Basic

INCIDENT
COMMAND
SYSTEM
Training
Course
 MODULE 4:
Organizing and Managing
Incidents and Events
 Module Objectives
Upon completion of this Module, the participants will
be able to:
1. Explain the use of the ICS for planned/special
events
2. Identify the issues and initial organizational
activities for all incidents
3. Identify the challenges in managing planned
events and incidents
 Scope

1. Planned Events
2. Major Incidents
3. Expanded Operations Section
4. Incident Management Options
Planned Events
 Planned Events

Planned events are organized gatherings such as

parades, fiestas, concerts, conferences, and other
events usually characterized by having high-density
population of audiences or significant profile of
attendees.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Examples of Planned Events

 Simulation exercises or drills

 Examples of Planned Events

 Local festivals
 Examples of Planned Events

 National celebrations/gatherings
 Examples of Planned Events

 Special Visits
 Examples of Planned Events

 International Conferences
Considerations for Planned Events
 Type of event
 Disaster/incident scenarios that may occur
 Location, size, expected duration
 Single or multiple-agency participation
 Single or multiple- jurisdictional or multi- national
event

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Considerations for Planned Events
 Command staff needs
 Kind, type, number of resources
 Air operations involved
 Staging Areas required
 Facilities for other requirements such as
communication sanitation, medical, etc.
 Any known limitations or restrictions

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 What are examples of
planned/special events
in your own jurisdiction
in which the ICS can be used?

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Initial Steps in Organizing
for any Incident
1. Size up the situation
2. Determine if there are lives at immediate risk
3. Establish the immediate objectives
4. Determine if there are enough and necessary
resources on scene and/or requested
5. Develop an Incident Action Plan (IAP)
6. Establish initial ICS organization

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Initial Steps in Organizing
for any Incident
7. Consider the following:
 If span of control is or will soon exceed
practical limits
 Personnel safety factors
 Environmental issues
8. Monitor work progress
9. Review and modify objectives and adjust the IAP
as necessary

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Factors in Determining the Size of
the ICS Organization
 Administrative and jurisdictional complexity
 Geographical areas involved
 Span of control considerations
 Functional specialties required
 Logistical, planning, and other support needs
 Potential for growth
 Political importance

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Organizing the Operations Section
 The Operations Section is organized bottom- up
 As the number of resources increase, the
structure expands into:
Organize the resources
 Divisions
geographically
Organize the resources
 Groups
functionally
Cluster Divisions or Groups
 Branches into Branches when
complexity increases

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Major Incidents
 Major Incidents
 An incident is an occurrence or event, natural or
human- induced, that requires an emergency
response to protect life or property.
 Major incidents generally result to massive
casualties and damage to properties.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Major Incidents
 Earthquakes
 Typhoons
 Floods
 Chemical spill
 HAZMAT situations
 Terrorist activities
 Civil disturbance
 Disease outbreaks

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Characteristics of Major Incidents
 Some events may start as major incidents.
Example: Typhoon Yolanda

 Others occur with little or no advanced warning.

Examples:
– Earthquakes
– Flash floods
– Tanker spill

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Characteristics of Major Incidents
• Major incidents may start small. Examples:
– Small HAZMAT/gasoline spill (e.g. Aug 2005
gasoline tanker leakage in Commonwealth, QC)
– Minor disease outbreaks due to environmental
conditions, delays in response, poor initial
management and lack of resources
• However, the small incident may keep growing
into a major incident. Examples:
 SARS
 Meningococcemia
 Zika Virus

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Issues in Major Incidents
 More casualties (dead, injured and missing)
 More number of affected population
 Massive damage to infrastructure, properties,
and the environment
 Longer duration

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Issues in Major Incidents
 Involves more than one agency or organization
 More than one political jurisdiction involved
 More complex management and communications
problems

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Issues in Major Incidents
 Require more experienced and qualified
supervisory Incident Management Team (IMT)
 Require large numbers of tactical and support
resources
 Have extreme elements of crisis/psychological
trauma that diminish human capacity to function
or cope

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Issues in Major Incidents
 Require extensive mitigation, recovery, and
rehabilitation
 Have greater media interest

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Challenges in Responding to
Major Incidents
• Time is critically important.
• The situation is unstable.
• The Incident has a potential to expand rapidly.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Challenges in Responding to
Major Incidents
 Communications and information may be
incomplete.
 Responders may not be experienced in
managing expanding incidents.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Challenges in Responding to
Major Incidents
 All of the IMT positions are filled while a large
organization is in place or is developing.
 Most or all of the functional organizational units
within sections are needed.
 Divisions/Groups are established to maintain span
of control.
 Branches may be required if the divisions/groups
exceed span of control.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Challenges in Responding to
Major Incidents
 Multiple operational periods are probably
required.
 There will be a transition to a more qualified IC
and the most qualified personnel.
 Other agencies or jurisdictions will be assisting.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Challenges in Responding to
Major Incidents
 Operations personnel may exceed several
hundred per operational period.
 Written Incident Action Plans will be required.
 Costs associated with the incident are high.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Examples of an Expanded
Operations Section
ICS Organization During Initial
Response to an Incident
1. Single Command

Incident
Commander

Fire
Ambulance Police
Engine
If the incident gets larger/more complex,
functions and resources are added.

