National Incident Management System: Command and Management Elements, Study notes of Finance

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Unit 6: NIMS Command and

Management

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Objectives

At the end of this unit, you should be able to define the concepts and principles related to the following Command and Management elements:

 Incident Command System

 Multiagency Coordination Systems

 Public Information

Scope

 Unit Introduction and Objectives

 Introduction to NIMS Command and Management

 Command and Management Elements

 Video: What Is NIMS Command and Management?

 Understanding Command and Coordination

 Incident Command System

 What Is ICS?

 ICS Features

 Incident Command Functions

 Incident Commander

 Incident Command Post

 Command Staff

 General Staff

 Unified Command

 Unified Command Benefits

 Single vs. Unified Command

 Area Command

 Incident Management Teams

 Multiagency Coordination Systems

 Multiagency Support and Coordination

 A System... Not a Facility

 Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

 On-Scene and Off-Scene Multiagency Coordination

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 Public Information

 Managing Public Information

 Joint Information Center (JIC)

 Speaking With One Voice

 Joint Information System (JIS)

 Knowledge Check and Summary

 Preparedness Self-Assessment

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Key Points

This unit presents an overview of the NIMS Command and Management component.

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Key Points

At the end of this unit, you should be able to define the concepts and principles related to the following Command and Management elements:

 Incident Command System

 Multiagency Coordination Systems

 Public Information

This unit summarizes the information presented in Component IV: Command and Management, including:

 Incident Command System

 Multiagency Coordination Systems

 Public Information

 Relationships Among Command and Management Elements

Refer to pages 45 through 74 of the NIMS document.

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Key Points

This unit is divided into three sections covering each of the Command and Management elements:

 Incident Command System

 Multiagency Coordination Systems

 Public Information

The NIMS Command and Management component facilitates incident management by building upon all of the components covered in the previous lessons.

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Key Points

This video provides an introduction to the NIMS Command and Management component.

Video Transcript: The NIMS components of Preparedness, Communications and Information Management, and Resource Management provide a framework for effective management during incident response. Next, we’ll cover the fundamental elements of incident management including: Incident Command System, Multiagency Coordination Systems, and Public Information. Together, these elements comprise the NIMS Command and Management component. The Incident Command System, or ICS, is a standardized, on-scene, all-hazard incident management concept. ICS allows its users to adopt an integrated organizational structure to match the complexities and demands of incidents.

NIMS is best summed up by Craig Fugate: “.. .When we fail to work as a team, we fail our citizens and what NIMS is, is a system to provide a framework for all of the team to work together towards common goals.”

As an incident becomes more complex, multiagency coordination becomes increasingly important. Multiagency coordination is a process that allows all levels of government and all disciplines to work together more efficiently and effectively. Multiagency coordination is accomplished through a comprehensive system of elements. These elements include facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications. Emergency Operations Centers and Multiagency Coordination Groups are just two examples of coordination elements.

The final Command and Management element is Public Information. Public Information includes processes, procedures, and organizational structures required to gather, verify, coordinate, and disseminate information—information that is essential for lifesaving response and community recovery.

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Key Points

This unit presents information on command and coordination. Both elements are essential to ensuring a successful response. Remember that:

 Command is the act of directing, ordering, or controlling by virtue of explicit statutory,

regulatory, or delegated authority at the field level.

 Coordination is the process of providing support to the command structure and may include

incident prioritization, critical resource allocation, communications systems integration, and information exchange.

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Key Points

 The first Command and Management element is the Incident Command System (ICS).

 This unit reviews the key ICS concepts and terminology used within NIMS and is not a

substitute for comprehensive ICS training. Additional information on ICS training requirements is available at the National Integration Center Web site.

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Key Points

ICS is a standardized, on-scene, all-hazards incident management approach that:

 Allows for the integration of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and

communications operating within a common organizational structure.

 Enables a coordinated response among various jurisdictions and functional agencies, both

public and private.

