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Incident Command System for Hazardous Materials Emergencies (ICS)A brief overview of the Incident Command System, or Hazardous Materials Emergency Response ICS, the responsibilities of the parties involved at an incident response and describe the system of command that is vital to a successful incident response. The system consists of procedures for controlling personnel, facilities, equipment and communications. It's designed to begin developing from the time an incident occurs until the requirement for management and operations no longer exists. The Hazardous Materials Emergency Response ICS has five major functional areas: Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance. These components work together interactively to provide the basis for an effective Hazardous Materials Emergency Response ICS operation. To be effective, an incident management system must be suitable for use regardless of the type of jurisdiction or agency involvement. Common elements in organization, terminology and procedures are necessary for maximum application of a system and use of existing qualifications and standards. Effective fulfillment of these requirements must be combined with simplicity to ensure low operational maintenance costs. The Incident Commander, or IC, has many responsibilities that include placing life safety as the highest priority. The second priority is incident stabilization and the third priority is property conservation. The size and complexity of the command system developed and implemented by the IC should be directly proportional to the magnitude and complexity of the incident. The Incident Commander must also determine strategic goals and tactical objectives. Damage and injuries that have already occurred cannot be alleviated, but further damage and personal suffering must be minimized. Coordination is
essential to effective incident management. Without it,
resources will be wasted performing tasks that aren't
necessary to the overall success of the incident response.
Proper coordination will ensure that units are functioning
within the action plan. A staging area should be established to facilitate communication and cooperation between responding parties. Respondents should report to the staging area and wait for their assignments. Response Units in the staging area are under the control of the Staging Area Manager. Integrated communications involves managing communications through the use of a common communications plan. Standard operating procedures should be established using common terminology and clear text. Effective two way communication is essential to successful incident management. Not only is it important that messages are received, it's important that they are acknowledged properly. The command
function within Hazardous Materials Emergency Response ICS may be conducted in two general ways.
Single command may be applied when there is no overlap of
jurisdictional boundaries or when a single IC is designated
by the agency with overall management responsibility for the
incident. Unified command may be applied when the incident
is within one jurisdictional boundary, but more than one
agency shares management responsibility. Unified command is
also used when the incident is multi jurisdictional in
nature, or when more than one individual designated by his
or her jurisdiction or agency shares overall management
responsibility. Another important component of an effective emergency management system is a manageable span of control. Span of control is defined as the number of subordinates one supervisor can manage effectively. Guidelines for the desirable range are from 3 to 7 persons, while the optimum number is five subordinates per Supervisor. Command officers must anticipate span of control problems and prepare for them especially during rapid buildup of incident organization. Like all other Hazardous Materials Emergency Response ICS functions, staging also has specific responsibilities. The Staging area manager should establish a check-in procedure, respond to requests for resources and keep the IC or Operations Section Chief informed of the status of resources in the staging area. A properly run staging area provides significant advantages. It allows for fire fighter safety and personnel accountability, prevents premature deployment of companies and prevents freelancing. All these advantages are made possible because companies are logged in and given assignments, maintaining control of resources. The potential magnitude of the service and support requirements may indicate that the IC delegate the functional authority for logistics to the Logistics Section Chief who manages service and support resources required for the incident. This individual should establish functional units when needed to maintain an acceptable workload and span of control. Financial considerations are not a major
problem during most incident operations. However, when an organization is involved in any incident that requires the use
of private sector resources or incidents where agencies
involved in response will be seeking reimbursement, the
financial considerations can be extensive. |
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