adapted from FEMA IS-15 Special Event Contingency Planning
The Incident Command System (ICS) dates back to the early 1970s. Responding to a series of wildland fires in Southern California, municipal, state, county, and federal resources worked together to achieve a single goal. Because agency differences in communications, control, strategy management, and other leadership concerns, as well as the use of nonstandard terminology, caused many difficulties, the agencies produced a plan called FIRESCOPE to combat these problems and create centralized control. The National Fire Academy adopted this program, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police endorsed it in 1987. The federal government eventually endorsed this plan and now requires its use in any operation involving hazardous materials.
Using ICS is an excellent means of determining how resources are going to be used, who will coordinate them, and how information will be communicated using common terminology in response to a variety of matters relating to any special event. ICS is designed to assist event planners in the areas of:
Use of ICS optimizes communication and coordination, and facilitates the protection of life and property. ICS achieves this goal by establishing a protocol command structure for any event or incident and using common terminology that ensures everyone will understand what is being said and how to acknowledge it properly. The command organization consists of an incident commander, command staff, and general staff. In some small events, the Incident Commander (IC) may handle all functions; in larger events, the IC may delegate tasks to other persons. Five functional components of ICS are implemented, as needed:
ICS can be expanded as the event demands increase in volume or complexity, and then contracted as demands diminish.
The ICS chart above shows the five major sections that may be required to manage any event and/or incident. Branches of these sections that may also be needed are identified as well. Some events/incidents require very few functional areas, while others require activation of more. As you can see from the chart, ICS designates positions for every contingency. The job descriptions below detail what is required of persons filling the major positions.
The Incident Commander (IC) is responsible for the overall management of the incident. Deputies may also be used at section and branch levels of the ICS organization. Deputies must have the same qualifications as the persons for whom they work because they must be ready to take over those positions at any time.
Responsibilities - The Incident Commander must:
The Safety Officer's function is to develop and recommend measures for assuring personnel safety and assess or anticipate hazardous and unsafe situations. Only one Safety Officer will be assigned for each event. The Safety Officer may have assistants as necessary, and the assistants may also represent assisting agencies or jurisdictions. Safety assistants may have specific responsibilities, such as air operations or hazardous materials.
Responsibilities - The Safety Officer should:
The Information Officer is responsible for developing and releasing public information regarding safety matters of the event to the news media, to incident personnel, and to other appropriate agencies and organizations. Typically, the event promoter or sponsor releases most public information and advertisements. In the case of a major incident occurring during the event including those operating under Unified Command, the Information Officer should become the sole spokesperson. The Information Officer may have assistants as necessary, and the assistants may also represent assisting agencies or jurisdictions.
Participating agencies may have conflicting policies and procedures concerning the dissemination of public information. The following major responsibilities assigned to the Information Officer apply generally to any event.
Responsibilities - The Public Information Officer should:
Special events that are multi-jurisdictional or that involve several agencies may require the establishment of a Liaison Officer position on the Command Staff.
The Liaison Officer is the contact person for agency representatives assigned to the event from assisting or cooperating agencies. These representatives are personnel other than those on direct tactical assignments or those involved in Unified Command.
Responsibilities - The Liaison Officer should:
Responsibilities - The Operations Section Chief should:
The Planning Section collects, evaluates, processes, and disseminates information for use throughout the event. When activated, the Planning Section Chief who is a member of the command staff manages the section.
Responsibilities - The Planning Section Chief should:
Typically, the promoter and/or sponsor provide resources to execute the event. However, certain necessary resources and support needs may not be provided (e.g., command post, communications equipment, medical supplies, etc.), and therefore, must be procured. The Logistics Section, with the exception of aviation support, provides support needs for the event command infrastructure. The Air Support Group (in the Air Operations Branch of the Operations Section) handles aviation support. The Logistics Section Chief, who may assign a Deputy, manages the Logistics Section. A Deputy is most often assigned when all designated units within the Logistics Section are activated.
The Logistics Section Chief will determine the need to activate or deactivate a unit. If a unit is not activated, responsibility for that unit's duties will remain with the Logistics Section Chief.
