live 

captioned by a CART captioner) you can upload the edited transcript and YouTube will 

auto-sync the captions. The timing comes out great! The only very minor issue I’ve noticed is that it may go to three lines of captions every once in a while. To fix that you just need 

to skim through and delete and space here and there. Quick and easy fix.

Partner agencies may have access to Be.Live which has the ability to broadcast with <4 people on screen (Example)
Social Media

Twitter / 

Periscope

How to share and watch videos on Twitter

Share videos on Twitter by recording through the app, importing 

from your device, or uploading to twitter.com.

Maximum video length is 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

Periscope

A Periscope broadcast is a live video stream. Viewers can engage 

directly with the broadcaster and other viewers through the use 

of real time commenting and hearts. A stream can be as short or 

as long as you want.

Broadcasts are by default public and visible to everyone on our 

platform. You can, however, opt to make your broadcast 

private and make it visible to a select group of viewers.

Note: Periscope is available on iOS, Android, and web. To use 

Periscope, you need an Apple device running iOS 11or greater or 

an Android device running 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher. Your Android 

device will need both front and back cameras in order to be 

compatible. Additionally, some devices can’t support the 

required OS. If your device isn't supported, you can always 

watch broadcasts via web.
Video 

Conferencing

Zoom

Zoom - Meeting and webinar comparison & Roles in a Webinar

Meetings are designed to be a collaborative event with all participants being able to screen share, turn on their video 

and audio, and see who else is in attendance. While Zoom meeting allows the presenter to push a live stream to 

Facebook, any attendees watching have control over sharing their video feed, mic, and share any content. Zoom 

meetings is best used for everyday meetings within an organization. 

Webinars are designed so that the host and any designated panelists can share their video, audio and screen. 

Webinars allow view-only attendees. They have the ability to interact via Q&A, chat, and answering polling questions. 

The host can also unmute the attendees. Zoom webinar allows the presenter to push a live stream to Facebook but 

does not allow for any control to those watching the webinar. Webinar is best used for large audiences and public 

meetings since it puts participants in a "listen and view only" mode.

Can blur background or add alternative background ex: photo of incident map.

Can stream to up to 1,000 in a meeting for 40 min with free account. 

In-Meeting Chat As host, you can choose who the participants can chat with or to disable chat entirely.

Finding and Viewing Recordings You can record your Zoom meeting or webinar locally to your computer or to the 

Zoom cloud if you are a licensed user. Files stored on the cloud can be accessed on your desktop or from the web. 

Locally recorded meetings and webinars can only be accessed on the computer that recorded the meeting. Uploading 

recording to share on another platform takes time that may not be efficient when sharing emergency information.

Getting started with closed captioning in Zoom

Zoom Streaming a meeting or webinar on Facebook Live & Zoom Streaming a meeting or webinar on YouTube

Live Streaming Meetings or Webinars Using a Custom Service

With a paid account, you can have the IMT visual info, a remote ASL interpreter and CART captions on one screen. 

When the archive video is saved on Facebook, it will already be fully accessible. However you can’t edit the captions 

after the meeting – any errors will stay there. Only the account host needs the account. Anyone else can join with a 

link. With a free account, you can run Open Broadcast Software (OBS) to live stream to Facebook.

USFS has a limited number of Zoom Full 

Enterprise licenses for GACCs, Type 1 / Type 2 / Area Command and NIMO Teams to use for 

work extensively with external partners where 

Teams cannot meet the need.

USFS CIO: Guidelines for using Zoom as a teleconferencing option

NPS Guidance as of 4/29/20

NPS employees may use Zoom when attending meetings hosted by other organizations. The 

only limitation is the use of the Zoom desktop 

client and not the Zoom browser 

extension. Employee may contact their help desk for installing the latest client version. 

Outdated clients and extensions will be removed 

automatically if found on NPS computers. 

NPS employees may not use the public version nor the Zoom for Government solution to host 

NPS meetings, training, events.

