the presser, handled
Press-conference sign-in, check-in, audio capture, and transcription.
built for PIOs · private beta
every position on scene has a tool.
now the PIO does too.
you've been the only PIO long enough.
Hey Cass is the all-in-one command center for Public Information Officers. Cass drafts the statement, tracks the reporters, keeps your ICS-214 log, and writes the after-action. Built for your phone. Built for the scene. You approve every word.
AI · disclosed
who carries this
you're the only PIO, and the calls don't stop.
Fire's still moving. The chief wants a statement. Three reporters are calling, one's already live. You've got photos to pull, a post to write, and a log nobody's keeping but you. Most agencies have one PIO, or someone who got handed the hat on the way out the door. The tools were built for big rooms with big staff. Cass was built for the one person doing all of it from a phone on scene.
- Blank-page paralysis at 2am, with a deadline already past.
- Press calls stacking up while the chief wants a statement.
- A log nobody is keeping, and an after-action due in the morning.
the part nobody else does
the log keeps itself. the after-action writes itself.
While you work, Cass time-stamps every action into your ICS-214 activity log. When it's over, your after-action report (AAR) is already drafted. No midnight catch-up. No blank page the next morning. This is the work every other tool leaves on your desk.
the difference
Free AI writes a post. Cass runs your whole incident.
the command center
open one incident.everything's in one place.
From the first call to the after-action, the whole job lives on one screen. Built mobile-first, because that's where the work happens.
no reporter falls through
Every media request and press contact in one tracker, with response-time (SLA) timers.
a copilot who's read the file
Doctrine and incident questions answered from your incident and FEMA guidance, not the open web.
how it works
three steps.that's the whole job.
1
open the incident
Start it from your phone in seconds. Cass sets up the workspace and pulls in what it already knows.
2
work the scene
Draft statements, track reporters, send the release. Cass logs every move into your ICS-214 as you go.
3
approve, and it's documented
Every word is yours to approve. When it's over, the after-action report is already written.
try cass
see Cass work the incident.
Tap a scenario. Watch Cass draft the hold statement, build the message map, and prep the Q&A the way it does on a real call. Fast, doctrine-grounded, yours to approve.
cass · online
6 of dozens — shaped by FEMA doctrine, NIMS/ICS, and decades of AAR libraries. See them all in beta →
you've been the only PIO long enough.
Request access →news alerts
send the release. to your reporters. from your agency.
Build your media list once. When you've got something to put out, send it by email to the journalists who cover you, under your agency's name. Cass handles the send. You own the words.
This is press distribution. It reaches the reporters on your list. It is not a public-warning system. For wireless and broadcast alerts to the public, use FEMA IPAWS and your WEA/EAS channels.
after the call
the debrief that helps, not the one that blames.
When it's over, Cass walks the after-action with you. What worked, what to tighten, what the next one needs. A missed deadline is a system to fix, not a person to call out. Your debrief is private and stays that way, so the conversation stays honest. The after-action report it produces is written to keep the official record clean.
before the next one
keep your reps up.
PIO career tracks on the FEMA spine, courses, flashcards, and quizzes. With training now mandated in states like Texas and FEMA's own courses backed up, Cass keeps you current without waiting for a seat to open.
how Cass works
Cass drafts.
you approve.
Cass keeps the log, drafts the statement, tracks the reporter, and reads back where things stand. It does not make command decisions, it does not speak for you, and it does not invent facts. Every release, every post, every word that leaves your agency is yours to approve. Cass grounds its work in your incident and in PIO doctrine, and it flags what it doesn't know.
where Cass stops
- Command and operational decisions
- Substitute for a credentialed PIO
- Public emergency warnings (use IPAWS / WEA / EAS)
- Breaking-news source
- Legal, medical, or engineering advice
- Partisan or political content
grounded in the doctrine
trained on every aar worth reading.
Cass is built on the body of work that built the craft: the doctrine PIOs are trained on, and decades of after-action reports. It cites what it draws from, and every source below links to the actual reference. No PII or PHI is stored.
