INCIDENT COMMAND BASICS
Imagine responding to an emergency where everyone spoke a different language. Even with great equipment and training, it would be hard to work together. Now imagine that each responder came from a different service background: fire, police, public works, medical, private contractors, etc.
Who would be in charge? Who would you listen to?
Obviously, these are things best sorted out before an actual emergency, when time is of the essence.
The Incident Command System (ICS) was developed by fire fighters who frequently worked with responders from different departments, including professionals, volunteers, and forestry units. Its value was reinforced by 9/11, an event which added federal law enforcement, construction workers and the military to the mix.
Use of Incident Command has been a federal requirement since 2003 when President Bush signed Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5. That PD mandated a standardized National Incident Management System (NIMS). State and local government, hospitals, public works agencies, contractors, and anyone else involved in emergency response need ICS training. Following a disaster, a road grader or tow truck may be as important an emergency vehicle as a squad car or ambulance.
So, what are key elements of basic Incident Command?
SOMEONE IS IN CHARGE
Usually, this is the first official on the scene: police officer, fire fighter, EMT, sheriff's deputy, etc. He or she is designated as the “Incident Commander” and stays in charge until command is passed on to another individual. Everyone has one supervisor so that there is a clear chain of command.
A COMMON LANGUAGE
Every emergency service and each trade has its own jargon. One man's “sector” is another man's “quadrant,” and another’s “foreman” is someone else's “chief,” “supervisor,” “squad leader,” “boss,” etc. Incident Command not only requires consistent job titles and terminology, but specifically bans jargon from communications. In other words, '10-four' has been deep-sixed.
COMMAND POSTS AND OPERATIONS CENTERS
Each event has a Command Post where activities are coordinated. For small events this may be a deputy's squad car. In large scale situations Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) may be opened with maps, charts, and a variety of communications equipment. Whatever the size, the Command Post is the place to get official information, receive job assignments, locate equipment staging areas, etc.
FLEXIBILITY
The strength of Incident Command is flexibility. Fires are not earthquakes and traffic accidents are not tornados. Ice storms, building collapses, haz-mat events, and flu pandemics each have their own special needs, resources, and actions. In fact, Incident Command is so flexible that it is used for 'everyday' special events, such as parades, festivals, and visits by hot-shots that require planning and coordination among groups that don't normally play together.
Knowing how to fit in as smoothly as possible lets everyone work more efficiently, and focus on the job at hand. And learning this stuff before an emergency saves valuable response time.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ICS AND NIMS: