Colegio de San Gabriel Arcangel, Inc.

Area E, Fatima V, Sapang Palay, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
Telefax: (044) 760 0301 | 760 0397 | 0921 231 1379 | 0919 749 7728
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Course Code : NSTP 2

Description : NATIONAL SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM 2

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET (LAS) NO.3

Name Score
Date Section

Topic INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM

Learning 1. Discuss the operational definition of incident Command System.

Outcomes 2. State chronologically the development and management of incident Command
System.
3. Individually define the five manageable functions essential for emergency
response operations.
4. Organize a strategic plan of ICS structure and define individual tasks of each
staff.
5. Differentiate incidents and events.

What is an Incident Command System?

ICS is a standardize on-scene incident management concept designed specifically to allow
respondents to adopt an integrated organizational structure equal to the complexity and demands
of any single incident or multiple incidents without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries.

Brief History
In the early 1970s, ICS was developed to manage rapidly moving wildfires and to address
the following problems:
1 Too many people reporting to one supervisor;
2 Different emergency response organizational structure;
3 Lack of reliable incident information;
4 Inadequate and incompatible communications;
5 Lack of structure for coordinated planning among agencies;
6 Unclear lines of authority;
7 Terminology differences among agencies; and
8 Unclear or unspecified incident objectives.
In 1980, federal officials transitioned ICS into a national program called the National
Interagency Incident Management System (NIMS), which became the basis of a response
management system for all federal agencies with wildfire management responsibilities. Since then,
many federal agencies have endorsed the use od ICS, and several have mandated its use.
An ICS enables integrated communications and planning by establishing a manageable span
of control. An ICS divides an emergency response into five manageable functions essential for
emergency response operations: Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance and
Administration.

Prepared by: MARK S. GUERRERO, CDSGA-NSTP HEAD Page 1

 Colegio de San Gabriel Arcangel, Inc.
Area E, Fatima V, Sapang Palay, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
Telefax: (044) 760 0301 | 760 0397 | 0921 231 1379 | 0919 749 7728
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A. Incident Commander/Unified Command

The Incident Commander (IC) or the Unified Commander (UC) is responsible for all
aspects of the response, including developing incidents objectives and managing all incident
operations.
The incident Commander is faced with many responsibilities when he/she arrives on
scene. Unless specifically assigned to another member of the Command or General Staffs, these
responsibilities remain with the IC.

Some of the more complex responsibilities include:

1 Establish Immediate priorities especially the safety of responders, other emergency
workers, bystanders, and people involved in the incidents.
2 Stabilize the incident by ensuring life safety and managing resources efficiently and cost
effectively.
3 Determine incident objectives and strategy to achieve the objectives.
4 Establish and monitor incident organizational.
5 Approved the implementation of the written or oral incident Action Plan.
6 Ensure adequate health and safety measures are in place.

B. Command Staff
The Command staff is responsible for public affairs, health and safety, and liaison
activities within the incident command structure. The IC/UC remains responsible for these
activities or may assign individuals to carry out these responsibilities and report directly to the
IC/UC.
B.1 The Information Officer's role is to develop and release information about the
incident to the news media, incident personnel, and other appropriate agencies and organization.
B.2 The Liaison Officer's role is to serve as the point of contact for assisting and
coordinating activities between the IC/UC and various agencies and groups. This may include
Congressional personnel, local government officials, and criminal investigating organizations and
investigators arriving on the scene.
B.3 The Safety Officer's role is to develop and recommend measures to the IC/UC for
assuring personnel health and safety and to assess and/or anticipate hazardous and unsafe
situations. The Safety Officer also develops the Site Safety Plan, reviews the Incident Action Plan
for safety implications, and provides timely, complete, specific, and accurate assessment of
hazards and required controls.

C. General Staff
The General Staff includes Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/administrative
responsibilities. These responsibilities remain with the IC until they are assigned to another
individual. When the Operations, Planning, Logistics or Finance/Administrative responsibilities are
established as separate functions under the IC, they are managed by a section chief and can be
supported by other functional units.
C.1 The Operations Staff is responsible for all operations directly applicable to the
primary mission of the response.
C.2The PlanningStaff is responsible for collecting, evaluating, and disseminating the
tactical information related to the incident, and for preparing and documenting Incident Action
Plans (IAP's).
C.3 The Logistics Staff is responsible for providing facilities, services, and materials for
the incident response.