 Establishes common processes for planning and managing resources.

By using management best practices, ICS helps to ensure:

 The safety of responders and others.

 The achievement of tactical objectives.

 The efficient use of resources.

NIMS prompts the use of ICS for every incident or scheduled event. Using ICS on all incidents helps hone and maintain skills needed for the large-scale incidents.

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Key Points

Answer the following discussion questions:

 What are examples of incidents or planned events where you have used ICS?

 What were the benefits of using ICS?

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Key Points

ICS is based on 14 proven management characteristics that contribute to the strength and efficiency of the overall system. Reference materials about the 14 features of ICS are located at the end of this unit.

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Key Points

Refer to the descriptions of the 14 features on the handout at the end of this unit to answer each of the following questions:

 What are chain of command and unity of command?

 What does the concept of modular organization mean?

 Why is information and intelligence management important?

 What would you include in an Incident Action Plan?

 What is an example of accountability?

 What is important to remember about dispatch/deployment?

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Key Points

 Every incident requires that certain management functions be performed. The problem must

be identified and assessed, a plan to deal with it developed and implemented, and the necessary resources procured and paid for.

 Regardless of the size of the incident, these management functions still will apply.

 There are five major management functions that are the foundation upon which the ICS

organization develops. These functions include:

 Incident Command: Sets the incident objectives, strategies, and priorities and has

overall responsibility for the incident.

 Operations: Conducts operations to reach the incident objectives. Establishes the

tactics and directs all operational resources.

 Planning: Supports the incident action planning process by tracking resources,

collecting/analyzing information, and maintaining documentation.

 Logistics: Provides resources and needed services to support the achievement of the

incident objectives.

 Finance & Administration: Monitors costs related to the incident. Provides purchasing

and accounting support.

ICS allows its users to adopt an integrated organizational structure to match the complexities and demands of single or multiple incidents.

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Key Points

 When an incident occurs within a single jurisdiction and there is no jurisdictional or

functional agency overlap, a single Incident Commander is designated with overall incident management responsibility by the appropriate jurisdictional authority. The designated Incident Commander develops the incident objectives that direct all subsequent incident action planning. The Incident Commander approves the Incident Action Plan and the resources to be ordered or released.

 The Incident Commander has overall responsibility for managing the incident by establishing

objectives, planning strategies, and implementing tactics.

 The Incident Commander is the only position that is always staffed in ICS

applications. On small incidents and events, one person, the Incident Commander, may accomplish all management functions.

 The Incident Commander has overall authority and responsibility for conducting incident

operations and is responsible for the management of all incident operations at the incident site. The Incident Commander must:

 Have clear authority and know agency policy.

 Ensure incident safety.

 Establish the Incident Command Post.

 Set priorities, and determine incident objectives and strategies to be followed.

 Establish the Incident Command System organization needed to manage the incident.

 Approve the Incident Action Plan.

 Coordinate Command and General Staff activities.

 Approve resource requests and use of volunteers and auxiliary personnel.

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 Order demobilization as needed.

 Ensure after-action reports are completed.

 Authorize information released to the media.

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Key Points

The incident Command and Management organization is located at the Incident Command Post (ICP). Incident Command directs operations from the ICP, which is generally located at or in the immediate vicinity of the incident site. Typically, one ICP is established for each incident.

As emergency management/response personnel deploy, they must, regardless of agency affiliation, report to and check in at the designated location and receive an assignment in accordance with the established procedures.

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Key Points

In an Incident Command organization, the Command Staff typically includes the following personnel:

 The Public Information Officer is responsible for interfacing with the public and media

and/or with other agencies with incident-related information requirements.

 The Safety Officer monitors incident operations and advises the Incident

Commander/Unified Command on all matters relating to operational safety, including the health and safety of emergency responder personnel.

 The Liaison Officer is the point of contact for representatives of other governmental

agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector.

