The
Incident Command System (ICS) is the combination of facilities,
equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating
within a common organizational structure, designed to aid
in domestic incident management activities. It is used for
a broad spectrum of emergencies, from small to complex incidents,
both natural and manmade, including acts of catastrophic
terrorism. ICS is used by all levels of government—Federal,
State, local, and tribal, as well as by many private-sector
and nongovernmental organizations. ICS is usually organized
around five major functional areas: command, operations,
planning, logistics, and finance and administration. A sixth
functional area, Intelligence, may be established if deemed
necessary by the Incident Commander, depending on the requirements
of the situation at hand.
Some of the more important “transitional steps” that are
necessary to apply ICS in a field incident environment include the following:
•
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recognizing
and anticipating the requirement that organizational
elements will be activated and taking the necessary
steps to delegate authority as appropriate;
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•
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establishing
incident facilities as needed, strategically located,
to support field operations;
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•
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establishing
the use of common terminology for organizational
functional elements, position titles, facilities,
and resources; and
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•
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rapidly
evolving from providing oral direction to the development
of a written Incident Action Plan.
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<< Chapter
VII - ONGOING MANAGEMENT and MAINTENANCE
Tab 1 - ICS ORGANIZATION >>
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