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 Colegio de San Gabriel Arcangel, Inc.
Area E, Fatima V, Sapang Palay, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
Telefax: (044) 760 0301 | 760 0397 | 0921 231 1379 | 0919 749 7728
National Service Training Program 1

C.4 The Finance and AdministrativeStaff is responsible for all financial,

administrative, and cost analysis aspects of the incident.
The following is a list of Command Staff and General Staff responsibilities that either the
IC or UC of any response should perform or assign to appropriate members of the Command or
General Staffs:
1. Provide response direction;
2. Coordinate effective communication;
3. Coordinate resources;
4. Establish incident priorities;
5. Develop mutually agreed-upon incident objectives and approve response strategies.
6. Assign objectives to the response structure;
7. Review and approve IAP's;
8. Ensure integration of response organizations into the ICS/UC;
9. Establish protocols;
10. Ensure worker and public health and safety; and
11. Inform the media.

System Operation of ICS

The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized approach to the command control,
and coordination of emergency response providing a common hierarchy within which responders
from multiple agencies can be effective.
ICS consist of a standard management hierarchy and procedures for managing temporary
incident(s) of any size. ICS procedures should be pre-established and sanctioned by participating
authorities, and personnel should be well-trained prior to an incident.
ICS includes procedures to select and from temporary management hierarchies to control funds,
personnel, facilities, equipment, and communications. Personnel are assigned according to
established standards and procedures previously sanctioned by participating authorities. ICS is a
system designed to be used or applied from the time an incident occurs until the equipment for
management and operation no longer exist.
ICS is interdisciplinary and organizationally flexible to meet the following management
challenges:
1. Meets the needs of a jurisdiction to cope with incidents of any kind or complexity (i.e. it
expands or contracts as needed)
2. Allows personnel from a wide variety of agencies to meld rapidly into a common management
structure with common terminology.
3. Provides logistical and administrative support to operational staff.
4. Be cost effective by avoiding duplication of efforts, and continuing overhead.
5. Provides a unified, centrally authorized emergency organization.

D. Incidents
Incidents are defined within ICS as unplanned situation necessitating a response.
Examples of incidents may include:
 Emergency medical situations (ambulance service)
 Hazardous material spills
 Hostage crises
 Man-made disasters such as vehicle crashes, industrial accidents, train derailments, or
structure fires
 Natural disasters such as wildfires, flooding, earthquake or tornado
 Public Health incidents, such as disease outbreaks

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 Colegio de San Gabriel Arcangel, Inc.
Area E, Fatima V, Sapang Palay, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
Telefax: (044) 760 0301 | 760 0397 | 0921 231 1379 | 0919 749 7728
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 Search and Rescue operations

 Technological crisis
 Terrorist attacks
 Traffic incidents

E. Events
Events are defined within ICS as planned situations. Incident command is increasingly
applied to events both in emergency management and non-emergency management settings.
Examples of events may include:
 Concerts
 Parades and other ceremonies
 Fairs and other gatherings
 Training exercises

F. Unity of Command
Each individual participating in the operation reports to only one supervisor. This
eliminates the potential for individuals to receive conflicting orders from a variety of supervisors,
thus increasing accountability, preventing freelancing, improving the flow of information, helping
with the coordination of operational efforts, and enhancing operational safety. This concept is
fundamental to the ICS chain of command structure.

G. Common Terminology
Individual response agencies previously developed their protocols separately, and
subsequently developed their terminology separately. This can lead to confusion as a word may
have a different meaning for each organization.
When different organizations are required to work together, the use of common
terminology is an essential element in team cohesion and communications, both internally and
with other organizations responding to the incident.
An incident command system promotes the use of a common terminology and has an
associated glossary of terms that help bring consistency to position titles, the description of
resources and how they can be organized, the type and names of incident facilities, and a host of
other subjects. The use of common terminology is most evident in the titles of command roles,
such as Incident Commander, Safety Officer or Operations Section Chief.

H. Management by Objective
Incidents are managed by aiming towards specific objectives. Objectives are ranked by
priority; should be as specific as possible; must be attainable; and if possible given a working time
frame. Objectives are accomplished by first outlining strategies (general plans of action), then
determining appropriate tactics (how the strategy will be executed) for the chosen strategy.

I. Flexible and Modular Organization

Incident Command Structure is a organized in such a way as to expand and contract as
needed by the incident scope, resources and hazards. Command is established in a top-down
fashion, with the most important and authoritative positions established first. For example,
Incident Command is established by the first arriving unit.
Only positions that are required at the time should be established. In most cases, very
few positions within the command structure will need to be activated.
For example, a single fire truck at a dumpster fire will have the officer filling the role of
IC, with no other roles required. As more trucks get added to a larger incident, more roles will be

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 Colegio de San Gabriel Arcangel, Inc.
Area E, Fatima V, Sapang Palay, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
Telefax: (044) 760 0301 | 760 0397 | 0921 231 1379 | 0919 749 7728
National Service Training Program 1

delegated to other officers and the Incident commander (IC) role will probably be handed to a
more senior officer.
Only in the largest and most complex operations would the full ICS organizations be
staffed. Conversely, as an incident scales down, roles will be merged back up the tree until there
is just the IC role remaining.