Incident
Commander

Plans Operations Logistics

Strike Team Medical Police

Engines Team Units
As the incident size/complexity increases,
divisions/groups are added.
Incident
Commander

Plans Operations Logistics Finance/Admin

Division Division Group Group Division

Strike Team
• As resources are added, the use
Strike Team of the ICS organization becomes
more important.
Task Force
• The expansion/increase is mostly
Task Force
in the Operations Section.
Task Force
• Span of Control for Operations in
this example is 5 to 1
For a very large incident with branches:
Incident
Commander

Operations Logistics Finance Plans

Branch Branch Branch Branch Branch

Division
Task Force Task Force The incident can be organized:
Task Force Task Force • Geographically with Divisions
Task Force • Functionally with Groups (e.g.
Division Medical SAR)
Division • Jurisdictionally: Agency, City,
Division
Province
• Branching gives even more
Group
flexibility for very large/complex
incidents
Incident Management Options
 Incident Management Options

Single Unified Incident Area

Command Command Complex Command
• No overlapping • Multi- • Multiple • An area
jurisdictional jurisdictional, incidents/events command team
boundaries multi- agency managed by a oversees
incidents/events single IMT multiple IMTs.
• A single IC is
designated • Requires
multiple ICS

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Unified Command
 Allows agencies, organizations (or countries) with
responsibility for the incident to jointly provide
management direction
 Works with a common set of incident objectives
and strategies
 OSC implements the tactical operations using a
SINGLE Incident Action Plan.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Unified Command Applications

A B More than one geographic

Incident
jurisdiction
C
Incident
involving fire, Multiple agencies within a single
A police, and
medical jurisdiction
agencies

A B
Incidents involving multiple geographic
C Incident
and functional agencies
E D
 Incident Complex

 Multiple incidents are managed by a single IMT.

 Applies to two or more incidents located in the
same general proximity
 Branches are usually used within the Operations
Section.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Considerations when using
Incident Complex
 Use Single or Unified Command
 Incidents are close enough to be managed by the
same IMT.
 Need to reduce the logistical or support
requirements
 Need to consolidate incidents to conserve staff
and reduce costs
 Staff activities can be managed by a single IMT.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Examples for Incident Complex

 Earthquakes, typhoons, floods, in the same area

 Several separate forest fires burning in close
proximity
 Many separate incidents occurring
simultaneously

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Incidents Managed Separately

1 Incident
Three flood
locations
managed
separately

2 Incident
3 Incident
Incidents Managed as a Complex
Three flood
locations
managed as
a complex Branch A

Incident Command Post

for the Complex

Branch C
Branch B

D-37
 Single Incident divided into
Two Incidents
 Incident becomes too large and spreads to more
than one jurisdiction. Example: flood spreading
downstream
 As the incident spreads, different objectives must
be accomplished in different areas.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Single Incident divided into
Two Incidents
 The impacts to the terrain or access affect the
ability to manage from one area to another,
especially for operations and logistics.
 Two or more principal sections are overworked
due to size or complexity:
– Planning Section can’t meet planning objectives
and strategies.
– Logistics Section is not able to support the
widespread facilities and operations via single
Base.

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Considerations for Single Incident
Divided into Two Incidents
Decide how to divide the incident into two based on:
 Terrain and access considerations
 Locations of future resource and logistical support
 Jurisdictional and administrative boundaries
 Current operation structure (branches, divisions,
etc.)
 Need to request for additional IMTs and resources

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
Example: Flooding Incident divided
into Two Incidents
 Initially, flooded area was only in City A.
 An IMT was established and the flood spread to
City B and City C.

City B

Flooded Areas City C

City A IMT
Example: Flooding Incident divided
into Two Incidents
 Incident is now too large and too complex for a
single IMT.
 The incident is divided using the flooded area as
the boundary. Two IMTs are required.

City B
IMT 2

Flooded Areas City C

City A IMT 1
 Area Command

 Oversee management of multiple incidents by

multiple IMTs; or
 Oversee multiple IMTs managing a single very
large incident

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Area Command Team (ACT)
 Establishes the overall priorities for multiple IMTs
 Allocates critical resources based on the priorities
 Reports the progress of actions of multiple IMTs to
the overall agency

Module 4: Organizing and Managing

Incidents and Events
 Example: Flooding Incident
managed using Area Command
 The incident has been divided into two. Due to
complexity, size and lack of resources, an ACT
has been established.
 The two City IMTs report to the ACT. The ACT
reports to the PDRRMC EOC.
City B
IMT 2
ACT
Flooded Areas
City C

City A IMT 1
PDRRMC EOC
Questions?
 Module Objectives
Upon completion of this Module, the participants will
be able to:
1. Explain the use of the ICS for planned/special
events
2. Identify the issues and initial organizational
activities for all incidents
3. Identify the challenges in managing planned
events and incidents