The Incident Command System (ICS) is a protocol of how personnel, policies, procedures, facilities, resources and equipment all work together in an organized structure to respond to an emergency or prevent a crisis from happening. Incident command systems are generally designed so that cooperation between several different agencies and organizations spanning various jurisdictions is structured under a firm guideline. Incident command systems put a general focus on communication and structure so that a response to a national crisis is both efficient and effective.

The Incident Command System in the United States was originally established in California in the 1970s when a wildfire created millions of dollars worth of damaged and cost the lives of many people. After a study of how emergency officials handled the situation, it was found that the reason why the fires were not contained sooner was not because of a lack of resources or poor tactics, but rather it was a lack of proper communication and structural organization. Many agencies worked together to contain the fire, but they did not communicate well and use a universal terminology. In addition, the hierarchy of command was unclear, and as a result, many people did not use a concise chain of command. The Incident Command System eliminated structural and communication problems that is associated with agency cooperation during a national crisis.

The Incident Command System Concepts:

The Incident Command System established many key concepts that would be the foundation for proper emergency response in the event of a crisis. Later, these ideas would be integrated into the Federally-funded National Incident Management System in 2003.

Unity of Command:
In an emergency response situation, every person working a task reports to only one supervisor. This rule eliminates the possibility of individuals to receive conflicting information and orders from a variety of supervisors. This essentially eliminates a great deal of potential confusion that can happen in a chain of command. It also increases accountability, prevents freelancing, facilitates the flow of information, better coordinates operations, and ensures safety of all workers in the emergency situation.

Universal Terminology:
Before the establishment of incident command systems, agencies developed and used their own terminology for their operations separately. Consequently, a term used in one agency may mean something completely different in another. During a emergency, if agencies are required to work together, there may be a great deal of confusion between the workers if a common terminology is not used between the two. The Incident Command System promotes and requires the use of a universal terminology and has developed a bank of terms that gives the use a consistent meaning to words. Universal terminology is especially important for commanding positions.

Management by Objective:
This basically means that in the incident command system, a task is not assigned until a clear objective is first established that the task will help lead to. Objectives are encouraged to be as specific as possible and attainable. When an objective is outlined, there should also be a time frame and schedule to go along with it to determine when it may be achieved.

Flexible and Modular Organization:
Depending on the incident, only organizations and individuals who are needed at a current point in time are brought in and dismissed immediately after their duties are carried out. This helps to minimize costs and also provides efficiency to the task at hand.

Span-of-Control:
The Incident Command System states that any given individual’s span of control should only be between three and seven people. A manager should not be spread too thin among several subordinates. If more than seven individuals are managed by one person, their workload may become to great.