Alan Etter

When it comes to public information and public safety, Alan Etter is a familiar face in and around Washington, D.C., and the National Capitol region. A popular and former public information officer (PIO) for the District of Columbia Fire Department, Etter retains his affinity for public safety despite having moved on to a different job and role in public information.

In 1984, Etter became a volunteer firefighter in Mercer County, W.Va. While he attended college at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, where he earned a four-year degree in journalism in 2 ½ years, he was a volunteer firefighter for Henrico County. During his years as a college student, he served as a full-time reporter and anchor for WRVA in Richmond, Va.

When he moved to Washington, D.C., in 1990, he did public relations work for Greater Southeast Hospital. Subsequently, in 1991, he began a stint as a reporter  for WTOP and also anchored shows, including, “Ask the Mayor,” and “Ask the Police Chief.”

In January 2001, Etter became the PIO for the District of Columbia Fire Department and served in that role until January 2007, when he was laid off by the mayor. Well liked by fire/EMS personnel, the community and, importantly, the press, he was gone one month when everyone threw a fit over his departure. “The press flipped out. It was very flattering, very humbling,” Etter says. Following the public outcry, Etter was reinstated in his position.

His best times in the fire department, he recalls, were hanging around the fire house. He enjoyed spending time with his public safety colleagues and appreciated hearing a “thank you” for getting a story out or for showing up at an emergency scene. Etter believes that the role of a PIO is about showing support from an administrative perspective and thanking firefighters and EMS personnel for what they do and for risking their lives.

“Our job is to tell their stories and make sure the public knows what they do. It’s one of the most dangerous jobs in the world,” Etter says. He acknowledges the most frustrating aspect of the PIO job concerns the governmental and political aspects that always trickle in. “We appreciate political support,” Etter adds.

He admits there are a lot of varying requirements to be a PIO in current times. “I got into it because of journalism. Everyone gets involved in public safety for one reason or another. I became an EMT because my mother was ill,” he says.

Etter, 49, has two children—a 13-year-old son who will be starting high school and a 17-year-old daughter who is heading to college. His two younger sisters, and his dad, 83, reside in southwest Virginia. His mother died in 2004. Born in Eerie, Pa., Etter played in a band full time and also served as a disc jockey and TV news reporter prior to attending college.

In April 2009, Etter was offered a job by the president of the University of the District of Columbia UDC) but turned it down. In June 2009, he received a second call about the job and decided to take it. He typed his resignation letter for the DC Fire/EMS Department. “I loved that job,” he reflected.

In July 2009, he began his new role as vice president of university relations and public affairs. In his new role at UDC, Etter leads a staff of approximately 40 people. He oversees marketing and advertising, public relations, the various websites, alumni affairs and the cable TV station, and is in charge of rebuilding the foundation with new members.

“We are rebuilding our university. We are building a state university for the District of Columbia. I feel like I’m on the ground floor of rebuilding what is a great institution,” Etter said.

The most difficult aspect of his job encompasses political influence. UDC has often been viewed as an agency of the D.C. government. He admits part of his job is to inform people of the real story and to change that paradigm into making UDC a great university in its own right.

“We get our news out as extensively as we can. The news these days is not interested in the positive. We do it ourselves,” Etter said. As a proactive professional, Etter makes a point to get out on the street everyday, and he spreads the word. He also uses Facebook and Twitter to disseminate information.

Etter retains fond recollections of his days as a PIO in the fire department and admits he misses it all. “I miss the guys, the attitude; I miss everything,” he says.

During the traumatic events of 9/11, Etter played a key role that took him back to his public safety training, experience and time in the fire department. Etter, who lives on a boat, had dropped his children off at school. While driving and in traffic, he noticed a plane 100 yards off the water and instinctively knew something was wrong. He called communications and reported a likely emergency. “I saw columns of smoke” and knew it involved the plane. Etter had seen the plane that subsequently targeted and struck the Pentagon in the terrorist attack.

At the time, Arlington County, Va., had no PIO in place. “I was drafted into that role,” Etter says. Suddenly, he was faced with the equivalent of a three-alarm fire. “There was this unspoken communication—‘holy-shit’—but no one said it. Everybody did their jobs,” Etter says. In recalling that day, Etter notes that no one had seen a magnitude of that fire in the National Capitol region.

A friendly and outgoing individual, the mention of Etter’s name brings a smile to many faces with accompanying appreciation. He is a professional who has made his mark in public safety as a volunteer firefighter and, significantly, as a PIO. He continues to utilize his talent and skills in the public relations arena. As much as he misses his days in the fire department, he is also missed daily by his friends and colleagues, and his visits to the firehouses throughout the city are always welcomed.

About the Author
Karen L. Bune is employed as a victim specialist in the domestic violence unit of the State’s Attorney’s Office for Prince George’s County, Maryland. She serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and Marymount University in Arlington, Va., where she teaches victimology. She is a consultant for the Training and Technical Assistance Center for the Office for Victims of Crime and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. She is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer on victim issues. Bune is Board Certified in Traumatic Stress and Domestic Violence, and she is a Fellow of The Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and the National Center for Crisis Management. She is a 2009 inductee in the Wakefield High School (Arlington, Va.) Hall of Fame. She received the “Chief’s Award 2009” from the Prince George’s County, Md., police chief. She received a 2011 Recognition of Service Award from County Executive Rushern Baker. She appears in the 2011 editions of Marquis’ Who’s Who in the World, and Marquis’ Who’s Who of American Women.