Incident Command System (ICS) Overview

Incident Command System (ICS) Overview

What Is an Incident? An incident is . . . . . . an occurrence, caused by either human or natural phenomena, that requires response actions to prevent or minimize loss of life, or damage to property and/or the environment.

Incident Timeframes How long will a complex incident last? How will you know that the incident is over? How long do we need to be selfsufficient?

What Is ICS? The Incident Command System: – Is a standardized, on-scene, allhazards incident management concept. – Allows its users to adopt an integrated organizational structure to match the complexities and demands of single or multiple incidents without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries.

ICS Purposes Using management best practices, ICS helps to ensure: – The safety of responders and others. – The achievement of tactical objectives. – The efficient use of resources.

Legal Basis for ICS HSPD-5 Management of Domestic Incidents HSPD-8 National Preparedness Mandates

National Response Framework (NRF) – Establishes a comprehensive, national, all-hazards approach to domestic incident response. – Presents an overview of key response principles, roles, and structures that guide the national response. – Includes the Core Document, Annexes, and Partner Guides. – Replaces the National Response Plan.

NRF Emphasizes Partnerships Federal Government Last Resort! State Government Provides Support Local Government First Response! Individuals and Households Private Sector Nongovernmental Organizations

National Incident Management System – What? . . . NIMS provides a consistent nationwide template . . . – Who? . . . to enable Federal, State, tribal, and local governments, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together . . . – How? . . . to prepare for, prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity . . . – Why? . . . in order to reduce the loss of life and property, and harm to the environment.

NIMS: What It Is/What It’s Not NIMS is . . . A flexible framework of: Doctrine Concepts Principles Terminology Organizational processes Applicable to all hazards and jurisdictions NIMS is not . . . An operational incident management plan A resource allocation plan A terrorism/WMD-specific plan Designed to address international events

NIMS Components Preparedness Communications and Information Management Resource Management Command and Management Ongoing Management and Maintenance Incident Command System Multiagency Coordination Systems Public Information

NIMS & Institutionalizing ICS Governmental officials must: – Adopt the ICS through executive order, proclamation, or legislation as the agency’s/jurisdiction’s official incident response system. – Direct that incident managers and response organizations train, exercise, and use the ICS. – Integrate ICS into functional and system-wide emergency operations policies, plans, and procedures. – Conduct ICS training for responders, supervisors, and commandlevel officers. – Conduct coordinating ICS-oriented exercises that involve responders from multiple disciplines and jurisdictions.

Other ICS Mandates – Hazardous Materials Incidents Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) – 1986 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Rule 29 CFR 1910.120 – State and Local Regulations

Examples of Incidents Managed Using ICS – Fire, both structural and wildland – Natural disasters, such as tornadoes, floods, ice storms, or earthquakes – Human and animal disease outbreaks – Search and rescue missions – Hazardous materials incidents – Criminal acts and crime scene investigations – Terrorist incidents, including the use of weapons of mass destruction – National Special Security Events, such as Presidential visits or the Super Bowl – Other planned events, such as parades or demonstrations

ICS –Benefits Meets the needs of incidents of any kind or size. – Allows personnel from a variety of agencies to meld rapidly into a common management structure. – Provides logistical and administrative support to operational staff. – Is cost effective by avoiding duplication of efforts.

ICS Organization & Features

ICS Organization Differs from the day-to-day, administrative organizational structures and positions. – Unique ICS position titles and organizational structures are designed to avoid confusion during response. – Rank may change during deployment. A “chief” may not hold that title when deployed under an ICS structure.

Common Terminology ICS requires the use of common terminology. Common terminology helps to define: – Organizational functions. – Incident facilities. – Resource descriptions. – Position titles. This is Unit 1, we have a 10-37, Code 2.

Chain of Command – Chain of command is an orderly line of authority within the ranks of the incident management organization. – Unity of command means that every individual has a designated supervisor to whom he or she reports at the scene of the incident. Authority

Incident Commander Upon arriving at an incident, the higher ranking person will either assume command, maintain command as is, or transfer command to a third party. The most qualified person at the scene is designated as the Incident Commander.

Incident Commander’s Role The Incident Commander: – Provides overall leadership for incident response. – Takes policy direction from the Executive/Senior Official. – Delegates authority to others. – Ensures incident safety. – Provides information to internal and external stakeholders. – Establishes and maintains liaison with other agencies participating in the incident. – Establishes incident objectives. – Directs the development of the Incident Action Plan.

Executives’/Senior Officials’ Role & Responsibilities Executives/Senior Officials: – Provide policy guidance on priorities and objectives based on situational needs and the Emergency Plan. – Oversee resource coordination and support to the on-scene command from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or through dispatch. Incident Commander

Command vs. Coordination What is the difference between command and coordination?

NIMS: Command Command: The act of directing, ordering, or controlling by virtue of explicit statutory, regulatory, or delegated authority. Who has the explicit authority for the management of all incident operations?

NIMS: Coordination Multiagency coordination is a process that allows all levels of government and all disciplines to work together more efficiently and effectively.

Executives/Senior Officials Delegate Command Authority Executives/Senior Officials delegate authority to the designated Incident Commander for on-scene operations. The Incident Commander has direct tactical and operational responsibility for conducting incident management activities.

