Incident Management System Operations Manual PDF

Incident Management System Operations Manual **Definitions** - **360- Degree Size up**: Obtaining information about all conditions of an incident from each side of the fire ground or incident response area. - **Area command:** expansion of the incident command function designed to...

Incident Management System Operations Manual **Definitions** - **360- Degree Size up**: Obtaining information about all conditions of an incident from each side of the fire ground or incident response area. - **Area command:** expansion of the incident command function designed to manage a major or complex incident that has the need for additional Command Staff. - **Base:** a. location where personnel coordinate and administer logistic functions for an incident. b. Only one base per incident. c. Staging location for resources prior to entering incident scene on a High-Rise Fire - **Base Area Manager:** designated by Incident Commander to track and deploy resources located at the base. - **Branch:** a. organizational level having functional, geographical, or jurisdictional responsibility for major parts of the incident operations. b. located between Section and Division/Group in Operations. c. Identified by Roman numerals or by functional area. - **Building Construction Types:** a. **Type I** (Fire resistive) non-combustible or limited-combustible materials b. **Type II** (Non-Combustible) non-combustible or limited-combustible materials with less fire resistance ratings than Type 1. c. **Type III** (Ordinary) Exterior walls are non-combustible or limited-combustible materials. Interior elements are entirely or partially wood of smaller dimensions than type IV construction. d. **Type IV** (Heavy Timber) exterior walls made of non-combustible or limited-combustible materials AND interior structural elements/ roofs are made of solid or laminated wood without concealed spaces. e. **Type V** (Wood Frame) all structural elements/ roofs are entirely or partially made of wood. - **CANS Acronym:** a. C-conditions b. A-actions c. N-needs d. S-statement of command name - **CAN Report:** a situational report consisting of the current: a. Conditions b. Actions c. Needs - **Chain of command:** line of authority with the ranks of the Incident Management System. - **Command Officer:** a single unit resource at the rank of EMS Captain or higher. - **Command:** the act of directing, ordering and/or controlling resources by virtue of explicit legal, agency or delegated authority. - **Command Staff:** command staff report directly to the Incident Commander and consist of: a. Liaison Officer b. Public Information Officer c. Safety Officer d. Command Staff Advisors - **Company Officer:** person responsible for a single company (Rescue, Engine, Aerial). Most often a Lieutenant or Operational Captain but is not absolute as this is an assignment of function, not rank. - **Defensive mode:** suppression operations outside the fire structure that use large-capacity fire streams placed between the fire and exposures to prevent fire extension. - **Division:** a. organizational level having responsibility for operations within a defined geographical area. b. Located between the Branch and Unit. - **Division Supervisor:** person responsible for all activity within a division. - **Emergency Evacuation:** used to advise personnel of [imminent danger] which is announced by the dispatcher and can be requested by any company that has an immediate communication that needs to be broadcasted. - **Event Action Plan (EAP):** The EAP is a formal written plan, developed by the sponsoring agency of the event and the responsible municipal, county and State officials which identifies potential emergency conditions at the event site and prescribes procedures to be followed to minimize or prevent loss of life and property. - **NFA Fire Flow Formula:** Length x width / 3 X % involved - **General Staff:** incident personnel organized according to function who report to the Incident Commander or Unified Command. a. Operations Section Chief b. Planning Section Chief c. Logistics Section Chief d. Finance/ Admin Section Chief e. Intelligence/ Investigations Section Chief (If established) - **Group:** a. Established to divide the incident management structure into functional areas of operation. b. Organizationally between the Branch and Unit - **Group Supervisor:** person responsible for all activity within a Group. - **Incident Action Plan (IAP):** an oral or written plan containing the objectives established buy the Incident Commander or Unified Command addressing tactics and support activities during operational period, 12-24 hours. - **Incident Command:** ICS organizational element responsible for overall management of the incident consisting of the Incident Commander or Unified Command and any activated Command Staff. - **Incident Command Post:** a. Field location where primary functions of Incident Command are performed b. Incident Command Post may be co-located with the Incident Base or other incident facilities c. Only one incident Command Post per incident. - **Incident Command System:** 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 has five major functional areas: a. Command b. Operations c. Planning d. Logistics e. Finance/ Administration - **Incident Commander:** position responsible for every phase of the incident and assumes all responsibility for the protection of lives and property at the emergency scene. - **Incident Objectives:** statements of guidance and direction that are specific, measurable, attainable, results oriented, timely for the selection of appropriate strategy and tactical direction of resources. - **Incident Management:** broad spectrum of activities and organizations providing operations, coordination and support applied at