Additional Command Staff positions may be added depending upon incident needs and requirements.

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Key Points

The General Staff includes a group of incident management personnel organized according to function and reporting to the Incident Commander. Typically, the General Staff consists of the Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, and Finance/Administration Section Chief.

Reference materials at the end of this unit provide more information about each position within the Command and General Staffs.

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Key Points

Refer to the descriptions of the Command and General Staff on the handout at the end of this unit to answer each of the following questions:

 What is the role of the Liaison Officer?

 Why is it important to appoint a Safety Officer?

 Which Section Chief is responsible for:

 Tracking incident costs?

 Producing the Incident Action Plan?

 The direct management of all incident-related tactical activities?

 Overseeing the provision of facilities, services, and material support for the

incident?

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Key Points

 Early in the development of ICS, it was recognized that many incidents crossed jurisdictional

boundaries or the limits of individual agency functional responsibility.

 As a team effort, Unified Command allows all agencies with jurisdictional authority or

functional responsibility for an incident to jointly provide management direction to the incident.

 NIMS encourages the use of Unified Command when appropriate.

 This excerpt is from the following longer quote from the NIMS document:

“Unified Command is an important element in multijurisdictional or multiagency incident management. It provides guidelines to enable agencies with different legal, geographic, and functional responsibilities to coordinate, plan, and interact effectively. As a team effort, Unified Command allows all agencies with jurisdictional authority or functional responsibility for the incident to jointly provide management direction to an incident through a common set of incident objectives and strategies and a single Incident Action Plan. Each participating agency maintains its authority, responsibility, or accountability.”

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Key Points

In multijurisdictional or multiagency incident management, Unified Command offers the following advantages:

 A single set of objectives is developed for the entire incident.

 A collective “team” approach is used to develop strategies to achieve incident objectives.

 Information flow and coordination are improved between all jurisdictions and agencies

involved in the incident.

 All agencies with responsibility for the incident have an understanding of joint priorities and

restrictions.

 No agency’s legal authorities are compromised or neglected.

 The combined efforts of all agencies are optimized as they perform their respective

assignments under a single Incident Action Plan.

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Key Points

Note the following differences between single and unified command structures.

 Single Incident Commander: The Incident Commander is:

 Solely responsible (within the confines of his or her authority) for establishing incident

objectives and strategies.

 Directly responsible for ensuring that all functional area activities are directed toward

accomplishment of the strategy.

 Unified Command: The individuals designated by their jurisdictional or organizational

authorities (or by departments within a single jurisdiction) work together to:

 Determine objectives, strategies, plans, resource allocations, and priorities.

 Execute integrated incident operations and maximize the use of assigned resources.

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Key Points

 Area Command is used when there are a number of incidents generally in the same area

and often of the same kind. Examples include two or more hazardous materials spills, fires, etc. Often these kinds of incidents will vie for the same resources.

 When an incident expands to a large geographic area, the agency officials may choose to

divide the incident into smaller pieces, called zones, each of which will be managed by an Incident Management Team (IMT).

 When incidents are of different kinds and/or do not have similar resource demands, they will

usually be handled as separate incidents or will be coordinated through an Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

The use of an Area Command makes the jobs of Incident Commanders and agency officials easier for the following reasons:

 Much of the cross-incident coordination typically performed by each Incident Commander is

accomplished at the Area Command level. Using an Area Command allows the Incident Commanders and their IMTs to focus attention on their incident objectives, strategies, and tactics.

 Area Command sets priorities between incidents and ensures efficient resource use. Critical

resources are allocated by the overall priorities established by the agency officials. Competition among incidents for critical resources is avoided. Often, agency dispatchers will recognize cross-incident coordination problems first.

 Area Command ensures that agency policies, priorities, constraints, and guidance are being

made known to the Incident Commanders and implemented consistently across incidents.

 Area Command also reduces the workload of Executives/Senior Officials, especially if there

are multiple incidents going on at the same time.

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