Instructional writing needs precision and brevity.
Good instructions promote action and predict success.
I wrote form instructions that nudge users towards compliance.
Designing forms is tricky. A form gives information, instructs about options, and collects data — all at the same time. Those words are doing triple duty! I choose and arrange words to produce the desired response.
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission uses forms to conduct some of its business. In this case, it’s the form a business completes to renew its marijuana business license. I revised one instruction to reduce the workload for staff and applicants alike.
I wrote instructional documents for an operations department.
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Wireless Agreements
Some staff members can be reimbursed for the use of their personal wireless services for work purposes.
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Purchase Orders
Virtually everything AvidCo buys requires a purchase order.
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Leases
AvidCo has lease agreements for transmitters on 85 sites. Legal initiates and renews leases.
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Service Agreements
Vendors who provide services must have an active service agreement with AvidCo.
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Invoices
When Accounts Payable sends Tech Ops an invoice, Tech Ops compares it to the quote, PO, and packing slip(s).
I rewrote a state agency webpage to enhance transparency and public access.
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission regulates alcohol sales and the production and sale of marijuana. According to OLCC’s 2019-2021 budget narrative, the agency wants to “Prioritize public access and transparency to information about OLCC licensing and enforcement activities.” I rewrote their public records request page to better serve these priorities.
Pen E-Ware Rolling Out at Retail
I wrote a press release as part of a job application. I got the job.
Faber Castell, the best-selling brand in pens and pencils for artists and crafters, announced today the nationwide launch of their newest writing device, named the Pen E-Ware. It’s the brand’s first offering in a new line of tools designed to provide optimum performance to artists who want the freedom to create anywhere inspiration strikes.
As the name suggests, the Pen E-Ware produces a continuous and uniform ink flow at any angle of use, both above and below sea level. Artists can now sketch, compose, and brainstorm while gazing at the ceiling, waiting for their dental hygienist, and clam-digging at low tide.
The Pen E-Ware has been fitted with a waterproof polymer sleeve which allows ink to flow freely and adhere to writing surfaces despite the high barometric pressure of underwater environments. And for artists who create at an 180 degree angle, the company has incorporated a nano-mechanical microprocessor in the ink reservoir. Pressing a button on the pen’s shank directs the technology to pump ink to the rollerball tip, thus defying gravity and delivering a steady ink flow. “It’s phenomenal,” said ceiling artist Yoko Ono. “Compared to the Bic Stic I used before, this pen is instant karma.”
According to Faber Castell’s Vice President of R&D Steven Glickman, the patent-pending technology will also star in the Color On marker set, their next artist tool scheduled for introduction. “The Color On will be a game changer in the youth crafter market,” said Glickman. “Sharpie, you’ve been put on notice.”
How Firefighters Mop-up a Fire
This is a rewrite of an information bulletin issued by Clackamas Fire District #1 during the September 2020 wildfires.
Have you heard that firefighters “mop-up” a wildfire? This is the hard physical work of finding hot spots in a burned area that seems completely extinguished. Looks can be deceiving. Fire can smolder in layers of dry needles and downed branches. It can hide in the hollow of a burned tree. All it takes to reignite a blaze is a few sparks and a gust of wind, especially when drought makes the forest fuels burn much hotter and faster.
The term’s specific origin is unknown, but firefighters have been “mopping-up” the forest floor for decades. During mop-up, firefighters search for and extinguish any remaining flames in bushes, grass, and timber (the “fuel.”) Where smoke rises from the forest floor, they drown and stir the material over and over until the smoking stops. It’s like putting out a campfire, but on a much bigger scale.
The crew may need to chop down fire-weakened trees and those with embers burning in their trunks. Any logs that could roll outside the perimeter of the fire control line are secured in trenches. The goal in mopping up is to make certain that the fire’s outer edge is completely extinguished and cold to the touch – literally.
Once visible smoke and embers are put out, crews remove their gloves and “cold-trail” the perimeter. This means running the back of your hand across the ground to feel for warmth. If there’s a hot spot, the firefighter will dowse it. She might need to dig down to it first. Fire can smolder in a tree’s underground root system and then emerge on the green side of the fire line, starting another fire.
The crew mops up all burning material within a specified safe distance (for example, 250 feet) of the fire control line. They may patrol the perimeter for days — or even weeks — depending on the amount and dryness of remaining forest fuel in the area.
We appreciate your cooperation as we continue to mop-up burned areas, limit fire growth, protect communities, and combat the fire with our partners from Mt. Hood National Forest, the Bureau of Land Management, the Oregon Department of Forestry, and the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
