chapter 4

the number of subordinates who report to one supervisor at any level within the organization

is a management concept in which each person has only one direct supervisor

Branch -- A supervisory level established to manage the span of control above the division or group level; usually applied to operations or logistics functions.

Branch director -- The officer in charge of all resources operating within a specified branch, who is responsible to the next higher level in the incident organization (either a section chief or the incident commander).

Command -- The first component of the ICS. It is the only position in the ICS that must always be staffed.

Command staff -- Staff positions established to assume responsibility for key activities in the incident command system; individuals at this level report directly to incident command. Members include the safety officer, public information officer, and liaison officer.

Crew -- An organized group of fire fighters under the leadership of a company officer, crew leader, or other designated official.

Designated incident facilities -- Assigned locations where specific functions are always performed.

Division -- An organizational level within ICS that divides an incident into geographic areas of operational responsibility.

Division supervisor -- The officer in charge of all resources operating within a specified division. This individual is responsible to the next higher level in the incident organization and acts as the point of contact for the division within the organization.

Finance/Administration Section -- The command-level section of ICS responsible for all costs and financial aspects of the incident, as well as any legal issues that arise.

Fire-ground command (FGC) -- An incident management system developed in the 1970s for day-to-day fire department incidents (generally handled with fewer than 25 units or companies).

FIRESCOPE -- An organization of agencies established in the early 1970s to develop a standardized system for managing fire resources at large-scale incidents such as wildland fires.

Group -- An organization level within ICS that divides an incident according to functional areas of operation.

Group supervisor -- The officer in charge of all resources operating within a specified group. This individual is responsible to the next higher level in the incident organization and acts as the point of contact for the group within the organization.

ICS general staff -- The chiefs of each of the four major sections of ICS: Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration.

Incident action plan (IAP) -- The objectives for the overall incident strategy, tactics, risk management, and member safety that are developed by Command. Incident action plans are updated throughout the incident.

Incident command post -- The location at the scene of an emergency where incident command is located and where command, coordination, control, and communications are centralized.

Incident command system (ICS) -- The combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications under a standard organizational structure to manage assigned resources effectively to accomplish stated objectives for an incident.

Integrated communications -- The ability of all appropriate personnel at the emergency scene to communicate with their supervisor and their subordinates.

Liaison officer -- The position within ICS that establishes a point of contact with outside agency representatives.

Logistics Section -- The section within ICS responsible for providing facilities, services, and materials for the incident.

Logistics Section chief -- The general staff position responsible for directing the logistics function. It is generally assigned on complex, resource-intensive, or long-duration incidents.

National Incident Management System (NIMS) -- A Department of Homeland Security system designed to enable federal, state, and local governments and private-sector and nongovernmental organizations to effectively and efficiently prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity.

Operations Section -- The section within ICS responsible for all tactical operations at the incident.

Operations Section Chief -- The general staff position responsible for managing all operations activities. It is usually assigned when complex incidents involve more than 20 single resources or when Command cannot be involved in the details of tactical operations.

Passing command -- Option that can be used by the first-arriving company officer to direct the next arriving unit to assume command.

Planning Section -- The section within ICS responsible for the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of tactical information related to the incident and for preparation and documentation of incident management plans.

Planning Section chief -- The general staff position responsible for planning functions. It is assigned when Command needs assistance in managing information.

Public information officer -- The position within ICS responsible for planning functions; assigned when Command needs assistance in managing information.

Resource management -- A standard system of assigning and keeping track of the resources involved in the incident.

Safety officer -- The position within ICS responsible for identifying and evaluating hazardous or unsafe conditions at the scene of the incident. They have the authority to stop any activity that is deemed unsafe.

Single Command -- The Command structure in which a single individual is responsible for all of the strategic objectives of the incident. Typically used when an incident is within a single jurisdiction and is managed by a single discipline.

Single resource -- An individual vehicle and the personnel that arrive on that unit.

Staging area -- A prearranged, strategically placed area where support personnel, vehicles, and other equipment can be held in an organized state of readiness for use during an emergency.

Strike team -- Five units of the same resource category, such as engines or ambulances, with a leader.

Strike team leader -- The person in charge of a strike team. This individual is responsible to the next higher level in the incident organization and serves as the point of contact for the strike team within the organization.

Task force -- Any combination of single resources assembled for a particular tactical need; it has common communications and a leader.

Task force leader -- The person in charge of a task force. This individual is responsible to the next higher level in the incident organization and serves as the point of contact for the task force within the organization.

Transfer of command -- Reassignment of command authority and responsibility from one individual to another.

Unified command -- An ICS option that allows representatives from multiple jurisdictions and/or agencies to share command authority and responsibility, working together as a “joint” incident command team.

Organized approach: ICS imposes "order on chaos" on the fire ground and enables a safer and more efficient operation than would be possible if personnel and units worked independently of each other.

Terminology: ICS uses a standard terminology for effective communications.

All-risk : ICS can be used at any type of emergency incident.

Jurisdictional authority: ICS enables different jurisdictions, agencies, and organizations to work cooperatively on a single incident.

Span of control : ICS maintains the desired span of control through flexible levels of organization.

Everyday applicability: ICS can and should be used on every single incident, every single time

Modular: ICS is based on standard modules that are activated as needed to manage an incident.

Integrated communications: Everyone responding to the incident can communicate up and down the chain of command as needed.

Incident action plan: Every incident has a plan that outlines the strategic objectives. Large incidents will have formal plans

Facilities: Standardized facilities—such as a command post, staging area, and rehabilitation area—are established as needed.

• Command: Responsible for the entire incident. This is the only function that is always staffed.
• Operations: Responsible for most fire-ground functions, including suppression, search and rescue, and ventilation.
• Planning: Responsible for developing the IAP.
• Logistics: Responsible for obtaining the resources needed to support the incident
• .Finance/Administration: Responsible for tracking expenditures and managing the administrative functions at the incident.

The safety officer is responsible for the overall safety of the incident. He or she has the authority to stop any action or operation if it creates a safety hazard on the scene.The liaison officer is responsible for coordinating operations between the fire department and other agencies that may be involved in the incident.The public information officer is responsible for coordinating media activities and providing the necessary information to the various media organizations.