The Incident Command System
(ICS)
Framework for Response & Action
1
Agenda
• A refresher: Priorities 1 – 4
• Introductions & Objectives of ICS
• ICS History & Overview
• Definition of the Roles in ICS
2
Priorities 1- 4
1. Duck, Cover & Hold!
2. Self Assessment
Are you and your Family all right? Is your home?
3. Put up a “Status Indicator” if you are ok
(white cloth, sheet, or Towel)
4. Proceed to the Division Assembly Point or
Incident Command Center
•
If you are not “pre-assigned” or trained in ICS Management,
proceed to the Division Assembly Point
•
On you way, conduct an “initial survey” and note any obvious
damage, injuries, or priority issues which may need to be addressed
by the ICS
3
Objectives of ICS –
Why You Are Here Today!
• Contain panic and confusion
• Reduce loss of life and property
• Protect responders from additional injury
4
Background Information on the Incident
Command System
• Developed in California
• Used to manage wildfires by the California Forestry
Service
• In 1980, federal officials transitioned ICS into a national
program called the National Interagency Incident
Management System (NIIMS)
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The Importance of ICS
The Incident Command System (ICS) is the nationally
accepted, standardized method of responding to all manner
of harms.
• It is used by the Law Enforcement and Fire Depts.,
• CERT / NERT teams,
• and emergency responders (e.g., Red Cross)
Enables integrated communication and planning and to
manage span of control (3–7 people) throughout the life
cycle of an incident.
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EmPrep Incident Command
Structure
Incident Commander
Operations Section
Chief
Response
Teams
Medical
Teams
(2 people)
(2 People)
• Fire
• Search &
Rescue
• Field
Triage
• First Aid
Logistics Section
Chief
Equipment
• Inventory
• Supplies
• Shelter
Reporting
Direct Communications
Planning Section
Chief
Communications
(1 person)
• Radio Operations
• Runners
• Web Specialist
• Information Analysis
• Scribe / Recording
• Coordination w/
Division Leaders
Div.
Leader
A
Block Captain
Div.
Leader
B
Block Captain
Div.
Leader
C
Block Captain7
The Incident Commander is responsible for and oversees
the overall operation of the Incident Command Center
(ICC).
Responsibilities:
• Take direction from City officials
• Provide overall leadership for incident response
• Ensure incident worker safety
• Establish incident objectives, sets priorities, assigns roles
• Delegat authority to others to manage the ICS
• Establish and maintains liaison with other responders (e.g., fire, law
enforcement, public works, other CERTs)
• Ultimately responsible for all ICS functions
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The Operations Section Chief is responsible for and
oversees all incident tactical and medical operations. S/he
works with the Incident Commander and Planning Section
Chief to formulate responses to disaster situations existing in
the neighborhood.
Responsibilities:
• Take directive from and reports to the Incident Commander
• Oversee and coordinates all incident tactical and medical operations
• Monitor emergency situations
• Consult with the Incident Commander to prioritize all emergency needs
• Direct the Response Team Manager and Medical Group Leader to form
teams appropriate for the situation
• Ensure the safety of the team members
• Request appropriate equipment needed by the response and medical teams
from the Logistics Section Chief
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Response Team Manager (if available)
The Response Team Manager assembles Response Teams
which are deployed to neighborhood emergency situations.
Responsibilities:
• Take direction from and reports to the Operations Section Chief
• Assemble Response Teams requested by the Operations Section Chief that
are appropriate for the emergency situation
• If there are injuries, include the Head-to-Toe exam skill on the team
• Monitor the activities and status of the deployed Response Teams
• Log all communications and assignments
• Ensure that Response Teams are properly informed, equipped, and skilled
for the situation and that they can operate safely
• Request equipment needs to the Operations Section Chief
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Response Teams
Response Teams are teams of at least two ICS staff members
who are deployed to mitigate neighborhood emergency
situations: fire, building damage, injured people, or any
dangerous situation.
Responsibilities:
• Activities include Search & Rescue or Fire Suppression
• Take directions from and reports to the Response Team Manager
• Ensure you have all necessary equipment for the task and for safety
• Work safely
• Log your communications, actions, and results of your actions
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Medical Group Leader (if available)
The Medical Group Leader manages the Field Medical Teams
and the Medical Triage Team. He/she coordinates the firstaid/medical staff so that injured people are cared for in the
field and the medical triage area.
