1520 Page 1 of 3 FSM 1500 - EXTERNAL RELATIONS WO AMENDMENT 1500-90-1 EFFECTIVE 6/1/90 CHAPTER 1520 - PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAMS Contents 1520.1 Authorities (Reserved) 1520.2 Objectives (Reserved) 1520.3 Policy (Reserved) 1520.4 Responsibility (Reserved) 1520.5 Definitions (Reserved) 1521 HOST PROGRAM 1521.02 Objective 1521.03 Policy 1521.04 Responsibility 1521.04a All Employees 1521.04b Line Officers 1521.04c Director, Recreation Management Staff, Washington Office 1521.05 Definitions 1521.1 Training 1521.2 Providing Responsive and Courteous Public Service 1522 CONSUMER AFFAIRS (Reserved) 1523 PUBLIC COMPLAINTS (Reserved) 1521 - HOST PROGRAM 1521.02 - Objective. To make responsive and courteous service to the public a keystone of all Forest Service public contact. 1521.03 - Policy 1. Train all employees to provide responsive and courteous service in all public contacts. 2. Monitor responsive and courteous public contact as an element of program management and activity reviews (FSM 1410). 3. Emphasize HOST values in recruitment and selection criteria for public contact positions. 1521.04 - Responsibility 1521.04a - All Employees. All employees shall provide responsive and courteous service to the public in all aspects of their jobs. 1521.04b - Line Officers. Line officers shall ensure that their employees are aware of HOST values and trained in techniques appropriate to their jobs to provide responsive and courteous service to the public. Line officers shall monitor and evaluate employee contacts with the public. Line officers shall designate an individual in the unit to coordinate HOST program activities. 1521.04c - Director, Recreation Management Staff, Washington Office. The Director, Recreation Management Staff, Washington Office shall: 1. Maintain the HOST program. 2. Establish Service-wide guidelines and standards for responsive and courteous public service. 3. Develop employee-awareness training about the HOST program. 1521.05 - Definitions 1. Public means all people, including Forest Service employees and other representatives of the Forest Service, who seek information or use National Forest lands. 2. Employee means any person -- salaried, human resource program enrollee, or volunteer -- who represents the Forest Service to the public. 3. Public contact includes telephone management, letter writing, office operations, person-to-person communications, and mass media techniques for print and electronic communications. 1521.1 - Training. Develop training that raises awareness of HOST values and each employees' responsibility to provide responsive and courteous service to the public; covers specific techniques of public contact; and enables personnel with supervisory responsibilities to establish acceptable standards for public contact. 1521.2 - Providing Responsive and Courteous Public Service 1. Review and adjust policies and procedures, when necessary, to ensure courteous, responsive public service. 2. Review effective public contact as part of program management and activity reviews (FSM 1410). Consider: work habits; attitudes toward public; responsiveness to incoming correspondence and other types of requests; telephone management, appearance, and effectiveness of personnel; adequacy of signs, facilities, and print and electronic public information media; and accessibility of buildings and facilities.