Security Tips: Use the latest version of Zoom.

Check to see if your Zoom meeting has a 

meeting ID and password. 

Turn your Zoom mic on and off with the space bar.
Online Meeting software, web meetings | Microsoft Teams 

Online meetings - video chat with up to 250 people at once with Teams

Host audio, video, and web conferences with anyone. Get features such as scheduling 

assistance, meeting note taking, screen sharing, meeting recording, and instant messaging.

- Share meeting agendas prior to a conference, invite external guests to join a meeting, and 

access past meeting recordings and notes. Meetings can be scheduled in the Teams app or 

through Outlook.

- External guests can be invited to and participate in video calls, no Microsoft account 

required. Works best to set up the meeting from the calendar, not from within a channel. 

Paid accounts can utilize video/sound on mobile, tablet, and desktop. Can blur background.

- Able to record – saves to Microsoft Stream The recording saves to the Stream of 

whichever attendee/participant starts recording – so even if the host is in an agency teams 

account, if a Firenet participant records it, it would save to the Firenet user’s Stream. From 

Stream, you can edit who has access or transfer ownership to another Firenet account. You 

can also turn on autogenerate a caption file (it’s greyed out until you select a language (ie. 

English). It takes a while to process. Interestingly the recording shows multiple speakers on 

the screen, Brady Bunch style, which was different than what the attendees saw on the 

screen, one face filling up the screen at a time.

Create closed captions for a video

Edit the transcript of a meeting recording in Teams (you can change the file extension to 

.txt to open it in notepad)

Video 

Conferencing

Microsoft Teams

Firenet Teams - FAQs & FireNet365 User Guide

USFS Teams 

“The Forest Service standard for teleconferencing is 

still Microsoft Teams, WebEx or Adobe Connect.” - USFS 

CIO

DOI Microsoft Teams

DOI has created a guide detailing how to add an external 

user to Teams. Keep in mind while reading that document 

that when you add an external user they come in as a 

Guest rather than a Member. The document details the 

capabilities of a Member versus Guest.

MS Teams is the new name for Skype, and has matching 

versions for Skype for Business and Skype for 

Education. Skype and Teams are compatible until 

Microsoft finalizes it migration to the Teams solutions. 

Accessible and Inclusive Telework Practices Using 

Microsoft Teams - Guidance from HUD

5 Tips on Holding Accessible Microsoft Team Meetings -

Guidance from HUD

Accessibility overview of Microsoft Teams

Live captions may be available in agency accounts and/or Firenet in the future
Online Meeting software, web meetings | Microsoft Teams 

Live events - present live to up to 10,000 people

Hold any meeting live—large meetings, webinars, company-wide events, and presentations 

with up to 10,000 attendees inside or outside your organization—with Teams live events.

- Requires attendees to sign in with a Microsoft account (anyone can set up a free account) 

to view. Guest account cannot use video on mobile, only sound.

- Can chose between having one screen showing or split screen. Virtual presenters can share 

using webcams and their screens to present content

- Once you go live, you have 16 hours, but once you stop the event you cannot restart. There 

is ~10-20 second delay from what you are doing as a presenter and what the public 

see/hear.

- Virtual presenters can share audio, but attendees can only participate via text based Q&A

- Can turn on Q&A feature. Attendees can choose to write in their name, but the default is 

everyone is identified as anonymous. Every question needs to be approved in order to be 

viewable to all watching.

- Able to record – saves to Microsoft Stream 

- Cannot live stream meeting to social media without additional software ex: OBS: Open 

Broadcaster Software

Video 

Conferencing

Microsoft Teams

Firenet Teams - FAQs & FireNet365 User Guide

USFS Teams 

“The Forest Service standard for teleconferencing is 

still Microsoft Teams, WebEx or Adobe Connect.” - USFS 

CIO

DOI Microsoft Teams

DOI has created a guide detailing how to add an external 

user to Teams. Keep in mind while reading that document 

that when you add an external user they come in as a 

Guest rather than a Member. The document details the 

capabilities of a Member versus Guest.