all levels of government, using both governmental and nongovernmental resources to plan for, respond to and recover from an incident, regardless of cause, size, or complexity. - **Incident Management Team:** rostered group of ICS-qualified personnel assigned to key ICS positions. - **National Incident Management System (NIMS):** - Systematic, proactive approach to guide all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and private sector to work together to prevent, protect against, mitigate, and respond to and recover from the effects of incidents. - NIMS provides stakeholders across the community shared vocabulary, systems, and processes to successfully deliver the capabilities described in the National Preparedness System. - Provides consistent foundation for incidents ranging from daily occurrences to incidents requiring a coordinated federal response. - **National Preparedness System:** and organized process to achieve the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient Nation. - **NIMS Components:** NIMS is comprised of several components that work together and include: a. Command and management b. Preparedness c. Resource management d. Communications and information management e. Supporting technologies f. Ongoing management and maintenance - **Offensive Mode:** direct action to mitigate the problem. Aggressive fire attack will be used because initial crews believe there is a chance occupants may be inside the structure and conditions may be such that they may still be alive. - **RECEOVS:** acronym used developing strategies at an incident. a. Rescue b. Exposures c. Confinement d. Extinguishment e. Overhaul f. Ventilation g. Salvage - **Section:** a. ICS organizational element having responsibility for a major functional area of incident management (Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/ Administration) b. Section level is organizationally between Incident Command and Branch. - **Span of Control:** number of subordinates a supervisor is responsible for, usually 3 to 7 and optimally 5. - **Staging area:** temporary location for available resources in which personnel, supplies and equipment await operational assignment. - **STEALTH:** acronym used for conclusion of incident and lessons learned. a. Set Time b. Tone c. Execution d. Analyze e. Lessons f. Transfer lessons learned g. High note - **Strategy:** course of action or direction to accomplish incident objectives - **Strike Team:** set number of the SAME kind and type of resources with minimum personnel, common communications, and leader. - **Unified Command:** ICS application used when more than one agency has incident jurisdiction or when incidents cross political jurisdiction. - **Unity of Command:** NIMS guiding principal stating each individual involved reports to and takes direction from only one person. - **Working Fire:** describes a fire that shall require the use of all first alarm units. **ICS Organization** - The Incident Commander has ultimate control and direction of all emergency response resources except when a Unified Command is established - The Incident Commander can activate, consolidate, or delete various positions depending upon the needs of the incident. - ICS is not rank structured and can be filled with whatever positions are best suited for the needs of the individual organization. - ICS system structure develops in a modular fashion based on type and size of incident which is allow for manageable span of control. - Under the Incident Commander are two types of staff position: Command Staff and General Staff - **Command Staff** consist of the Incident Safety Officer (ISO), Public Information Officer (PIO), Liaison Officer and Command Staff Advisors. - **Incident Safety Officers**- monitors safety conditions and develops measures for assuring safety of all personnel. Others will serve as assistant safety officers. - **Public Information Officers**- POC for media or others seeking information. Only 1 per incident. - **Liaison Officers**- coordinates with all the agencies involved in the incident. - **Command Staff Advisors**- appointed technical specialist who serve in an advisory capacity and lack authority to direct incident activities. - **General Staff** consist of 5 possible positions: Operations Section, Planning Section, Logistics Section, Finance/Administration section and Intelligence/Investigation Function. - **Operation Section**- in charge of all resources, conducts tactical operations to carry out plan, develops operational organization and participates in daily planning meetings. - **Planning Section**- responsible for collecting, evaluating, and disseminating tactical information related to the incident and for preparing and documenting Incident Action Plan. (IAPs) - **Logistic Section**- responsible for providing facilities, services, and materials for the incident response. - **Finance/Admin Section**- responsible for all financial, administrative, and cost analysis aspects of the incident. - **Intelligence/ Investigations function**- purpose is to determine the source or cause of the incident, control its impact and/or help prevent the occurrence of similar incidents by collecting, analyzing, and sharing information and intelligence. - Intell/ Investigations function is typically performed by staff in Operations or Planning Sections and may be organized in one of the following ways: a. Command staff as an advisor b. Planning section as a unit c. Operation section as a branch d. Separate General Staff as its own section - Division and groups are established to maintain span of control. - Divisons are physical or geographical areas of operation withing the incident. - **Divison Supervisor** is in charge of the Divison. - Most common way to identify Divisions is by alphabet (Alpha, Bravo) clockwise to the