Responsibilities:
• Take directions from and reports to the Operations Section Chief on
medical issues of the ICS
• Assemble appropriate Field Triage Teams and ICC First Aid Team for the
situation
• Coordinate with Response Team Manager on assembling and deploying
the Field Medical Teams
• Direct and advise the Field Triage Teams and the ICC 1st Aid Team
• Ensure that medical personnel have appropriate skills and equipment
• Ensure that the injured are tagged with a Medical Triage Tag and the
information on the tags are kept current
• Ensure that all personnel actions and status of injured are logged
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Field Triage Team
Field Triage Team members will handle injured people in
the field. They may be deployed as a sole purpose team
or as part of a Response Team deployed for a situation
with mixed issues.
Responsibilities:
• Take direction from and report to the Medical Group Leader
• Tag all injured or dead people with a Medical Triage Tag on first
encounter
• Do Head-to-Toe examination on all injured people on first encounter
• Log status of injured people and the result of your examination
• Apply First Aid to the injured
• Transport the injured and the dead to the ICC 1st Aid Area
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ICC First Aid Team
ICC First Aid Team cares for the injured in the Medical
Triage Area until City Emergency Services can take over.
Responsibilities:
• Take directions from and reports to the Medical Group Leader on the
conditions of patients
• Sets up Medical Triage Area
• Logs the medical condition of the injured on their Medical Triage Tag
and in the ICS database
• Applies First Aid to patients who need it
• Monitors condition of patients
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Planning Section Chief
The Planning Section Chief tracks ICS personnel and incident
situations. S/he works with the Incident Commander,
Operations Section Chief & Logistics Section Chief to develop
strategies to handle emergency situations.
Responsibilities:
• Takes direction from and reports to the Incident Commander
• Monitors resource status (e. g., number of CERT members who have
“reported for duty”)
• Monitors emergency situation status (e.g., initial surveys and assessments
from Division Leaders)
• Develops several action plans for the ICS given the nature of the
emergency and the available resources
• Ensures the logging of ICS personnel, communications, decisions, and
activities.
• Ensures the logging of emergency status and the presentation of this
information to the ICS management and City officials
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Division Leaders
The Division Leader manages the people who have come to the
Division Assembly Point, coordinates the assessment of damages
in their neighborhood, and communicates this information to the
ICC.
Responsibilities:
• Take direction from and reports to the Planning Section Chief
• Assess the condition of their neighborhood: damages, injuries, people
accountability
• Tabulate and report information collected by the Initial Surveyors to the ICS
• Organizes and manages Block Captains to canvas their neighborhood and
gather data in addition to the data from the Initial Surveyors
• Ensure that the Block Captains know their job and can operate safely
• Signs in people into the ICS who have not already done so
• Log activities to the ICS: who were assigned to teams, where they were
deployed
• Report the findings of the Block Captains to the ICS
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Initial Surveyors
All participants in the Incident Command System (ICS) are
Initial Surveyors. As you leave for the Incident Command
Center or the Division Assembly Point, you will check your
close neighbors for any emergency situations. On your way
to join the ICS, you will make observation from the sidewalk
for any damages, injuries, dangerous situations, or an allclear signal. If possible, you will record each of your
observations on the “Damage Assessment Form.”
Responsibilities:
• Check close neighbors for any emergency situations
• Record emergency situations on or all-clear signs for every residence on your
way to your initial ICS station
• Ensure that your reports get to your Division Leader or the Planning Section at
the ICC
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Block Captains
Block Captains thoroughly check their blocks for damage,
injuries, and people accountability.
Responsibilities:
• Take direction from and report to the Division Leader
• Work with a partner, if possible, to assess the emergency needs of your block
• Inventory the houses in your block for: all-clear indicator, damage, injuries,
and unaccounted people
• Knock on the door of houses (or call) that do not have an all-clear indicator to
determine who is there and if they need help. Attempt to contact residents by
phone to determine if there is anyone in the building
• Do damage assessment on buildings that were missed by the Initial Surveyors
• Visibly affix a status sheet accessible at sidewalk level of the damaged buildings
• Report findings to the Division Leaders
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Scribe (if available)
The Scribe records ICS information in the appropriate
places and generates reports.
Responsibilities:
• Take direction from and reports to the Planning Section Chief
• Ensures that all ICS volunteers log in to the ICS
• Ensures that information from the field (Damage Assessments and Response
Teams activities) get logged into the ICS database
• Transcribes appropriate information onto the Status Board and into the ICS
database
• Ensures that all ICS messages and actions get logged
• Prepares reports that are requested (damage status information to the City,
ICS personnel status, etc.)