Responsibilities - The Logistics Section Chief should:
The Finance/Administration Section is responsible for managing all financial aspects of the event command infrastructure. Here again, typically, the promoter and/or sponsor manage the financial aspects of most special events. However, when certain necessary resources and support needs are not provided, some means of maintaining financial accountability should be established. As such, not all event/incidents will require a Finance/Administration Section. Only when the agencies involved in responding to the event/incident have a specific need for Finance/Administration services will the section be activated.
Responsibilities - The Finance/Administration Chief should:
As discussed above, certain incidents occurring during a special event may dictate the need for a specific incident commander to manage that particular incident (e.g., isolated structure fire, vehicle crash, HAZMAT incident, structure collapse, multiple casualty incident, etc.). When an incident occurs within a special event, immediate action must be taken to control and manage the incident. As the incident grows, the issues that must be considered will grow as well. The Incident Commander of the special event may assign command of the emergency incident to a ranking responder. This responder must take initial steps to bring order to the incident as in situations requiring more traditional applications of ICS. The Incident Commander of the special event may authorize the responder to implement their own command structure and/or call upon the resources of the event command structure. This responder must:
In prolonged events, it is likely that a change of command may take place. When transfer of command is necessary, the transfer must be made as efficiently as possible and in person, whenever possible. To transfer command, the person being relieved must brief the incoming Incident Commander to provide information about:
ICS Form 201 is well designed for briefings because it contains a place for a sketch map, a place to write a summary of current actions and organizational framework, and a place to summarize resources. Sections of the form can be separated from the document and given to ICS sections to complete as needed.
Be aware that changes may cause disruptions and should be implemented at the start of operational periods whenever possible. Finally, once command has been transferred, ensure that all personnel and communications centers are notified of the transfer of command.
ICS is built from the Unified Command concept. Unified Command is a term referring to shared responsibility for event management using either single agency multi-jurisdiction or multiple agencies. A clear line of authority for decision-making must always be in place.
ICS offers two options for command, as follows:
Unified Command is a team effort process, allowing all agencies with responsibility for an incident, either geographical or functional, to establish a common set of incident objectives and strategies to which all can subscribe. This set of objectives and strategies is accomplished without losing or abdicating agency authority, responsibility, or accountability. Unified Command is not a new organization; the U.S. military has used similar command structures in joint operations for years.
There are four elements to consider when applying Unified Command to an event/incident:
In joint military operations, setting the policy, objectives, and strategy is the responsibility of the coalition of countries operating within the United Nations mandate. In ICS, this responsibility belongs to the various jurisdictional and agency administrators who set policy and are accountable to their agencies. This activity is accomplished in advance of tactical operations, and it may be coordinated from some location other than the one where the direct action takes place.
In joint military operations, Unified Command organization consists of the unified Force Command established at the scene. In ICS, Unified Command organization consists of the various jurisdictional or agency on-scene senior representatives (agency Incident Commanders).
In joint military operations, resources include of all of the U.S. armed services, plus various service elements from other countries. In ICS Unified Command, resources are the personnel and equipment supplied by the jurisdictions and agencies that have functional or jurisdictional responsibility for the IAP.
In joint military operations, after the objectives, strategies, and interagency agreements are decided, a single Force Commander is designated to develop tactical action plans and to direct tactical operations. In ICS/Unified Command, that person is the Operations Section Chief.
In both joint military operations and ICS Unified Command, resources remain under the administrative and policy control of their agencies. However, they respond operationally to mission assignment under the coordination and direction of the Force Commander or Operations Section Chief, depending upon the requirements of the action plan.
Unified Command represents an important element in increasing the effectiveness of multi-jurisdictional or multi-agency events/incidents. As events/incidents become more complex and involve more agencies, the need for Unified Command becomes even greater.
The advantages of using Unified Command include:
Using Unified Command is practical and cost effective. Agencies can improve incident management and achieve goals in a timely, cost-effective manner.
Five important features of a Unified Command organization include a single, integrated incident organization; collocated facilities; a single planning process and IAP; shared planning, logistical, and finance sections; and unified resource ordering.
