Incident Command Systems: The Unity Of Command System

The assistance provided for the purpose of helping the victims of a disaster rebuild their homes to the same living conditions they had lived in before the disaster, FEMA assisted 130,000 middle income and low income families rebuild after the Northridge earthquake (Eugene, 2010). FEMA also assisted with the coordinated the response of 27 federal agencies that were involved in the recovery process. The FEMA United States Fire Administration student manual “ICS-300: Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents” (2013) refers to this type of command structure within the Incident Command System is defined as a “Unified Command”. The Unified Command type of management system allows for multiple agencies to work together to plan and strategize but most importantly to be able to collect resources from each agency without having to go through extra steps. This coordination was said to have had a huge benefit by being able to get the funding for repairs and to be able to decrease the time frames set to repair and rebuild the infrastructure (highways and roadways) needed to the get the city moving again. (DeBlasio et al,.

Establishment of a chain of command in a situation such as a severe storm or other disaster is essential. Because there may be a disruption to commonly used manners of communication, such as television, telephones, and the internet, it is important to have a clear outline of where and to whom to report, how to find answers, and who will perform necessary tasks. In the simulation, the Public Health Department is both a link in the larger, county-wide chain of command and has its own hierarchy structure. Within the scope of the county, the Public Health Department reports to the Medical/Health Branch Director who is directly under the Operations Chief. The Operations Chief, who is in charge of managing and monitoring the actions of each department, reports to the Emergency Operations Commander. The Emergency Operations commander is the highest link in the chain, not only overseeing the operations of the various governmental departments, but also the officers in charge of Safety, Public Information, and Legal.

Recommendations were made following the shooting to implement a command center with personnel able to take command at the beginning of a crisis, control assembled personnel, and to communicate objectives clearly (Erickson, 2001). This came after the failure of law enforcement to set up a successful command center whereas Fire and EMS successfully instituted an incident command center based on

Unity of command will further solidify the importance and use of the chain of command and eliminate confusion on who the employees

The Unified Command helps give structure and objectives for agencies, those agencies who do not have jurisdictional responsibilities are given supporting roles (Department of Homeland Security, 2004). Also, some agencies may have the same rules and authorities so this unified system will help them work efficiently and effectively not interfering with each other. Working as a team for example would be when local, state and federal investigators can all help one another investigate a terrorist crime scene by sharing expertise, equipment, intelligence and other

Supplies could be needed in one area, but without communication that area might not be able to reach out for those supplies. Communication amongst first responders is important for information sharing, so that information can flow between different jurisdictions and agencies. When looking at the efforts of first responders, communication is the one constant variable, which without communication all efforts would be in vain. (Newman & Clarke, 2008) The National Incident Management System (NIMS) places an emphasis on the importance of communication when dealing with response efforts. The National Incident Management System shows how having a unified command systems can benefit the response efforts to disaster. However, without proper and efficient communication, a unified command system cannot proceed efficiently.

1. Field or Incident Commander (FC) is the highest ranking official at the scene who would be situated in the Command Post. Here the FC greets the media and provides briefing and updates to them. Next in command are the Tactical Supervisor and Negotiation Supervisor. Command over the perimeter security units and the tactical response team is the responsibility of the Tactical Supervisor. They also maintain communication with the negotiating team and plan the tactical operation. The Negotiation Supervisor is responsible for the functioning of the negotiating team and provide liason with the Tactical Supervisor. They must also act as a buffer between the negotiators and any "outsider." Next, there is the Primary Negotiator (PN) who contacts

Directly receiving directions from the Incident Commander as well as reporting to the Command Staff are sections that oversee, plan, and assemble the necessary resources to carry out the Incident Action Plan passed down from the Command Staff. The Operations Section is managed by the Operations Section Chief who oversees all tactical operations at the incident. Deputies can then be appointed underneath the Operations Section Chief to control different Branches of operations in order to keep the span of control in scale. Ideally one individual should only control five other individuals on scene. As resources grow, the span of control can be reduced through the implementation of Divisions and Groups. Divisions can be used if the need arises to slit operations into geographical locations. This allows for the Operations Section Chief to pass on vital information to crews in a specific location. These divisions may simply be a quadrant of a structure, as well as a large area. It enables for all Divisions to communicate and work together, even through the use of different methods. Groups can then be implemented to further break down Divisions into smaller more manageable resources. In each geographical location, the ability to control law