J. Span of Control
To limit the number of responsibilities and resources being managed by any individual,
the ICS requires that any single person's span of control should be between three and seven
individuals, with five being deal. In other words, one manager should have no more than seven
people working under them at any given time. If more then seven resources are being managed
by an individual, then they are being overloaded and the command structure needs to be
expanded by delegating responsibilities (e.g. by defining new sections, divisions, or task forces). If
fewer than three, then the position's authority can probably be absorbed by the next highest rung
in the chain of command.

K. Coordination
One of the benefits of the ICS is that it allows a way to coordinate a set of organizations
who may otherwise work together sporadically. While much training material emphasizes the
hierarchical aspects of the ICS, it can also be seen as an inter-organizational network of
responders. These network qualities allow network aspects of the ICS also create management
challenges. One study of ICS after-action reports found that ICS tended to enjoy higher
coordination when there was strong pre-existing trust and working relationships between
members, but struggled when authority of the ICS was contested and when the networks of
responders was highly diverse. Coordination on any incident or event id facilitated with the
implementation of the following concepts.

L. Incident Action Plan

Incident Action Plan (IAPs) ensure that everyone is working in concert toward the same
goals set for the operational period by providing all incidents supervisory personnel with direction
for actions to be taken during the operational period identified in the plan. Incident Action Plan
provide a coherent means of communicating the overall incident objectives for both operational
and support activities. They include measurable strategic objectives to be achieved in a time frame
called an Operational period, which may be any interval of time but is commonly 12 hours. They
may be verbal or written except for hazardous material incidents where it must be written, and
are prepared by the Planning Section.
The consolidated IAP is a very important component of the ICS that reduces freelancing
and ensures a coordinated response.
At the simplest level, all Action Plans must have four elements:
1. What do we want to do?
2. Who is responsible for doing it?
3. How do we communicate with each other?
4. What is the procedure if someone is injured?

M. Comprehensive Resources Management

Comprehensive resource management is a key management principle that implies that all
assets and personnel during an event need to be tracked and accounted for. It can also include
processes for reimbursement for resources, as appropriate.
Resource management includes processes:

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 Colegio de San Gabriel Arcangel, Inc.
Area E, Fatima V, Sapang Palay, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
Telefax: (044) 760 0301 | 760 0397 | 0921 231 1379 | 0919 749 7728
National Service Training Program 1

1. Categorizing resources
2. Ordering resources
3. Dispatching resources
4. Tracking resources
5. Recovering resources
Comprehensive resource management ensures that visibility is maintained over all
resources so they can be moved quickly to support the preparation and response to an incident,
and ensuring a graceful demobilization it also applies to the classification of resources by type and
kind, and the categorization of resources by their status.
1. Assigned resources are those that are working on a field assignment under the direction
of a supervisor.
2. Available resources are those that are ready for deployment (staged), but have not been
assigned to a field assignment.
3. Out-of-service resources are those that are not in either the "available" or "assigned"
categories. Resources can be "out-of-service" for a variety of reasons including: resupplying after
a sortie (most common), shortfall in staffing, personnel taking a rest, damaged or inoperable.

N. Integrated Communications
The use of a common communications plan is essential for ensuring that responders
can communicate with one another during an incident. Communication equipment, procedures,
and systems must operate across jurisdiction (interoperable). Developing an integrated voice and
data communications system, including equipment, systems, and protocols, must occur prior to an
accident.

O. Effectives ICS communication include three elements

1. Modes: The “hardware” systems that transfer information.
2. Planning: Planning for the use of all available communications resources.
3. Networks: The procedures and processes for transferring information internally and
externally.

P. Facilities
ICS uses a standard set of facility nomenclature. ICS facilities include: Pre – Designated
incident Facilities: Response operation can form a complex structure that must be held together
by response personnel working at different and often widely separate incident facilities. These
facilities include:
1. Incident Command Post (ICP): The ICP is the location where the Incident
Commander operates during response operation. There is only one ICP for each incident or
event, but it may change locations during the event. Every incident or event must have some form
of an Incident Command Post. The ICP may be located in a vehicle, trailer, tent or within a
building. The ICP will be positioned outside of the present and potential hazard zone but close
enough to the incident to maintain command. The ICP will be designated by the name of the
incident; e.g., Trail Creek ICP.
2. Staging Area: It can be a location at or near an incident scene where tactical response
resources are stored while they await assignment. Resources in staging area are under the control
status. Staging Areas should be located close enough to the incident for a timely response, but far
enough away to be out of the immediate impact zone. There may be more than one Staging Area
at an incident. Staging Areas can be collocated with the ICP Bases, Camps, Helibases, or
Helispots.