structure. - Divisions identifiers may also be used in high-rise buildings (Divison 1 for floor 1, Division 2 for floor 2) - **Groups** are used to describe functional areas of operation. - Person in charge of a Group is designated as a **Supervisor**. - Groups are normally labeled the job they are assigned (Fire attack group, ventilation group) - Groups will work wherever their assigned task is needed and are not limited geographically. - Once a Group/Divison has been established all units will report to that supervisor and no longer to the Incident Commander. - If number of Groups/Divisons exceed span of control it may be necessary to establish **Branches** within the Operations Section. - Persons in charge of a Branch are called **Directors**. - **Deputies** may also be used at the Branch level. - **Span of control** ratio is 3 to 7 with 5 being Optimal - No one operating under the ICS should have more than five personnel reporting to them if a situation is yet under control. Consolidation or expansion may be necessary. **Organization Chart/ Position Title** Incident Command ------\> Incident Commander Command Staff ------\> Officer Section ------\> Chief Branch ------\> Director Division/Groups ------\> Supervisors Unit ------\> Leader Strike Team/ Task Force ------\> Leader Single Resource ------\> Boss, Leader Technical Specialist ------\> Specialist **[Rules of Engagement]** 1. **[Rapidly conduct, or obtain, a 360-degree size up of the situation]** a. **Objective:** obtain an early 360-degree size up and risk assessment of the fireground to determine the safest approach for tactical operations before firefighters are placed at substantial risk. 2. **[Determine rescue profile]** b. **Objective:** IC to consider fire conditions in relation to possible occupant survival before committing FF's to high-risk operations. 3. **[Conduct]** **[an initial risk assessment and implement a SAFE ACTION PLAN]** c. **Objective:** IC will develop a safe action plan by conducting a size-up, assess the Rescue profile and completing a risk assessment before FF's are placed in high-risk positions on the fireground. 4. **[If there are insufficient resources to safely support and protect FF's a Defensive Mode of operation should]** **[be seriously considered]** d. **Objective:** to prevent the commitment of FF's to high-risk tactical objectives that cannot be accomplished safely due to inadequate resources on scene. 5. **[DO NOT risk FF's lives for property that cannot]** **[be saved, seriously consider a Defensive mode of operation (risk vs. benefit)]** e. **Objective:** prevent commitment of FF's to high-risk search and rescue and/or firefighting operations that may harm them when fire conditions prevent occupant survival, and significant or total destruction of the building is inevitable. 6. **[Extend LIMITED risk to protect SAVABLE property]** f. **Objective**: IC to limit risk exposure to a reasonable, cautions and conservative level when trying to save a building that, following a thorough size up is believed to be savable. 7. **[Extend vigilant and measured risk to protect and rescue SAVABLE lives]** g. **Objective:** IC to manage search and rescue and supporting firefighting operations in a highly calculated, controlled, and cautious manner while remaining alert to changing conditions during high-risk search and rescue operations where lives can be saved. 8. **[Act upon reported unsafe practices and conditions that can harm (stop, evaluate and decide)]** h. **Objective:** prevent members from engaging in unsafe practices or exposure to unsafe conditions that can cause harm. Allow any member to raise an alert about a safety concern without penalty mandating IC and ICS org officers to address question to ensure safe operations. 9. **[Maintain frequent two-way communications and keep interior operating companies informed of changing conditions]** i. **Objective:** IC obtains frequent progress reports, and all interior companies are kept informed of changing fire conditions observed from the exterior by the IC that may affect crew safety. 10. **[Obtain frequent progress reports and revise the action plan]** j. **Objective:** the IC and ICS org officers will obtain frequent progress reports, to continually assess fire conditions and any risk to FF's and to regularly adjust and revise the IAP to maintain safe operations. 11. **[Ensure]** **[accurate accountability of every FF location and status]** k. **Objective:** IC, Chief Officers, and Company Officers will maintain constant and accurate accountability of the location and status of all FFs within their command. 12. **[If after completion of primary search, little or no progress towards fire control has]** **[been achieved, seriously consider a Defensive Mode of operation]** l. **Objective:** cause a benchmark decision point, following completion of the primary search, requiring the IC to consciously determine if it's safe to continue an Offensive Mode of operation where progress in controlling the fire is not being achieved and there are no lives to be saved. 