HazMat Technician: Incident Command System

Incident Action Plan (site safety plan is developed from the incident action plan)

Local Emergency Response Plan (LERP)

Organization's Standard Operating Procedures / Guidelines

Response objectives

Action options

Personnel

Equipment

A safety brief should be give to all personnel prior to working the scene (1 at arrival and once every time a team goes out). They should also be re-accomplished when there is updated information.

Safety briefs should be outlined in the organizations standard operating procedures.

Branch officer

When there is no possibility in saving lives or property.

It should be ready before the first responders step off. That way it is ready when first responders finish their assignment.

Hand signals

It consists of at least two responders that are available for rescue of a member of a team if the need arises.

Teams of two or more

True

Plan consistent with LERP

Pre-entry medical monitoring

Review of the action plan

• Identification of:
• -safety officer
• -control zones
• -escape routes
• -designated withdrawal plan
• -identification of uphill / upwind locations

Backup team

Technical decontamination area is fully operational

Techniques used for collecting liquid, solid, and gas samples are critical to material identification.

As potential crime incidents.

The ICS is a standardized on-scene, all hazard incident management concept. It allows users to adopt an integrated organizational structure. It also clearly identifies who is in charge for the duration of the incident.

• ICS helps ensure:
• -the safety of responders and others
• -achievement of tactical objectives
• -efficient use of recources

• Command
• Finance and administration
• Logistics
• Operations
• Planning

• Incident Commander (including information officer, safety officer, and liason)
• Finance and Administration
• Logistics
• Operation
• Planning

3 to 7 subordinates with 5 being optimal per supervisor

When the first unit enters the scene and is maintained until the last unit leaves the scene.

1

Transfer of command moves responsibility from one unit commander to another.

It must include a command briefing (best face to face).

• Occurs when:
• -more qualified person assumes command
• -incident changes requiring legal change of command
• -normal turnover of personnel on extended incidents
• -incident response concluded and responsibility transferred to home agency

It provides guidelines to enable multiple agencies with different legal, geographic, and functional responsibilities to coordinate, plan, interact effectively to share command authority.

No legal authorities will be compromised or affected.

Provides overall leadership for incident response

Delegates authority to others

Takes general direction from agency administration / official

Ensuring incident safety

Providing information services to internal and externals stakeholders

Establishing and maintaining liaison with other agencies participating in the incident

Operates in direct support of the IC and contributes to the overall management of hazardous materials

Contributes to the overall management of the incident and consists of the safety officer, liaison officer, and public information officer

Operates in direct support of the IC and contributes to the overall management of hazardous materials

Contributes to the overall management of the incident and consists of the safety officer, liaison officer, and public information officer.

Incident commander and safety officer (as required by OSHA)

Monitors safety conditions

Advises the incident commander on issues regarding incident safety

Works with the Operations section to ensure the safety of field personnel

Ensures safety of all incident personnel

Functions as a point of contact for the media or any other internal and external stakeholders seeking information about the incident

Advises the incident commander on information dissemination and media relations

Develops, documents, and coordinates the information gathered during the incident

Obtains information from and provides information to the Planning Section, community and media

Incident Commander (keeping the media informed is an important piece of the incident management objectives)

The liaison officer is the primary contact for supporting agencies assisting on the scene and helping to support the operation

Deals with representatives from federal agencies, stat, and local resources

Any other outside agency with an interest in the management or outcome of the incident

Provides briefings to an answers questions from supporting agencies

Finance administrations

Logistics

Operations

Planning

(FLOP; IC FLOP is elements and C FLOP is 5 functions of ICS)

• -contract negotiation and monitoring 
• -timekeeping
• -cost analysis 
• -compensation for injury

Tracking costs related to incident, handles procurement issues, records time responders are on the incident for billing purposes, and keeps a running cost of the incident.

IC assigns finance officer.

• Facilities
• Services
• Materials
• Support Systems

Logistics Section Chief

(assigned on long-duration or recourse-intensive complex incidents)

Operations to track personnel and equipment.

• Service Branch:
• -communications
• -medical support to incident personnel
• -food for incident personnel

• Support Branch:
• -supplies
• -facilities (sleeping, sanitation, showers)
• -ground support (transportation needs)

Operations section run by operations section chief.