USCG IMH
Incident Management Handbook · §11 PIO doctrine
FEMA NIMS
National Incident Management System Doctrine
CDC CERC
Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (Reynolds)
EPA · 7 Rules
Seven Cardinal Rules of Risk Communication
L-0105 / E-0388
FEMA PIO Basic + Advanced curriculum
Also referenced: NIMS PIO Basic Guidance (Dec 2020), NRC NUREG/BR-0308, FDA risk-and-benefits communication, NIMS social-media integration guidance, NAGC code of ethics, and the IAEM body of knowledge.
MPIO
who built this
built by PIOs, for PIOs.
Hey Cass is built by a team of working public information officers, led by Corey Dierdorff. Corey built his career in the fire service, including years as a county fire-rescue public information officer, and he's still deeply involved in the fire service today. He's a Master PIO who serves on boards in the profession, and an Emmy-winning broadcast journalist before the badge. He started Cass because he kept showing up to incidents as the only PIO, with no tool made for the job. The team carried it from there.
And it stays built by PIOs. An ideas board and feature voting are on the way, so the people who do the work decide what Cass does next. The tool the field has needed, shaped by the field.
why “Cass”
“...told the eoc three days ago.
anyway.”
She's named after Cassandra, the figure in Greek mythology who saw what was coming and was never believed. Every PIO who has ever briefed a chief, drafted a hold statement, or watched their messaging get overruled in the EOC knows the feeling.
Hey Cass AI is a product of ThinkBOLD Solutions, built on the simple observation that the people who carry the public's trust during the worst days of their community's life have almost no tooling built for them.
founding PIO program
request founding access.
Cass is in private beta with a small, hand-selected group of working PIOs. Request access with your work email and agency. We review every request personally and reach out when you're approved. Beta is free, and the founding group locks in founding pricing when paid plans land.
The PIO command center, built by a PIO. By requesting access, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
FAQ
questions PIOs actually ask.
What is Hey Cass AI?
Hey Cass is the all-in-one command center for Public Information Officers. It runs the whole PIO job from your phone: draft the statement, track the reporters, keep the ICS-214 log, send the release to your media list, and write the after-action report.
There's a learning side too, with FEMA-doctrine career tracks and a copilot that's read the file. A credentialed PIO approves every word that leaves the agency. Built by ThinkBOLD Solutions.
Is this like Everbridge, ChatGPT, or a training course?
None of them.
- Not an alerting platform. Everbridge and the notification vendors broadcast to the public. Cass helps the PIO do the writing, tracking, logging, and after-action, and stays out of the IPAWS/WEA lane on purpose.
- Not free AI. Free ChatGPT writes a post. Cass runs your whole incident and grounds its work in doctrine, not the open web.
- More than a course. It started as a training tool, and the learning side is still there, but the product now carries the live job too.
Does Cass replace the PIO or make decisions?
No. Cass drafts, tracks, logs, and reads back where things stand. The credentialed PIO makes the command and messaging decisions and approves every release, post, and word that leaves the agency. Cass grounds its work in your incident and in PIO doctrine, and it flags what it doesn't know. It never auto-fires and it never invents facts. The full list of limits is in our Acceptable Use Policy.
Are the News Alerts a public warning system?
No. News Alerts reach the journalists on your own media list, under your agency's name. That is press distribution, not public warning. For wireless and broadcast alerts to the public, use FEMA IPAWS and your established Wireless Emergency Alert / Emergency Alert System channels.
Is my incident data safe, and is it used to train AI?
Customer inputs are not used to train the underlying AI models. The after-action record is built FOIA-safe, and no PII or PHI is stored. Conversations are kept to operate the service, support safety, and improve reliability, never resold and never used for model training. See our Privacy Policy and Sub-processor list for the full data flow.
What does it cost, and how do I get in?
Cass is in private beta with a small, hand-selected group of working PIOs, and beta is free. Request access with your name, work email, and agency in the form above. We review every request personally and bring founding PIOs on deliberately; the founding group locks in founding pricing when paid plans land. See our Terms of Service for the framework.