13. **[Always have a RIC in place at all working fires]** m. **Objective:** the IC will have a RIC/RIG in place ready to rescue FFs at all working fires. The IC shall consider the size and complexity of the incident and staff the RIC/RIG per SOG. 14. **[Always have FF rehabilitation services in place at all working fires]** n. **Objective:** ensure all FF's who endured strenuous physical activity at a working fire are rehabbed and medically evaluated for continued duty and before being released from scene. **[Incident command]** - The responsibilities of the IC include gathering and evaluating information relative to preplanning, size-up as well as development and communication of the IAP - Orders and decision-making shall be performed at the lowest level in the organization - The IC has the ability to delegate functional authority but always retain ultimate responsibility for the incident. Functions not delegated remain the responsibility of the IC - The IC shall **DIRECT** available resources to accomplish incident goals - A responsive organization shall be developed to ensure proper incident management by coordination of command, tactical operations and support functions - The IC shall communicate effectively to the organization and assess feedback. Effective communication demands direct orders with task specific directions using terms that are understood by all resources - The IC is responsible for developing an Incident Action Plan and shall measure the overall effectiveness of the IAP. The IC shall continually evaluate the IAP and ensure the operational decisions are correct and properly applied. - The IC shall use all forms of feedback to determine if adjustments are needed throughout the incident. **[Command Presence]** - Command presence is essentially a person presenting themselves as someone in authority, trusted and respected and is critical to successfully overcoming difficult incidents especially early in the incident. - Command presence requires you to convey confidence and self-assuredness before, during and after you go on duty. - Training and preparation are required to acquire the competencies and develop confidence in one's ability to take charge of a scene and resolve a situation quickly and safely. Mastering command presence is a continuous learning process **[Establishing Command]** - The **first arriving unit** shall establish command - The IC position is a function of role, not rank - An incident that is not expected to escalate beyond the commitment of one company does not require the activation of the ICS. Incidents involving two or more companies requires activation of the ICS - If multiple units arrive on scene which none are Chief Officers, the IC defaults to the first due Operational Captain - If the situation evaluation (size-up) allows the IC to enter the IDLH environment, consideration to transferring incident command to an outside company officer should occur prior to entering - If Incident Command has been established and the IC is inside the IDLH, the second arriving Company Officer shall communicate with the IC to confirm assignment or transfer of command - The Incident Command Post (ICP) should be located outside of the incident with two views if possible. The BC's vehicle shall be marked with a green strobe light with the use of the forward or rear mounted radio vs mobile radio to provide greater output - **Functions of Incident Command include:** - **Assumption, confirmation, and position of command** - **Initiate and** **monitor personnel accountability** - **Situation evaluation (size-up)** - **Initiate,** **maintain and control the communication process** - **Developing an Incident Action Plan (IAP)** - Organizational and resource management - Review, Evaluate and Revise the IAP - The IC is responsible for all of these functions. As command is transferred, so is the responsibility for these functions. **The first five functions shall** **be addressed** **immediately** from the initial establishment of command - Chief Officers and Staff Personnel should report directly to a designated location for assignment by the IC - If the incident is NOT escalating or unstable the first arriving Chief Officer may work in an advisory capacity with the IC - The IC shall remain in command until command is transferred, assumed, or terminated **[Assumption of Command]** - Anytime there is a non-collaborative/face to face change of command; it will be considered an assumed command - During radio communications, "assuming command" may also be used anytime there is a transfer of command to acknowledge the transfer **[Transfer of Command]** - The process of moving the responsibility for incident command from one IC to another is called "transfer of command" - The first arriving Chief Officer is expected to assume Incident Command if the incident is escalating or unstable - Incident command can be transferred by radio but face-to-face is the preferred method - The **transfer of command should include** - The mode of operation - The current situation - The current unit locations - The current assignments - What has been done - What is planned - After command has been transferred, the new IC shall notify the command center, all incident personnel - The new incident commander shall initiate (if not already established) and monitor personnel accountability - The ICS form 201 should be used to provide a written record for any incidents that are large scale, long duration or complex - The company officer being relieved by the Chief officer may be reassigned as the incident command aide, operations section chief or planning section chief - The transfer of command should be utilized both as the emergency escalates and in the demobilization phase. **[Communications ]** **Radio procedures** - It is the policy to use clear text and common terminology during all radio communications - No signals or codes shall be used except for purposes of security or confidentiality - Radio transmissions shall follow the military order model - Building sides and exposures shall be identified using phonetic spelling - **Radio discipline should be** **utilized during all IDLH incidents, especially when companies are first entering an IDLH.