Responsible for all tactical operations at the incident

Develops and implements strategies and tactics to carry out the objectives developed by the incident commander

Directs and manages the resources assigned to his or her section and the resources in the staging area

The planning section is responsible for collection, evaluation, dissemination, and use of information relevant to the incident.

• Their roles and responsibilities include:
• -maintains resourse status
• -maintains and displays situation status
• -prepares the incident action plan
• -develops alternative strategies
• -provides documentation services
• -prepares demobilization plan
• -provides primary location for technical specialists assigned to an incident

• Resource Unit:
• -conducts all check in activities
• -coordinates with the operations officer and keeps track of available personnel and equipment

• Situation Unit:
• -collects and analyzes information on the current situation
• -prepares situation displays and situation summaries
• -develops maps and projections

• Demobilization Unit:
• -assists in ensuring that resources are released from the incident in an orderly, safe, and cost-efficient manner

• Documentation Unit:
• -provides duplication services, including the written Incident Action Plan
• -maintains and archives all incident related documentation

It is specific and assembled to relieve span of control issues. They are not tied to one location.

Groups describe functional areas of operation.

If there are four groups to an operation, each of them have the same job.

Refers to companied and groups working within the same geographical location. They effectively reduce IC’s span of control (3-7).

Divide an incident geographically.

If there are four entities to an operation and each of them have a different job, they are a division.

Branches are used when the number of divisions or groups exceeds the span of control (3-7). They can either be geographical or functional.

Incident Command Post

Staging Area

Base

Camp

Helibase

Helispot

Location near the scene of emergency where primary tactical-level, coordination, control, communications are centralized

Incident commander and all direct staff located there.

Command function is always located in ICP.

Where reserves of personnel and other recourses can be placed near the scene of the incident while awaiting tactical assignment. (cold zone)

A base is the location where primary logistics functions are coordinated and administered.

There is one base per incident, and it may be collocated with the ICP.

Camps are locations where recourses may be kept to support incident operations.

They differ from staging areas in that essential support is done at camps, and recourses at camps are not always immediately available.

Not all incidents have camps.

A helibase is a location, in and around an incident area at which helicopters may parked, maintained, fueled, and equipped for incident operations.

Temporary locations where helicopters can land and load and off-load personnel, equipment, and supplies.

• There has to be 1 IC per incident who has to have competency in:
• -overall leadership for incident response
• -implement jurisdiction’s incident command system
• -has to have knowledge of hazards and risks associated with responders working in PPE
• -local emergency response plan
• -state emergency response plan and the federal regional response team
• -decontamination

(they should receive at least 24 hours of training on first-responders operation level)

Another level of organization within the operations section known as the hazardous materials branch.

(If the number of divisions and groups exceed the span of control of the incident commander, hazardous materials branch is set up)

Hazardous materials branch director

Assistant Safety Officer

Site Access Control Leader

Decontamination Leader

Technical Specialist

Safe Refugee Area Manager

Sometimes referredto as the Assisstant Safety Officer (ASO), they are responsible for identifying and evaluating dangerous conditions relating to the safety of the hazardous materials team ONLY.

They report directly to safety officer who reports to IC.

The team assigned to enter the hotzone.

They have an entry leader that makes recommendations concerning controls in the hot zone.

They have a recon team, responsible for gathering information of the scene (first to go).

They are responsible for reducing and preventing the spread of contamination from persons to equipment.

Duties should be outlined in SOPs

A team of fully qualified and equipped responders who are ready to enter the hot zone at moment’s notice to recover the primary team known as the hot entry zone team.

• Gathering information and reporting to the IC as well as the hazardous materials officer. This includes:
• -evacuation considerations
• -PPE selection and criteria
• -hazard risk assessment
• -product safety data

OSHA and they cannot assume any other responsibility.

Operations section chief who reports to IC

• -obtaining briefing from IC
• -staffing hazardous materials branch functions as required
• -ensuring scene control zones are established
• -ensuring site safety plan developed
• -maintaining accountability
• -ensuring PPE worn

Ensuring operational objectives are met

LERP