17- Training Manual Incident Commander Flashcards
According to the Training Manual section on IC, What is the primary responsibility of an Incident Commander (IC)?**
a. Perform firefighting tasks
b. size up a situation and determine correct course of action
c. Conduct post-incident critiques
d. Provide medical care to citizens
B
The effective Incident Commander (IC) must be able to size up a situation and
determine a correct course of action. Many times the success of the entire operation
will be based on sound judgment, on establishing command and effective
communications during the incident. Misunderstandings at this phase of an operation
can, and often are, devastating.
According to the Training Manual section on IC, What is a key factor in the success of the entire operation according to the passage?**
a. Speed of response
b. Effective communication during the incident
c. Self-reflection of firefighters
d. Simulations before the incident
B
Many times the success of the entire operation
will be based on sound judgment, on establishing command and effective
communications during the incident. Misunderstandings at this phase of an operation
can, and often are, devastating.
According to the Training Manual section on IC, Why is unity of command important in incident management?**
a. It promotes friendly competition among firefighters.
b. It avoids confusion and frustration among workers.
c. It allows multiple supervisors to give conflicting orders.
d. It increases the workload on employees.
B
If an employee is put in
a position that requires reporting to more than one supervisor, a number of difficult
situations can result. The most common of these situations are:
The employee plays the supervisors against each other so none know exactly
what the employee is doing, and the employee gets away with doing little or no
work.
The supervisor who yells the loudest or bangs the hardest on the desk is the
one who gets the employee to do work and the other bosses get no work done.
The employee becomes frustrated attempting to follow conflicting orders from
different supervisors and gives up trying.
The project or task itself tends to suffer in quality because the employee may
execute the task poorly trying to follow conflicting procedures.
According to the Training Manual section on IC, What principle channels direction and accountability for a worker to one supervisor?**
a. Unity of Command
b. Span of Control
c. Incident Management
d. Fire Ground Etiquette
A
Many people who study the principles of organization as a science have made the
observation that a person can only report to one supervisor. If an employee is put in
a position that requires reporting to more than one supervisor, a number of difficult
situations can result.
According to the Training Manual section on IC, How does an officer effectively supervise individuals according to the passage?**
a. By maintaining a rigid approach to decision-making
b. By exceeding the span of control
c. By delegating responsibility based on factors like ability and experience
d. By ignoring the nature of the task being performed
C
According to the Training Manual section on IC, What does the term “span of control” refer to in the fire service?**
a. The distance between firefighters
b. The limit one person can effectively manage
c. The speed of fire control operations
d. The number of fire apparatus on the scene
B
The span of control is the limit one person can effectively manage. In the fire service,
the emergency scene is often where an officer exceeds the span of control. The
officers who fail to delegate responsibility and run a “one person show” do this. The
officer becomes preoccupied with too many other activities.
According to the Training Manual section on IC, What factors determine an officer’s span of control?**
a. The weather conditions
b. The number of firefighters available
c. The ability and experience of the officer and firefighters
d. The color of the fire truck
C
There are several factors that affect the number of people being supervised:
The ability and experience of the officer
The ability and experience of the firefighters
The nature of the task
The relationship of task being performed by one individual to the tasks being
performed by other individuals
The stability and competence of the organization
According to the Training Manual section on IC, What is the definition of an Incident Commander?**
a. The person who performs firefighting tasks at an incident
b. The person who assumes overall command and control of personnel and apparatus
c. The person who reports incidents to higher authorities
d. The person who provides medical care to citizens
B
They are the person who assumes overall command and control of personnel and
apparatus at the emergency incident. He/she assumes the role of Commander and
Manager, operating at the strategic level.
According to the Training Manual section on IC, At what level does the Incident Commander operate when making strategic decisions?**
a. Tactical level
b. Operational level
c. Task level
d. Strategic level
D
A strategic level or strategy is the management of the offensive/defensive decision by
the Incident Commander. This critical decision regulates operational control,
establishes objectives, sets priorities and allocates resources.
According to the Training Manual section on IC, What are the roles of an Incident Commander according to the passage?**
a. Act, react, and control
b. Direct all operations, move toward correct action, and operate in a calm manner
c. Perform firefighting tasks, protect citizens, and conserve property
d. Yell loudly, bang on the desk, and give conflicting orders
B
Role:
Their role is to direct all operations and is done by choosing command over
action and working from a strategic level rather than a task level.
Their role is to move toward the correct action.
Their role is to operate in a clinically clam manner by looking and acting
professional at all times
According to the Training Manual section on IC, What is the primary responsibility of an Incident Commander in terms of decision-making?**
a. Make dead-end decisions to expedite the operation
b. Avoid open-ended decisions to maintain control
c. Distinguish between assumption and fact
d. Delegate decision-making to subordinates
C
Distinguish between assumption and fact
Sometimes we do not have factual information so we have to act on assumption
and fact. (The incident commander must realize that both the information and
decisions will improve, as the incident grows older.)
Maintain a flexible approach to decision making. (The incident commander can
update at anytime during the operation through the use of feedback from his
officers.)
Develop a standard response to report on viewed conditions. (Basic facts and
observations are required to go along with initial decisions. By applying
standard responses the incident commander can avoid making premature
decisions.)
Shift to a management role after initiating action. (The incident commander
cannot be everywhere, use efficiency of command by delegating tactical
responsibility.)
According to the Training Manual section on IC, What does the Incident Commander need to do when information and decisions are based on assumption and fact?**
a. Maintain a flexible approach to decision-making
b. Stick to the initial assumptions regardless of changes
c. Ignore feedback from officers
d. Avoid updating the plan during the operation
A
Sometimes we do not have factual information so we have to act on assumption
and fact. (The incident commander must realize that both the information and
decisions will improve, as the incident grows older.)
According to the Training Manual section on IC, What is the role of an Incident Commander during the decision-making process?**
a. Act as a Lone Ranger
b. Delegate responsibility as soon as possible
c. Play around with many details
d. Shift to a task level role
A
Lone Ranger Management
You must be ready to act as a single
commander.
You must delegate and allow you officers
to operate at their highest level.
According to the Training Manual section on IC, How does an experienced Incident Commander apply command and control?**
a. By micromanaging every detail
b. By ignoring the details and focusing on the bigger picture
c. By selecting an appropriate command area and staying there
d. By avoiding regular updates from officers
C
Experienced incident commanders apply command and control to achieve results, not
simply for the sake of taking charge. They delegate responsibility as soon as possible
insisting that everyone make the decisions pertaining to their area and do the job that
has to be done.
They apply flexible control levels.
They want to be able to order “what & where” without having to worry about or
to decide “how”.
The don’t want to play around with too many details however they feel a few
extra minutes at the start of the incident may save hours in the course of the
operation.
They select an appropriate command area and stay there.
They analyze a situation in clinical terms and they refuse to be distracted.
They rely on regular updating from officers back to the command area.
They practice the art of “selective democracy”, they decide when to “call for a
vote” and not to, keeping in mind their “vote” outweighs all others.
They develop realistic expectations for all.
They place their people in the best spots in order to get the most form them.
They build a command team. They work with and respect the strengthening
effect given to them by their Officers and fellow Chief Officers.
According to the Training Manual section on IC, What does “selective democracy” refer to in the context of command and control?**
a. Allowing subordinates to make decisions without supervision
b. Deciding when to call for a vote and when not to
c. Ignoring the opinions of subordinates
d. Implementing a strict hierarchy with no input from others
B
They practice the art of “selective democracy”, they decide when to “call for a
vote” and not to, keeping in mind their “vote” outweighs all others.