Under Unified Command, the various jurisdictions or agencies are blended together into an integrated, unified team. The resulting organization may be a mix of personnel from several jurisdictions or from a single agency, each performing appropriate functions and working toward a common set of objectives. The proper mix of participants in a Unified Command organization will depend on:
In a multi-jurisdictional response to an event/incident, a Unified Command structure could consist of a single responsible official from each jurisdiction. In other cases, Unified Command may consist of several functional department managers or assigned representatives from within a single political jurisdiction.
By bringing the responsible officials, command staffs, and planning elements together in a single Incident Command Post, a coordinated effort can be maintained for as long as the Unified Command structure is required.
One base or command post can serve the needs of multiple agencies. Similarly, resources from several agencies can be brought together in staging areas.
Electing participants to work in Unified Command depends on the location and the type of event/incident. A Unified Command structure may comprise one principal official from each jurisdiction or representatives from several responders. Since the Operations Section is the agency with greatest involvement, the Operations Section chief usually implements the IAP. In a Unified Command, all agencies involved contribute to the command process.
Every event needs an IAP. Action plans may be written or verbal, although best if written. Either type must cover strategic goals, tactical objectives, and needed support. If an event is prolonged, it may require more than one action plan.
If the gathering is large and multiple events are taking place simultaneously, one feature of the IAP may be an event/incident timeline showing the sequence of events and their locations.
The planning process for Unified Command is similar to that used in Single Incident Command. However, one important distinction is the need in Unified Command for every jurisdictional or functional agency s Incident Commander to participate in a Command Meeting before creating the joint IAP in the first operational meeting.
This initial Command Meeting provides the responsible agency officials with an opportunity to discuss and concur on important issues before the joint IAP is created.
Command Meeting requirements include the following:
Officials attending the initial Command Meeting should:
Incident Action Planning meetings will use the results of the Command Meeting to determine:
The result of the planning process will be an IAP that addresses multi-jurisdictional or multi-agency priorities and provides tactical operations and resource assignments for the unified effort.
The Unified Command incident organization can also benefit by integrating multi-jurisdictional and/or multi-agency personnel into various other functional areas.
For example, in the Operations and Planning Sections, Deputy Section chiefs can be designated from an adjacent jurisdiction which may, in future operational periods, have the primary responsibility for these functions.
By placing other agencies personnel in the Planning Section s Situation, Resources, and Demobilization units, significant savings in personnel, and increased communication and information sharing will often result.
In the Logistics Section, a deputy Logistics Section Chief from another agency or jurisdiction can help to coordinate event/incident support as well as facilitate resource-ordering activities. Placing other agencies personnel into the Communications Section helps in developing a single event/incident-wide Communications Plan.
Although the Finance/Administration Section often has detailed and agency-specific procedures to follow, cost savings may be realized through agreements on cost sharing for essential services. For example, one agency might provide food services, another fuel, and a third security.
An important advantage of Unified Command over Single Incident Command is the ability of commanders to establish resource-ordering procedures before the Incident Action Planning meeting. During the Command Meeting, commanders can designate specific kinds and types of resources to be supplied by certain jurisdictions or agencies in the resource-ordering procedures. This designation depends upon the previous commitments of the responsible agency officials.
Following the Command Meeting, the Incident Action Planning meeting will determine resource requirements for all levels of the organization. The nature and location of the event/incident will, to some extent, dictate the most effective offsite resource-ordering procedure.
These resource requirements established at the Incident Action Planning meeting are given to the Logistics Section, which then creates a single resource order that is transmitted to a single agency responsible for filling the order. (Some situations may require multiple resource orders to be transmitted to multiple agencies. However, multiple resource orders are generally less desirable than a single resource order, and they should be avoided when possible.) The agency then fills the order from the closest available resource.
Having resource-ordering procedures in place before the Incident Action Planning meeting determines resource requirements ensures that the agency filling the resource order can do so quickly and effectively.
It is essential to understand how an Incident Command System (ICS) Unified Command functions. Knowledge of ICS principles of organization will enable managers to accept and easily adapt to a Unified Command mode of operation when it is required. Lack of knowledge about ICS can limit the willingness of some jurisdictions or agencies to participate in Unified Command incident organization. It is impossible to implement Unified Command unless all affected agencies have agreed to participate in the command structure.
Establishing a single Incident Command Post is essential to success. Other facilities where all agencies can operate together may be established as needed. Avoid the confusion created by separate command, planning, and logistics setups.
