Incident Command System


The Incident Command System is a standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination of emergency response providing a common hierarchy within which responders from multiple agencies can be effective.
ICS was initially developed to address problems of inter-agency responses to wildfires in California but is now a component of the National Incident Management System in the US, where it has evolved into use in all-hazards situations, ranging from active shootings to hazmat scenes. In addition, ICS has acted as a pattern for similar approaches internationally.

Overview

ICS consists of a standard management hierarchy and procedures for managing temporary incident of any size. ICS procedures should be pre-established and sanctioned by participating authorities, and personnel should be well-trained before an incident.
ICS includes procedures to select and form temporary management hierarchies to control funds, personnel, facilities, equipment, and communications. Personnel are assigned according to established standards and procedures previously sanctioned by participating authorities. ICS is a system designed to be used or applied from the time an incident occurs until the requirement for management and operations no longer exists.
ICS is interdisciplinary and organizationally flexible to meet the following management challenges:
  • Meets the needs of a jurisdiction to cope with incidents of any kind or complexity.
  • Allows personnel from a wide variety of agencies to meld rapidly into a common management structure with common terminology.
  • Give logistical and administrative support to operational staff.
  • Be cost-effective by avoiding duplication of efforts, and continuing overheads.
  • Provide a unified, centrally authorized emergency organization.

    History

The ICS concept was formed in 1968 at a meeting of Fire Chiefs in Southern California. The program reflects the management hierarchy of the US Navy, and at first was used mainly to fight California wildfires. During the 1970s, ICS was fully developed during massive wildfire suppression efforts in California that followed a series of catastrophic wildfires, starting with the monumental Laguna fire in 1970. Property damage ran into the millions, and many people died or were injured. Studies determined that response problems are often related to communication and management deficiencies rather than a lack of resources or failure of tactics.
Weaknesses in incident management were often due to:
  • Lack of accountability, including unclear chain of command and supervision.
  • Poor communication due to both inefficient use of available communications systems and conflicting codes and terminology.
  • Lack of an orderly, systematic planning process.
  • No effective predefined way to integrate inter-agency requirements into the management structure and planning process.
  • "Freelancing" by individuals within the first-response team without direction from a team leader and those with specialized skills during an incident and without coordination with other first responders
  • Lack of knowledge with common terminology during an incident.
Emergency managers determined that the existing management structures – frequently unique to each agency – did not scale to dealing with massive mutual aid responses involving dozens of distinct agencies and when these various agencies worked together their specific training and procedures clashed. As a result, a new command and control paradigm was collaboratively developed to create a consistent, integrated framework for the management of all incidents from small incidents to large, multi-agency emergencies.
At the beginning of this work, despite the recognition that there were incident or field level shortfalls in organization and terminology, there was no mention of the need to develop an on the ground incident management system like ICS. Most of the efforts were focused on the multi-agency coordination challenges above the incident or field level. It was not until 1972 when Firefighting Resources of Southern California Organized for Potential Emergencies was formed that this need was recognized and the concept of ICS was first discussed. Also, ICS was originally called Field Command Operations System.
ICS became a national model for command structures at a fire, crime scene, or major incident. ICS was used in New York City at the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. On 1 March 2004, the Department of Homeland Security, in accordance with the passage of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 calling for a standardized approach to incident management among all federal, state, and local agencies, developed the National Incident Management System, which integrates ICS. Additionally, it was mandated that NIMS must be used to manage emergencies to receive federal funding.
The Superfund Amendment and Re-authorization Act title III mandated that all first responders to a hazardous materials emergency must be properly trained and equipped in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.120. This standard represents OSHA's recognition of ICS.
HSPD-5 and thus the National Incident Management System came about as a direct result of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, which created numerous All-Hazard, Mass Casualty, multi-agency incidents.

