FOR PUBLIC SAFETY PIOs

Speak first, or the rumors will.

The first hour is not the time to write your plan. First Voice PIO gives public safety PIOs incident playbooks and exercise kits you can edit and use the same week. The exercise package follows HSEEP, so your after-action report holds up.

Joining takes your email only. No payment on this page. Waitlist members lock in the founding price and the bonuses. Unsubscribe any time.

HSEEP certified exercise designer FEMA Master PIO, CPSE credentialed Former TEEX All-Hazards PIO course instructor and curriculum reviser Contributing author, 2022 ASIS Book of the Year

From waitlist to a finished exercise in three moves

You do not need a communications staff. You need a plan on paper and a team that has talked it through once.

Join the waitlist

Enter your email by the deadline. You lock in the founding price and every bonus listed below.

Choose your level

Start with the playbook. Add the exercise package when you are ready. Whatever you pay counts toward the next level.

Run it with your team

Fill in the brackets, invite your partners, and facilitate. Or book Stephen to facilitate for you.

That last step is where plans get tested. So what makes an exercise worth running?

Built on the HSEEP method your funders and state already expect

The Exercise Package follows the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, from planning meetings to the after-action report.

Foundation

Planning team, concept memo, and sponsor approval.

Exercise Planning Workbook

Design and development

SMART objectives, core capabilities, scenario, and the C&O, initial, midterm, and final planning meetings.

Planning Workbook
Situation Manual

Conduct

Player briefing, three-module facilitated discussion, hot wash.

Situation Manual
Facilitator and Evaluator Handbook

Evaluation

Capability targets, critical tasks, and Exercise Evaluation Guides rated P, S, M, or U.

Handbook with MSEL and EEGs

Improvement planning

After-action report and SMART corrective actions you can track.

After-Action Report Kit

First Voice PIO is an independent product that follows HSEEP methodology and document structure. It is not produced, reviewed, or endorsed by FEMA or the Department of Homeland Security. Your state or funder may have its own requirements, so confirm them before you start.

A method is only as good as the person who built the kit. Here is who wrote it.

A working PIO wrote this for working PIOs.

CPSE Credentialed PIO

FEMA Master/Executive PIO

HSEEP Certificate

SC Certified Emergency Manager

MS in Emergency ManagementLander University

TEEX MGT-318 instructor2020 to 2025

Contributing authorASIS Security Book of the Year, 2022

Stephen Combs is a public information officer and emergency manager with more than a decade of experience. He taught the TEEX MGT-318 course from 2020 to 2025 and helped revise its curriculum.

He designs and facilitates tabletop exercises. First Voice PIO is the set of tools he wanted when he started: plain, editable, and tested in the room.

This is an independent project. It is not affiliated with any government agency.

Now the part you came for: what it costs, and what you get free for joining early.

Choose your starting point. Every level builds on the last.

Prices shown are founding prices for people who join the waitlist by the deadline. Regular prices apply after.

Join by November 30 and get the First Hour Pocket Card free

A printable 4 by 6 inch card with the first-hour checklist on one side and the message order on the other. Regular value $19. Comes free with any order. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern on November 30, 2026.

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The founding waitlist has closed.

Level 1

Starter

Your first-hour, first-day, and first-week checklists in one Incident PIO Playbook, with approval paths and media guidance.

$29~~$49 regular~~Founding price, one time

Free bonuses $157 value

Severe Weather Message Pack ($49)
One-Hour Mini Tabletop ($79)
$29 credit toward the Exercise Package

The mini tabletop gives you a first taste of exercising. The Exercise Package is the full, HSEEP-aligned version.

Join the waitlist

Email only. No payment today.

Level 2, the full exercise

Exercise Package

A complete HSEEP-aligned tabletop you can run with your own team.

$149~~$249 regular~~Founding price, one time

Exercise Planning Workbook with meeting agendas and a 12-week timeline to follow
Situation Manual with a three-module scenario in your choice of hazard pack: severe storm and tornado, flood, or wildfire
Facilitator and Evaluator Handbook with the Master Scenario Events List (MSEL) and Exercise Evaluation Guides rated P, S, M, or U
Includes the Incident PIO Playbook, so your first-hour plan is in place before you test it

Free bonuses $376 value

JIC Quick-Start Kit ($49)
After-Action Report Kit ($79)
Facilitator's Guide for First-Time Exercise Leaders ($99)
Everything you paid counts toward the Full Kit ($149)

Join the waitlist

Email only. No payment today.

Level 3

Full Kit

All six products, one year of updates, and direct help from Stephen.

$299~~$449 regular~~Founding price, one time

Everything in the Exercise Package and Starter, plus every hazard pack
One year of updates to every document

Free bonuses $550 value

60-minute 1:1 PIO planning session with Stephen ($250)
$300 credit toward a facilitated exercise or workshop

Join the waitlist

Email only. No payment today.

Bonus values are the planned regular prices of each item. The founding price is honored only for people who join the waitlist before the deadline. Contents are the planned scope and may change before launch.

Want someone to run it with you?

Book Stephen to facilitate the exercise or teach your team. Founding rates are for waitlist members.

Virtual facilitated tabletop

A half-day HSEEP-aligned exercise, facilitated live by video, with an after-action report delivered afterward. Virtual delivery.

$2,000 founding, then $3,500, virtual

Ask about facilitation

One-day PIO workshop

A hands-on day for your PIOs and command staff. Messages, media, social media, and a short exercise. Priced for virtual delivery.

$3,000 founding, then $4,500, virtual

Ask about a workshop

Prices shown are for virtual delivery. On-site work is available and costs more. Travel, lodging, meals, and other trip expenses are added at cost, and you get a written quote before you book.

Questions people ask first

Do I pay anything to join?

No. The waitlist asks for your email only. Prices and payment details are shown before you buy.

What happens after I join?

You get an email asking you to confirm your address. Click the link in it to finish. If you do not see it in a few minutes, check your spam folder or write to Stephen@firstvoicepio.com.

Is this official HSEEP?

No. It is an independent product that follows HSEEP methodology and document structure. FEMA does not review or endorse it. If your state or funder requires something specific, check that before you start.

What format are the files?

Editable documents with bracketed fields for your agency, plus PDFs. You change the names, times, and plans to match yours.

When do I get the files?

The founding waitlist is open now. You will be told the launch date by email.

Can I use these for a funded exercise or a grant?

They follow the same phases, meetings, and documents HSEEP describes, including the after-action report and improvement plan. Confirm your grant or state program requirements for the final word.

Which hazards are covered?

You choose one hazard pack: severe storm and tornado, flood, or wildfire. The exercise structure, evaluation guides, and ratings are the same in every pack. More packs, including hurricane, hazmat, and winter storm, are planned. Pack options and pricing are shown before you buy.

Do I need a big team?

No. A planning team of five to eight people is enough, and the workbook shows how to compress the schedule for a small agency.

Ready? One step left.

Get the founding price before the deadline

Join the waitlist and the First Hour Pocket Card is yours free with any order. Joining takes your email only.

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The signup form did not load here. Open the signup form in a new tab to join, or email Stephen@firstvoicepio.com with the subject "Add me to the waitlist" and you will be added.

No spam. Unsubscribe any time.

P.S. Join by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on November 30, 2026 and the founding price and the First Hour Pocket Card ($19 value) are yours. After that, regular prices apply.