MS Teams is the new name for Skype, and has matching 

versions for Skype for Business and Skype for 

Education. Skype and Teams are compatible until 

Microsoft finalizes it migration to the Teams solutions. 

Accessible and Inclusive Telework Practices Using 

Microsoft Teams - Guidance from HUD

5 Tips on Holding Accessible Microsoft Team Meetings -

Guidance from HUD

Accessibility overview of Microsoft Teams

Live captions may be available in agency accounts and/or Firenet in the future
Video 

Conferencing

WebEx

WebEx – up to 100 attendees

Separate phone line is recommended; quality of MyMeetings

WebEx audio is poor.

Can share video and desktop screenshare.

External guests can participate.

Can chat to attendees.

No ability to record the meeting.

The cost of each WebEx meeting varies depending on which 

contract you use. The MyMeetings WebEx contract is estimated 

to cost 14 cents per minute per participant (11 cents for WebEx 

and 3 cents for the dial-in number); a 1 hour call with 50 

participants is estimated at over $400.

How Do I Enable Closed Captions in Webex?

Webex – Stream to Facebook Live

Webex – Stream to Twitter

“The Forest Service standard for 

teleconferencing is still Microsoft 

Teams, WebEx or Adobe Connect.” -

USFS CIO

NPS already pays for four tools (i.e. 

Microsoft (MS) Teams, MS Streams, 

GoToMeeting, and WebEx), which 

have already gone through the 

security review process and are 

authorized for use. Contact your local 

help desk for details.
Video 

Conferencing

Adobe Connect

Adobe Connect

Leverage dynamic multimedia and video. Add interactivity 

with smart Q&A.

Leverage Webinar power tools like 'Presenter Only Area' and 

'Prepare Mode’ that enable you to work behind the scenes 

with other presenters and produce great results. Persistent 

rooms for you to setup days or weeks ahead and re-use 

content from previous sessions. Engagement dashboard for 

insight into participation and level of interest. Powerful host 

controls to manage every aspect of the participant 

experience.

Templates for web pages and emails make it easy to setup 

and create events, Create custom registration form. Quickly 

add email options such as invitations, reminders, and follow- ups.

Downloading and Running a Closed-captioning Pod in an 

Adobe Connect Meeting

“The Forest Service standard for 

teleconferencing is still Microsoft 

Teams, WebEx or Adobe Connect.” -

USFS CIO
Video 

Conferencing

GoTo Meeting

Getting Started with GoTo Meeting

Organizer Guide for Windows

Free Training

GoToWebinardoes not support live captioning inside the 

GoToWebinar meeting room; thus, you need to link attendees 

to an alternative location where they can see live captions.

NPS already pays for four tools (i.e. 

Microsoft (MS) Teams, MS Streams, 

GoToMeeting, and WebEx), which 

have already gone through the 

security review process and are 

authorized for use.
Tips for 

Facilitating a 

Virtual Meeting 

or Presentation

During the meeting:

 Thank audience for joining you today

 As facilitator, tell people who you are and your title/affiliation

 Highlight how long event is planned to go

 Announce if the webinar is being recorded

 Reminder to mute 

 Process for questions (consider having a designated person monitor questions 

and reply as applicable and/or ask them in the group forum – may need this to be 

someone other than the facilitator as can be hard to present and monitor chat)

 Depending on the platform, consider non-verbal feedback requests from the 

audience (ie. thumbs up, hand to ear for can’t hear, raise hand if have a question)

 Summarize agenda

 Thank presenters for joining you today – highlight their names and titles in the 

intro or during transitions as needed

 Share info on how to access recording, notes, referenced files, etc. as applicable

After the meeting: Follow up with notes / links / recordings as promised

Before the meeting: 

 Test your tech, practice to work 

out the bugs

 Send a meeting invite including 

time, link and/or call in # to join, and 

agenda

 Confirm facilitator and 

presenters, have them sign on a few 

minutes early

 Turn the video on a few minute 

before meeting is scheduled to start
Section508.gov AZ ASL Interpreter & CART Captioner Ordering Instructions

The pre-recorded videos are easy remote. They can add interpretation picture in picture and add captions remotely without a problem.