In this essay I will be analysing the importance and use of command and control also I within a uniformed public service then I will go on to give bad and good examples of where command and control have been used. Command and control is one of the most important things in the uniformed services. Command and control is primary to the way in which the uniformed public services function. Without command and control the uniformed services would not be able to take control of situations which would require them to take control of, and make sure that the situation doesn't get out of hand so that lives are not lost. Command and control is important to the way in which the uniformed public services operate. It is the method by which they perform their tasks. Situations can require immediate and decisive action. Those responsible for command and control must be prepared, trained and practised in the

For my Emergency Support Function assignment, I choose to research, and discuss the Incident Command System “ICS” and the National Management Incident System “NMICS”. In this paper I will compare the similarities, and differences the advantages and disadvantages of each system, as it pertains to the Emergency Management System. The ICS system is a personnel management structure through which disaster response is controlled. ICS was developed by the State of California as a method by which earthquakes and other emergencies could be handled efficiently.

According to FEMA incident command system (ICS) “is a management system designed to enable effective and efficient domestic incident management by integrating a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure. ICS is normally structured to facilitate activities in five major functional areas: command, operations, planning, logistics, Intelligence & Investigations, finance and administration. It is a fundamental form of management, with the purpose of enabling incident managers to identify the key concerns associated with the incident—often under urgent conditions—without sacrificing attention to any component of the command system”(2017). As explained by FEMA incident command system is the designates system to integrate different component with the purpose of organize the agency and classified different emergencies so every one of them can get the attention needed base on its

During a large-scale incident the collaboration of multiple responding agencies as well as the increased volume of first responders can muddle responder’s ability to communicate effectively. With the development of incident command systems first responders are now able to coordinate response efforts with various jurisdictions and agencies, while establishing a common process and management of resources that integrates multiple resources that operate within a common organizational structure. (ICS 100, 2017. Lesson 1) This intern has strengthened responding agencies ability to not only communicate with each other, but other agencies as well.

Today, the Incident Command System (ICS) is a major component of NIMS and is widely used in emergency management response. However, this was not always the case. According to David A. McEntire and Gregg Dawson, authors of the article, “The intergovernmental Context,” ICS was originally developed by the fire service in 1970. Its purpose was to assist in the command of wildfire events. It was unique because it standardized operations, yet offered flexibility so that it could be used on any number of events, regardless of size or type (McEntire & Dawson, 2007, p. 63).

It is a location that is used to arrange and relate all necessary information and is generally the “control area”. The Incident Command Post a major component of the NIMS (Wolf,2012) is located within the EOC. It’s primary focus tactical on-scene response can be used during small and large situations. They are organized and have representation from all levels. These centers can be temporary or permanent entities and will include a detail that fits the incident who have full knowledge and certain skills. Also under the center are DOC’S Department Operations Center. This area requires effective and reliable communication because of the type of information transmitted through the center. The EOC will only be successful with the use” of mutual-aid agreements and joint communications protocols among participating agencies” (Walsh,2012). An interesting factor is that it has a Policy group that advises. This method comes in handy when making drastic decisions, legal guidance is good to cover your tracks. In supply when you are not sure if it is legally right to charger someone for signed equipment you consult with the legal aid to see if you are headed in the right direction. “Director of Emergency Management is the person in charge in local and state levels. This is the room one would want to be in, all the officials are in the Center. Space is something that is a delicate situation because it must be able to accommodate five various groups. The primary functions of the EOC are resource support for incidents and management. It has several task that it must take care of so task so board is displayed to show current updates. Tracking all availabilities with things such as “Shelter Status, Equipment Status and EOC staffing charts” (Walsh, 2012). The “Interoperability in the EOC” section defined a word used in the system as interoperability “the ability of

Establishing the incident command system is first and foremost. The system establishes a common organizational structure that is conducive for different types of agencies as well as multiple jurisdictions to be able to effectively work together in response to the situation. The components of this system include the Incident Commander, who oversees all aspects of the disaster response, operations, planning, logistics and finance/administrative (Briggs & Twomey, 2003).