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 Colegio de San Gabriel Arcangel, Inc.
Area E, Fatima V, Sapang Palay, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
Telefax: (044) 760 0301 | 760 0397 | 0921 231 1379 | 0919 749 7728
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3. Bases: It is the location from which primary logistics and administrative function are
coordinated and administered. The only one base per incident, and it is designated by the incident
name. The base if established and managed by the logistics section. The resources in the base are
always out- of – service.
4. Camps: These are locations, often temporary, within the general incident area that are
equipped and staffed to provide sleeping, food, water, sanitation, and other service to response
personnel that are too away to use base facilities. Other resources may also be kept at a camp to
support incident operations if a Base is not accessible to all resources. Camps are designed by
geographic location or number. Multiple camps may be used, but not all incidents will have camps.
5. Helibase: It is the location from which helicopter-centered air operation are conducted.
Helibases are generally used on a more long-term basis and include such services as fueling and
maintenance. The helibase is usually designated by the name of the incident, e.g. Trail Creek
Helibase.
6. Helispots: These are more temporary locations at the incident, where helicopters can
safely land and take off. Multiple Helispots may be used.
Each facility has unique location space, equipment, material, and supply requirement that are
often difficult to address, particularly at the outset of response operations. For this reason,
responders should identify, pre designated and pre-plan the layout of these facilities, whenever
possible.
7. Joint information Center (JIC)A JIC is the facility whereby an incident, agency, or
jurisdiction can support media representative. Often co-located- even permanently designated – in
a community or state EOC the JIC provides the location for interface between the media and PIO.
Most often the JIC also provide both space and technical assets (Internet, telephone, power)
necessary for the media to perform their duties. A JIC very often becomes the “face” of an
incident as it is where press releases are made available as well as where many broadcast media
outlets interview incident staff. It is not uncommon for a permanently established JIC to have a
window overlooking an EOC and/or a dedicated background showing agency logos or other
symbols for televised interviews. The National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) at FEMA has
both, for example allowing televised interviews to show action in the NRCC behind the
interviewer/interviewee while an illuminated “Department of Homeland Security” sign, prominently
placed on the far wall of the NRCC, is thus visible during such interviews.

8. Joint Operation Center (JOC):A JOC is usually pre- established, often operated
24/7/365, and allows multiple agencies to have a dedicated facility for assigning staff to interface
and interact with their counterparts from other agencies, although frequently called something
other than JOC, many locations and jurisdiction have such centers, often where Federal, state,
and/or local agencies (often law enforcement) meet to exchange strategic information and
develop and implement tactical plans. Large mass gathering events, such as a presidential
inauguration, will also utilize JOC-type facilities although they are often not identified as such or
their existence even publicized.

9. Multiple Agency Coordination (MACC) The MACC is a central command and control
facility that are responsible for strategic, or “big picture” of a disaster. A MACC is often used when
multiple incidents occurring in one area or particular complex for various reason such as scarce
resources must be allocated across multiple requests. Personnel within the MACC Coordinates
activities between multiple agencies and incidents and does not normally directly control assets,
but make strategic decision and leave tactical decisions to individual agencies. The common
function functions of all MACC’s is to collect, gather and analyze data; make decision to protect life
and property, maintain continuity of the government or corporation, within the scope of applicable

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 Colegio de San Gabriel Arcangel, Inc.
Area E, Fatima V, Sapang Palay, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
Telefax: (044) 760 0301 | 760 0397 | 0921 231 1379 | 0919 749 7728
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laws; and disseminate those decision to all concerned agencies and individual. While often similar
to an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the MACC is a separate entity with defined area or
mission and lifespan whereas an EOC is a permanently established facility and operation for a
jurisdiction or agency. EOCs often, but not always, follow the general ICS principles but may
utilize other structures or management (such as an Emergency Support Function (ESF) or Hybrid
ESF/ICS model) schemas. For many,jurisdiction the EOC is where elected officials will be located
during an emergency and, like a MACC, support but does not command an incident.

10. Command Transfer - A role of responsibility can be transferred during an incident for
several reasons: 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, or 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 area
of responsibility, or normal turnover of personnel due to extended incidents. The transfer of
command process always includes a transfer of command briefing, which may be oral, written, or
a combination of both.

Review Questions:

1. In one paragraph based on your own understanding, discuss the operational definition of
Incident Command System.
2. State the significant development of ICS chronologically.
3. Write the tasks and functions of the following unit in ICS.
4. Differentiate incidents and events.

Prepared by: MARK S. GUERRERO, CDSGA-NSTP HEAD Page 8