Incident Command System
The Incident Command System is a highly scalable management system that can meet the needs of incidents of any magnitude. The system can grow and shrink along with the incident, allowing more resources to be smoothly added into the system when required, and also the smooth release of resources when the incident is no longer as complex.
History
The Incident Command System was created in response to fast-moving wildfires and the complex management structures they required. It has now found its way into everything from law enforcement to regular business, as the basic goal is clear control of resources, accountability, and the efficient use of resources.
Organization
Every section of ICS can be divided into subsections as needed, and the ICS has the ability to grow and shrink along with the incident. The basic guiding idea in ICS is that a person at the top of the command structure is the responsible party until the task is delegated. This allows for small incidents to be handled by a single or few people who fill multiple roles, or large incidents to have many people working towards a common goal, but all on different tasks.
The major management activities that always apply and are always filled, no matter the size of the incident, are made up of the following 5 sections: Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration. These positions can be performed by the same person, or multiple people.
Command - The Incident Commander (IC) is the single person in charge at the incident, and initial fills all 5 section positions. As the incident grows the tasks covered by other sections can be delegated, and those new positions take the title of Section Chief. The IC's is responsible for all activity on the incident as well as creating the overall incident objectives.
Operations - The Operations Section Chief is tasked with directing all actions to meet the incident objectives.
Planning - The Planning Section Chief is tasked with the collection and display of incident information, primarily consisting of the status of all resources and overall status of the incident.
Logistics - The Logistics Section Chief is tasked with providing all resources, services, and support required by the incident.
Finance/Administration - The Finance Section Chief is tasked with tracking incident related costs, personnel records, requisitions, and administrating procurement contracts required by Logistics.
Chain of Command
The Chain of Command is an essential part of being able to control incidents of any size. Every person on the incident has a designated supervisor. There is a clear line of authority within the organization tree, and all lower levels connect to higher levels, eventually leading solely back to the IC.
The Chain of Command follows an established organizational structure which adds layers of command as needed. The basic outline of command layers follows:
- Command
- Sections
- Branches
- Divisions/Groups
- Units
- Resources
Command can be transferred during an incident for several reasons. The most common is, as the incident grows, a more qualified person is required to take over as Incident Commander to handle the ever-growing needs of the incident. It can also work in reverse, where as an incident reduces in size, command can be passed down to a less qualified person (but still qualified to run the now-smaller incident) to free up highly-qualified resources for other tasks or incidents. Other reasons to transfer command include jurisdictional change if the incident moves locations, or normal turnover of personnel due to extended incidents.
Flexibility
The ICS is an extremely flexible organizational system that ideally reflects only what is required to fill the planned incident objectives. The efficient use of all resources on an incident is a high priority, reducing incident clutter and costs. A single person may be in charge of more than on unit if the span of control for that single person has not yet been exceeded, but in all cases an element of the incident must have a person in charge of that element. Elements of the system that have been expanded but are no longer needed are contracted and the resources released from the incident.
Span of Control
The Span of Control is the number of resources one supervisor can effectively manage. Limiting the span of control is an effective way to ensure safety and accountability are maintained. The ICS ideal range is 3 to 7 subordinates, with 5 being the goal. If fewer than 3 people are below a supervisor it is possible the overhead is creating greater work than the task being fulfilled, and if greater than 7 resources are below a supervisor it is probably that the supervisor cannot effectively maintain control on all subordinate units. If these cases are met, a change to the current organization is recommended.