For remote support for livestream events, remote interpreting is possible, so long as there’s a way to have a 

split screen or picture-in-picture to show the remote ASL interpreter on the screen along with the IMT 

presenter. 

Remote captioning is fairly easy too. There are a few different options, but the most straight forward way 

would be to use a StreamText link (www.streamtext.net/text.aspx?event=FireName) like they always do, and provide the Captioner audio access. This can be done via cell phone or Zoom conferencing...or just about 

any other source that would provide clear audio. The Captioner would write into StreamText from home and 

we’d have a web link to be able to post in the announcement and comments of the livestream video. 

Live Caption Vendors

Below are a few live caption vendors. New services and companies become available all the time, so 

do some research online to find the right vendor for you.

Accessibility Solutions and Research Center (AMAC)

3Play Media

National Industries for the Blind (NIB)

CaptionMax

National Captioning Institute (NCI)

ACS (Alternative Communication Services)

AI-Media

Caption Access The cost is around $100 per hour (billable in 15 minute increments)

Videos and Virtual Meetings

Captions are required for information 

provided by speech or sound. Consider 

using FedRelay solutions, such as Relay 

Conference Captioning (RCC), to 

caption your conference call or 

webinar. (The service requests that 

you book your captioning at least 12 

hours in advance; they cannot promise 

a captioner will be available if you 

want until less than 12 hours before 

your meeting.)

Include descriptions of visual content 

in speaker narration. Otherwise, 

provide audio descriptions for 

information provided through graphics 

and pictures.

Make sure the media player controls 

are keyboard accessible.

Review this Video, Audio and 

Social guidance for more information.

If it’s not possible to split screen, consider projecting remote interpreter and/or captioner on a screen behind the presenter in the livestream.
Recording 

Meetings

There is no requirement to record a meeting; however, if you choose 

to record the meeting there is specific guidance you must follow.

You must notify everyone on the meeting if it is being recorded.

Recorded content is a form of documenting the transaction of federal 

business and therefore is considered to be a federal record; however, 

you have the option to maintain the Federal Record through 

documented meeting notes rather than the recording. There is no 

need to maintain both a document and a recorded copy of the 

meeting unless the meeting is conducted by a High Level Official. If 

you record a meeting led by a High Level Official, any documentation 

and any recording must be maintained as a federal record. Contact 

your bureau records officer for more information.

An employee should also understand that as with all records, the 

recorded information that is collected is subject to discovery for any 

Congressional Oversight, litigation, investigation by the Inspector 

General, or Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

Recorded content must meet Section 508 requirements. Please reach 

out to your Section 508 Coordinator for more information.

Per NPS’s Web Conferencing Guidance 

for Recorded Meetings (internal link, 

referenced 4/25/20)
“The only constant in 

life is change” 

–Heraclitus

Tools, tech, and tips will continue to evolve 

Check for updates:

NIFC PIO Bulletin Board including Info for Public Affairs 

Officers

Network, learn from others tips, share lessons learned:

FireNet Teams PIO Toolbox Team

Wildland Fire Public Information Officer Facebook Group

Social Media PIO Facebook Group

While our goal today is make this information 

as timely and accurate as possible, there are 

no claims, promises, or guarantees about the 

accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the 

contents of this document.

As always, tools, tactics, and platforms may 

vary by agency, and evolve over time. Always 

coordinate with the host unit Public Affairs 

Officer and other agency web, IT and/or 

accessibility coordinators, as applicable.

Reference in this document to any specific 

commercial product, process, or service, or 

the use of any trade, firm or corporation 

name represent examples for information 

and convenience and does not constitute 

endorsement, recommendation, or favoring.