Delegation of Authority Delegation of authority may be in writing (established in advance) or verbal, and include: – Legal authorities and restrictions. – Financial authorities and restrictions. – Reporting requirements. – Demographic issues. – Political implications. – Agency or jurisdictional priorities. – Plan for public information management. – Process for communications. – Plan for ongoing incident evaluation. Delegation of Authority

Summary: Incident Management Roles Incident Commander’s Role Agency Executives’/Senior Officials’ Role The Incident Commander: Manages the incident at the scene. Keeps the EOC informed on all important matters pertaining to the incident. These officials provide the following to the Incident Commander: Policy Mission Strategic direction Authority To maintain unity of command and safety of responders, the chain of command must NOT be bypassed.

Command Staff The Incident Commander may designate a Command Staff who: – Provide information, liaison, and safety services for the entire organization. – Report directly to the Incident Commander. Incident Incident Commander Commander Public Public Information Information Officer Officer Liaison Liaison Officer Officer Safety Safety Officer Officer Command Staff

General Staff As the incident expands in complexity, the Incident Commander may add General Staff Sections to maintain span of control. Incident Incident Commander Commander Public Public Information Information Officer Officer Liaison Liaison Officer Officer Safety Safety Officer Officer Operations Operations Section Section Planning Planning Section Section Logistics Logistics Section Section Command Staff Finance/Admin Finance/Admin Section Section General Staff

Incident Management Team Incident Incident Commander Commander Incident Management Team Command and General Staff Members Public Public Information Information Officer Officer Liaison Liaison Officer Officer Safety Safety Officer Officer Operations Operations Section Section Planning Planning Section Section Logistics Logistics Section Section Incident Management Team Finance/Admin Finance/Admin Section Section

Who Does What? Finance/Admin: Monitors Command: Overall responsibility for the incident. Sets objectives. costs related to the incident. Provides overall fiscal guidance. Incident Incident Commander Commander Operations Operations Section Section Operations: Develops the tactical organization and directs all resources to carry out the Incident Action Plan. Planning Planning Section Section Logistics Logistics Section Section Planning: Develops the Incident Action Plan to accomplish the objectives. Finance/Admin Finance/Admin Section Section Logistics: Provides resources and all other services needed to support the incident.

Modular Organization (1 of 2) – Develops in a top-down, modular fashion. – Is based on the size and complexity of the incident. – Is based on the hazard environment created by the incident.

Modular Organization (2 of 2) – Incident objectives determine the organizational size. – Only functions/positions that are necessary will be filled. – Each element must have a person in charge.

Example: Expanding Incident (1 of 3) Scenario: On a chilly autumn day, a parent calls 911 to report a missing 7-year-old child in a wooded area adjacent to a coastal area. Incident Incident Commander Commander Safety Safety Officer Officer EMS EMS Group Group Initially, the Incident Commander manages the General Staff resources. Public Public Information Information Officer Officer Liaison Liaison Officer Officer Search Search Group Group Investigation Investigation Group Group

Example: Expanding Incident (2 of 3) Scenario: As additional resource personnel arrive, the Incident Commander assigns an Operations Section Chief to maintain span of control. Incident Incident Commander Commander Public Public Information Information Officer Officer Safety Safety Officer Officer Liaison Liaison Officer Officer Operations Operations Section Section Staging Staging Area Area As the incident expands, an Operations Section Chief is assigned. EMS EMS Group Group Search Search Group Group Canine Canine Strike Strike Team Team Investigation Investigation Group Group Volunteer Volunteer Searchers Searchers

Example: Expanding Incident (3 of 3) Scenario: With hundreds of responders and volunteers arriving, there is a need for on-scene support of the planning and logistics functions. The Incident Commander adds a Planning Section Chief and Logistics Section Chief. Incident Incident Commander Commander Public Public Information Information Officer Officer Safety Safety Officer Officer Operations Operations Section Section Liaison Liaison Officer Officer Planning Planning Section Section Logistics Logistics Section Section Remember . . . Not all Sections need to be activated!

Incident Complexity and Resource Needs Complexity Incident Complexity Resource Needs ICS Structure

Complexity Analysis Factors In your agency or jurisdiction, what factors may affect the complexity of an incident?

Management by Objectives – ICS is managed by objectives. – Objectives are communicated throughout the entire ICS organization.

Overall Priorities Initial decisions and objectives are established based on the following priorities: #1: Life Safety #2: Incident Stabilization #3: Property/Environmental Conservation

Reliance on an Incident Action Plan The Incident Commander creates an Incident Action Plan (IAP) that: – Specifies the incident objectives. – States the activities to be completed. – Covers a specified timeframe, called an operational period. – May be oral or written—except for hazardous materials incidents, which require a written IAP. – Takes into account legal and policy considerations and direction.

Resource Management Resource management includes processes for: – Categorizing resources. – Ordering resources. – Dispatching resources. – Tracking resources. – Recovering resources. It also includes processes for reimbursement for resources, as appropriate.

Integrated Communications Incident communications are facilitated through: – The development and use of a common communications plan. – The interoperability of communication equipment, procedures, and systems. Before an incident, it is critical to develop an integrated voice and data communications system (equipment, systems, and protocols).

Interoperability Saves Lives Jan. 13, 1982: 70 people lost their lives when Air Florida Flight 90 crashed in Washington, DC. Police, fire, and EMS crews responded quickly but couldn't coordinate their efforts because they couldn't talk to each other by radio. Sept. 11, 2001: When American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, 900 users from 50 different agencies were able to communicate with one another. Response agencies had learned an invaluable lesson from the Air Florida tragedy. Interoperability makes sense. It's a cost-saver, a resource-saver, and a lifesaver.

Mobilization At any incident: – The situation must be assessed and the response planned. – Managing resources safely and effectively is the most important consideration. – Personnel and equipment should not be dispatched unless requested by the on-scene Incident Command.

The Next Section The next Section will deal with planning