NIOA members Rob Brisley and Mark Basnight have helped the Charlotte Fire Department become the first recipient of the Social Media Responder award from the PIO Social Media Training web site.

According to the site:

The Charlotte Fire Department serves the city of Charlotte, North Carolina and its 800,000+ citizens. The organization is filled with tradition, but has continued to change and grow with their city into the 21st Century. The department responded to over 90,000 calls in the 2009 fiscal year. The Charlotte Fire Department began their blog in March of 2009 and has spread their Social Media presence across many platforms.

You can see their efforts at their blog, Twitter account, YouTube channel, Flickr photostream, and their Google Alert Group.

As the winner of Social Media Responder 2009, Charlotte FD will receive a full copy of the Depiction software and their two plugins (a $200 value).

Other finalists included: Bellevue PD, The Chronicles of EMS, Eric Neitzel, Los Angeles FD, and Montgomery Country Fire and Rescue Service who are all living examples of the best practices to communicate with their communities in Social Media.