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Logistics Section Chief
The Logistics Section Chief is responsible for all
communications, equipment, and supplies used by the ICS.
S/he directs the Communications Manager and the
Equipment Manager to oversees the distribution of all
equipment and supplies used by the ICS.
Responsibilities:
• Takes directions from and reports to the Incident Commander on issues related
to communications, equipment, and supplies
• Monitors the status of communications within the ICS and prioritizes ICS
communication needs
• Monitors the status of equipment and supplies needed within the ICS and
prioritizes the ICS needs for equipment and supplies
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Communications Manager (if available)
The Communications Manager provides and maintains
communications links for the ICS. S/he determines the best
modes of communication to use for any situation.
Responsibilities:
• Takes direction from and reports to the Logistics Section Chief
• Directs Radio Operations, WEB Tool use, and Runners (if available) to
integrate communications within the ICS
• Determines appropriate combination of communication modes (ICS Web Tool,
walkie-talkie, ham radio, cell phones, and runner) for different ICS functions
• Monitors the status of all communications modes
• Request Runners from the Logistics Section Chief when needed
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Radio Operator (if available)
The Radio Operator handles all walkie-talkie
communications between personnel in the field and Incident
Command Center (ICC) and has the following
responsibilities:
• Take direction from and reports to the Communications Manager or Logistics
Chief
• Ensure cache walkie-talkies are operational and are set to channel 17.17
• Receive and transmits all walkie-talkie communications between the ICC and
the field
• Record all incoming and outgoing ICC walkie-talkie communications into the
ICS Database:
Personnel Sign Ins
Damage Assessments
Damage Status Changes
Messages to and from ICS personnel
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Runners (if available)
Runners are the last-resort communication mode, after ICS
Web Tool and Walkie-Talkie modes are not available.
Responsibilities:
• Carry written messages among members of the ICS and between the ICS and
City Emergency Agencies
• Take directions from and reports to the Communications Manager or Logistics
Chief
• Transport written messages between members of the ICS
• Ensure that message forms are filled out correctly
• Instruct ICS members on how to fill out message forms
• Log runner communications into the ICS Database
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Web Tool Specialist (if available)
The Web Tool Specialist ensures that the Web Tool is
functioning for ICS operations.
Responsibilities:
• Take direction from and reports to the Communications Manager or Logistics
Chief
• Set up and maintain the Web Tool for the ICS
• Instruct ICS personnel on the use of the Web tool
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Equipment Manager (if available)
The Equipment Manager ensures that the ICS has
appropriate equipment and supplies, including equipment
for Response and Medical teams (cribbing, first-aid
supplies, etc.), Communications (power, batteries, etc.),
Shelter, and ICS staff (food, water, etc.).
Responsibilities:
• Take direction from and reports to the Logistics Section Chief
• Ensure that equipment, supplies, and facilities needed by the ICS are available
• Direct the Inventory Manager, Supply Team, and Shelter Manager to
accomplish his/her role
• Provide food and medical support to ICS members
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Inventory Manager (if available)
The Inventory Manager keeps track of all equipment and
supplies within the ICS and the neighborhood.
Responsibilities:
• Takes direction from and reports to the Equipment Manager or Logistics Chief
• Maintains an inventory of all equipment and supplies at the ICC cache and in
the field
• Issues to and receives from ICS personnel cache equipment
• Logs changes in cache inventory and/or the availability of neighborhood
resources
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Supply Team (if available)
The Supply Team delivers needed supplies (ladders,
cribbing, fire suppression equipment, litters, etc. ) to
Response Teams. They may need to locate and acquire the
equipment which is not available in the ICS inventory (e.g.,
batteries, porta-potties, food, forms, etc.).
Responsibilities:
• Take direction from and reports to the Equipment Manager or Logistics Chief
• Locate needed supplies (in inventory or elsewhere) and deliver them to the
location needed
• Log changes in inventory and/or the availability of neighborhood resources
(e.g., ladders) with Inventory Manager
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Shelter Manager (if available)
The Shelter Manager arranges temporary shelter for people
who cannot stay in their homes.
Responsibilities:
• Take direction from and reports to the Equipment Manager or Logistics Chief
• Log the people who are displaced (names, ages, location, contact information,
etc.) and any changes to their situation into the ICS database
• Guide displaced people to appropriate shelters
• Monitor displaced people at shelters
• Provide supplies and personnel at the shelters
• Logs changes in availability of shelters, the space available, and the ICS
personnel at the shelters
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