Jurisdiction and legitimacy

In the United States, ICS has been tested by more than 30 years of emergency and non-emergency applications. All levels of government are required to maintain differing levels of ICS training and private-sector organizations regularly use ICS for management of events. ICS is widespread in use from law enforcement to every-day business, as the basic goals of clear communication, accountability, and the efficient use of resources are common to incident and emergency management as well as daily operations. ICS is mandated by law for all Hazardous Materials responses nationally and for many other emergency operations in most states. In practice, virtually all emergency medical services and disaster response agencies use ICS, in part after the United States Department of Homeland Security mandated the use of ICS for emergency services throughout the United States as a condition for federal preparedness funding. As part of FEMA's National Response Plan, the system was expanded and integrated into the National Incident Management System.
In Canada, the Incident Command System has gained recognition and use within various governmental and emergency response agencies. Canadian authorities have embraced ICS principles as an effective framework for managing incidents and emergencies, ensuring a coordinated and efficient response.
Federal, provincial, and territorial governments in Canada have adopted ICS as a key component of their emergency management strategies. This adoption is driven by the need to establish clear lines of communication, streamline resource allocation, and maintain accountability during critical incidents. Federal agencies such as Public Safety Canada promote the use of ICS to enhance the nation's emergency preparedness and response capabilities. Canada's proximity to the United States has facilitated the exchange of best practices in emergency management, including the adoption of ICS. Cross-border cooperation and training exercises have enabled Canadian agencies to align their incident management practices with those of their American counterparts.
New Zealand has implemented a similar system, known as the Coordinated Incident Management System, Australia has the Australasian Inter-Service Incident Management System and British Columbia, Canada, has BCEMS developed by the Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.
In a 2003 disaster reduction strategy report, a United Nations task force recommended the use of ICS as an international standard for wildfire incidents.
In Brazil, ICS is also used by The Fire Department of the State of Rio de Janeiro and by the Civil Defense of the State of Rio de Janeiro in every emergency or large-scale event.
As of 11 March 2024 in Mexico, the ICS is regulated by a federal norm: NOM-010-SSPC-2019. All municipal, state and federal agencies are obligated by this norm.

Basis

Incidents

Incidents are defined within ICS as unplanned situations necessitating a response. Examples of incidents may include:
  • Cyberattack – a cybersecurity incident, or major information security breach
  • Emergency medical situations
  • Hazardous material spills, releases to the air, and releases to a drinking water supply
  • Hostage crises and active shooter situations.
  • Man-made disasters such as vehicle crashes, industrial accidents, train derailments, or structure fires
  • Natural disasters such as wildfires, flooding, earthquake, hurricane, or tornado
  • Public health incidents, such as disease outbreaks
  • Search-and-rescue operations
  • Technological crisis, e.g. system outages
  • Terrorist attacks
  • Traffic incidents

    Events

Events are defined within ICS as planned situations. Incident command is increasingly applied to events both in emergency management and non-emergency management settings. Examples of events may include:
  • Concerts
  • Parades and other ceremonies
  • Fairs and other gatherings
  • Training exercises

    Key concepts

Unity of command

Each individual participating in the operation reports to only one supervisor. This eliminates the potential for individuals to receive conflicting orders from a variety of supervisors, thus increasing accountability, preventing freelancing, improving the flow of information, helping with the coordination of operational efforts, and enhancing operational safety. This concept is fundamental to the ICS chain of command structure.

Common terminology

Individual response agencies previously developed their protocols separately, and subsequently developed their terminology separately. This can lead to confusion as a word may have a different meaning for each organization.
When different organizations are required to work together, the use of common terminology is an essential element in team cohesion and communications, both internally and with other organizations responding to the incident.
An incident command system promotes the use of a common terminology and has an associated glossary of terms that help bring consistency to position titles, the description of resources and how they can be organized, the type and names of incident facilities, and a host of other subjects. The use of common terminology is most evident in the titles of command roles, such as Incident Commander, Safety Officer or Operations Section Chief.