Incident Command Training

Based on the Incident Command System established after the wildfire in California during the 1970s, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) was founded by the Department of Homeland Security in 2004. The goal of NIMS was to provide a universal protocol for agencies to coordinate together on a Federal, State, local, or tribal level in the event of a national emergency. These national emergencies can include earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, or terrorist attacks. In order to ensure that protocol is met by emergency workers during one of these disasters, a five year incident command training program was established. This incident command training program ensured that all emergency workers on the executive, managerial, and first-hand levels coordinated their efforts effectively to respond to and prevent crisis situations.

Basic Staff Trained in Incident Command Training:
In the event of a major crisis, a hierarchy of staff members is created, spanning several organizations, whether private or governmental. If necessary, the total staff may also encompass several jurisdictions, no matter if its Federal, State, Local, or tribal. There are many different types of disasters or national emergencies that can occur, so while the basic structure of a crisis staff remains the same, it may be organized to cater to the situation at hand.

Incident Commander:
An incident commander is in charge of all functions of an emergency response unit during a crisis. The job of incident commander involves creating an objective, managing all operations leading up to that objective, managing of resources and is responsible for all staff members involved in the emergency staff. Depending on the situation, the role of incident commander is usually taken by someone who is a senior officer. In all emergency situations, the incident commander position is always chosen, even if subordinates of that position are not always chosen. Usually, the incident commander may be in charge of filling those positions under him or her.

If a crisis is large enough, one incident commander may not be enough, and a unified command is assigned, especially when multiple agencies are involved in the emergency response. The unified command acts as a single entity, with each member assigned different tasks. Typically, one person acts as a command representative for the agencies involved and another acts as the spokesman for that representative.

If several emergency situations arise in multiple areas, an area command may be established so that incident commanders can act in multiple locations. An area command involves one person being assigned as area commander, providing support to the other command teams.

Command Staff:
The command staff includes a safety officer, public information officer, and liaison. The safety officer observes safety conditions and develops ways to contain unsafe situations for the well-being of all personnel. The public information officer is in charge of the flow of information to the public. The liaison is a contact that links several agencies together in a crisis.