ICS 200.c Lesson 4 - Functional Areas and Positions Flashcards
Incident Commander
The Incident Commander:
- Has overall incident management responsibility delegated by the appropriate jurisdictional authority
- Develops the incident objectives to guide the Incident Action Planning Process
- Approves the Incident Action Plan and all requests pertaining to the ordering and releasing of incident resources
In some situations or agencies, a lower ranking but more qualified person may be designated as the Incident Commander. Whatever their day-to-day position, when a person is designated as the Incident Commander they are delegated the authority to command the incident response.
The Incident Commander performs all major ICS functions unless he or she activates Command or General Staff positions to manage these functions. For example, the Incident Commander would personally perform the Operations function until an Operations Section was activated.
Deputy Incident Commander
The Incident Commander may have one or more Deputies. Deputies may be assigned at the Incident Command, Section, or Branch levels. The only ICS requirement regarding the use of a Deputy is that the Deputy must be fully qualified and equally capable to assume the position.
The three primary reasons to designate a Deputy Incident Commander are to:
- Perform specific tasks as requested by the Incident Commander.
- Perform the incident command function in a relief capacity (e.g., to take over for the next operational period). In this case, the Deputy will assume the primary role.
- Represent an Assisting Agency that may share jurisdiction or have jurisdiction in the future.
Command Staff
The Command Staff is only activated in response to the needs of the incident. If a Command Staff position is not needed it will not be activated. For example, an incident may not require a Liaison Officer if there are not outside agencies or organizations to coordinate with.
Command Staff includes the following positions:
- Public Information Officer
- Liaison Officer
- Safety Officer
Assistants
In a large or complex incident, Command Staff members may need one or more Assistants to help manage their workloads. Each Command Staff member is responsible for organizing his or her Assistants for maximum efficiency. Assistants are subordinates of principal Command Staff positions.
As the title indicates, Assistants should have a level of technical capability, qualifications, and responsibility subordinate to the primary positions.
Assistants may also be assigned to Unit Leaders (e.g., at camps to supervise unit activities).
Assisting Agency
An agency or jurisdiction will often send resources to assist at an incident. In ICS these are called assisting agencies.
An assisting agency is defined as an agency or organization providing personnel, services, or other resources to the agency with direct responsibility for incident management.
Cooperating Agency
A cooperating agency is an agency supplying assistance other than direct operational or support functions or resources to the incident management effort.
Don’t get confused between an assisting agency and a cooperating agency! An assisting agency has direct responsibility for incident response, whereas a cooperating agency is simply offering assistance.
Agency Representative
An Agency Representative is an individual assigned to an incident from an assisting or cooperating agency. The Agency Representative is delegated authority to make decisions on matters affecting that agency’s participation at the incident.
Expanding Incidents
An incident may start small and then expand. As the incident grows in scope and the number of resources needed increases, there may be a need to activate Teams, Units, Divisions, Groups, Branches, or Sections to maintain an appropriate span of control. The optimal span of control for incident management is one supervisor to five subordinates; however, effective incident management may require ratios different from this. The 1:5 ratio is just a guideline.
The ability to delegate the supervision of resources not only frees up the Incident Commander to perform critical decision-making and evaluation duties, but also clearly defines the lines of communication to everyone involved in the incident.
Next, we’ll review the major organizational elements that may be activated during an expanding incident.
Operations Section
Directs and coordinates all incident tactical operations
Is typically one of the first organizations to be assigned to the incident
Expands from the bottom up
Has the most incident resources
May have Staging Areas and special organizations
Graphic of an organizational chart showing the Operations Section. The Operations Section Chief reports directly to the Incident Commander. Within the Operations Section, the Staging Area Manager reports directly to the Operations Section Chief. Within this particular ICS organization, there are two groups in the Operations Section: the Business Continuity Group and the Security Group.
Operations Section Chief
The Operations Section Chief:
Is responsible to the Incident Commander for the direct management of all incident-related operational activities
Establishes tactical objectives for each operational period
Has direct involvement in the preparation of the Incident Action Plan
The Operations Section Chief may have one or more Deputies assigned. The assignment of Deputies from other agencies may be advantageous in the case of multijurisdictional incidents.
Operations Section: Staging Areas
Staging Areas are set up at the incident where resources can wait for a tactical assignment.
All resources in the Staging Area are assigned and ready for deployment. Out-of-service resources are NOT located at the Staging Area.
After a Staging Area has been designated and named, a Staging Area Manager will be assigned. The Staging Area Manager will report to the Operations Section Chief or to the Incident Commander if the Operations Section Chief has not been designated.
Staging Areas: Chain of Command
The graphic below shows where the Staging Area Manager fits into the Operations Section.
Divisions and Groups
Divisions are established to divide an incident into physical or geographical areas of operation.
Groups are established to divide the incident into functional areas of operation.
For example, a Damage Assessment Task Force, reporting to the Infrastructure Group Supervisor, could work across divisions established to manage two distinct areas of the building that have been damaged — the west side of the building (West Division) and the north side (North Division).
Branches
Branches may be used to serve several purposes and may be functional or geographic in nature. Branches are established when the number of divisions or groups exceeds an effective span of control for the Operations Section Chief.
Air Operations Branch
Some incidents may require the use of aviation resources to provide tactical or logistical support. On smaller incidents, aviation resources will be limited in number and will report directly to the Incident Commander or to the Operations Section Chief.
On larger incidents, it may be desirable to activate a separate Air Operations Branch to coordinate the use of aviation resources. The Air Operations Branch will then report directly to the Operations Section Chief.
The Air Operations Branch Director can establish two functional groups. The Air Tactical Group coordinates all airborne activity. The Air Support Group provides all incident ground-based support to aviation resources.
Planning Section Units
The major responsibilities of Planning Units are:
- *Resources Unit**: Responsible for all check-in activity and for maintaining the status on all personnel and equipment resources assigned to the incident.
- *Situation Unit**: Collects and processes information on the current situation, prepares situation displays and situation summaries, and develops maps and projections.
- *Demobilization Unit**: On large, complex incidents, assists in ensuring that an orderly, safe, and cost-effective movement of personnel is made when they are no longer required at the incident.
- *Documentation Unit**: Prepares the Incident Action Plan, maintains all incident-related documentation, and provides duplication services.
Logistics Section
Early recognition of the need for a Logistics Section can reduce time and money spent on an incident. The Logistics Section is responsible for all support requirements, including:
- Communications
- Medical support to incident personnel
- Food for incident personnel
- Supplies, facilities, and ground support
It is important to remember that Logistics Section functions, except for the Supply Unit, are geared to supporting personnel and resources directly assigned to the incident. For example, the Medical Unit provides medical support to the incident response personnel. Medical resources that support the population affected by the incident would be managed under the Operations Section.
Finance/Administration Units
Finance/Administration Units include the following:
- The Time Unit is responsible for equipment and personnel time recording.
- The Procurement Unit is responsible for administering all financial matters pertaining to vendor contracts, leases, and fiscal agreements.
- The Compensation/Claims Unit is responsible for financial concerns resulting from property damage, injuries, or fatalities at the incident.
- The Cost Unit is responsible for tracking costs, analyzing cost data, making cost estimates, and recommending cost-saving measures.
Intelligence/Investigations Function in ICS
When I/I is required for specialized types of responses, the IC/UC can place the I/I function in multiple locations within the incident command structure based on factors such as the nature of the incident, the level of I/I activity, and the relationship of I/I to other incident activities.
The I/I can be placed in the Planning Section, in the Operations Section, within the Command Staff, as a separate General Staff section, or in some combination of these locations.