Begin action planning as early as possible after the notification of an event/incident. Initiate Unified Command as soon as two or more agencies having jurisdictional or functional responsibilities participate in, or respond to, the event or incident. Where conflicting priorities based on agency responsibilities exist, early initiation of Unified Command is especially important.
The Operations Section Chief will normally be chosen from the jurisdiction or agency that has the greatest involvement in the event/incident, although this association is not essential.
However, the Operations Section Chief should be the most qualified and most experienced person. The selection of the Operations Section Chief must be agreed upon by the Unified Command because he or she will have full authority to implement the operations portion of the IAP. The Unified Command must also agree on other General Staff personnel who will be implementing their portions of the IAP.
If necessary, the Unified Command may designate one of the Incident Commanders to act as a spokesperson. The Incident Commanders may see the need to identify one among them to act as an Operational Period Duty Officer and/or spokesperson for the Unified Command.
Designating a spokesperson can provide a channel of communications from the General and Command Staff members into the Unified Command structure. The spokesperson does not make Unified Command decisions, but does provide a point of contact as necessary for the General and Command Staffs.
Finally, it is important to conduct discussions of Unified Command with adjacent jurisdictions and functional agencies whenever possible.
Individually and collectively, the designated agency Incident Commanders (ICs) functioning in a Unified Command have the following responsibilities at an event/incident:
The agencies ICs have the responsibility to manage the event/incident to the best of their abilities. This responsibility includes:
The members of the Unified Command must function together as a team, ensuring effective coordination of the IAP. In many ways, this is the most important function they perform in Unified Command.
Manageable span or control is another aspect of ICS. Manageable span is defined as the number of subordinates one supervisor can manage effectively. Guidelines suggest from three to seven persons, with five persons being the optimum number.
The Command Post (CP) is the center for directing all operations, and only one Command Post operates during an event. Usually the Incident Commander, the Planning Section, the communications center, and all agency representatives have offices there.
A joint news center may be helpful during an event/incident. At a joint news center, the local media may congregate to receive information and use the area as a workspace. Providing the media with information, rather than making them track it down, ensures the dissemination of accurate information and prevents difficulties arising from rumors. Depending on the size and type of event, the Incident Commander may appoint a liaison.
After the Incident Commanders (ICs) determine a command structure, they should identify the roles of public safety personnel. They must bear in mind that all public safety organizations must also be able to answer their normal responsibilities as well as to provide staffing for the event. The promoter must cover the cost for any public safety personnel responding to an event/incident.
The role of emergency management is to complement and support local first responders and to coordinate and facilitate the flow of required responses to the Incident Commander as needed.
The role of law enforcement may be to provide:
Depending upon jurisdiction, the role of fire fighters may vary. Tasking to the fire departments and department capabilities differ for every community.
Emergency medical services may be called upon to render first aid to personnel attending the event. They may also work in cooperation with public health to provide more in-depth, onsite medical care in the form of site and field hospitals or to transport people to local medical facilities.
If an incident occurs that is beyond the capability of the local authorities, a community may have to request the assistance of state or federal assets through the Emergency Management Agency. The event planners should be prepared to discuss the event and the locations of all the risks with the state and federal authorities as needed. Providing a strip map to state or federal responders will help them locate areas in the event, especially if smoke or debris make locating areas difficult. Research your support and your capabilities at every level; the Emergency Management Agency may be of assistance in locating the agency or assistance for the community.
One way of sharing resources is through local mutual aid agreements. These agreements allow local agencies to borrow equipment and resources from neighboring communities. They also allow the lending community to be covered under the borrowing community s insurance. For example, if a community needs to borrow a pumping unit from a community three towns away and the pumping truck is damaged or is involved in an accident, the borrowing community s insurance will be responsible for damages, repairs or replacement to equipment. Sharing of resources is especially useful in smaller communities where budgets may not allow for extensive equipment.
Depending on event size and needs, the Incident Command System can be very simple or complex. For more information on ICS, contact the Emergency Management Institute or visit the FEMA website, http://www.fema.gov/emi.
Nick Meacher, N3WWE
Emergency Coordinator
Northern SE AK ARES
907-796-3322
Email: [email protected]