** - All communications with dispatch shall be done through the incident commander to include request for additional resources, command transfers and situational reports - Individuals/ officers/ supervisors/ directors shall only communicate with dispatch when making emergency radio transmissions - When an assignment is given to a single unit resource the unit ID will be used for all radio transmissions - When a group or division is established, the radio designation for that group/division will be used instead of the unit ID of the group/division supervisor - Personnel (including IC) should "echo back" fireground/ tactical orders to make sure they are understood - All positions in ICS communicate only with those positions directly above or below them in the chain of command except for Emergency Traffic - Anytime a company enters or exits an IDLH they shall notify dispatch, the IC or the person holding their passport. This communication may be done on a TAC channel or face to face - Companies entering and exiting an IDLH environment shall communicate: - Unit ID, location entering or exiting, PAR of number of personnel, assignment, and direction of travel **Additional TAC channels** - 800 MHz radios have limited range inside reinforced structures. Radios unable to communicate inside a building on a repeated TAC channel should switch to a designated fireground simplex channel (14A or 15A) which operates within a 1-mile radius - Dispatch shall be notified before units switch to a fireground simplex channel - IC's may consider requesting additional TAC channels for incident management assignments (base, medical, operations) - When additional alarms are requested, the added units shall respond on their Battalion TAC channel and MDC's then switch to the assigned TAC channel - During a multi-jurisdictional incident, the IC shall verify other agencies have direct communications with incident command by one of the following: - Compatible radio systems, incident command post representative (unified command), disseminate radios, merge companies **[Emergency communications]** - It is the intent of this document that common countywide alert tones to be established for these three emergency communications (emergency traffic, emergency evacuation, Mayday) - The term emergency traffic should be used to advise personnel of imminent danger which is announced by the dispatcher - The term emergency traffic can be requested by any company that has an immediate communication that nees to be broadcasted. Emergency traffic shall then take priority over routine traffic - Dispatch shall use emergency traffic to broadcast information related to the health and safety of units responding to an emergency call - When a company advises of emergency traffic, dispatch shall sound the alert tones and broadcast for all units to stand-by. All routine radio traffic shall cease except for the company that requested the emergency traffic - The term emergency traffic shall be used to advise personnel of imminent danger when communicating an exclusion zone - Once personnel are clear of the imminent danger, the emergency traffic can be released with the term **"emergency traffic, all clear."** Dispatch will then release the TAC channel, and all units can resume normal radio traffic - Dispatch shall log the time emergency traffic started and ended in the incident history - **"Emergency evacuation"** should be used to advise personnel of [imminent danger] requiring the evacuation of the scene or area to an established safe place - Once emergency evacuation has been announced: - Dispatch shall sound the radio alert tones and advise all companies to evacuate the building immediately. This message shall be **repeated** **twice** - Emergency traffic shall be in effect and all routine radio traffic shall cease - Units on scene shall blow their horns intermittently (1-10 seconds blowing, followed by 1-10 seconds of silence) for 50 seconds - All personnel shall immediately evacuate the building or area and report to their supervisor or a pre-designated area - It is the responsibility of the IC to perform a **PAR** - Once all personnel are clear of the scene or area of imminent danger, the emergency evacuation can be released with the term **"Emergency Evacuation, all clear."** - The term **"mayday"** should be used when a firefighter or company is: - Lost, trapped, disoriented, seriously injured, experiencing (or potential of) an air emergency, in need of immediate help - Any fire rescue personnel may use the term "mayday" for themselves or others - If any fire rescue personnel experiences a "mayday" the entire company shall exit the IDLH - If an additional TAC channel is required during the Mayday operation: - The mayday operation shall remain on the original channel and fire suppression, or tactical activities shall switch channels [ **Managing the mayday** ] - **[Incident command responsibilities ]** - The ability to control resources and personnel during a mayday situation may be the most difficult and challenging incident an IC will ever manage. It is critical the IC maintains a strong command presence, composure, self-control, and self-discipline - Once a **"mayday"** is declared the IC shall: call for - **"Emergency traffic"** - Obtain a LUNAR from the mayday Firefighter - Consider an additional alarm - Activate the RIC or RIG - Conduct a PAR, face-to-face is preferred - Restructure incident objectives giving firefighter Rescue a priority - Designate another Chief officer to manage the Mayday, ISO is preferred - Position additional personnel on the exterior of the windows and doors to look and listen for the mayday firefighter - Determine if an additional TAC channel is required - **[Company responsibilities (non-RIC/RIG)]** - Personnel not actively engaged in the Mayday emergency should exercise radio silence. Exceptions are the IC, mayday firefighter, RIC/RIG, RIG supervisor and other companies directly involved in the rescue efforts - Personnel assigned to other tasks shall overcome the desire to get involved in the rescue of the mayday firefighter - **[Firefighter who declares "mayday" responsibilities]** - Once a "mayday" is recognized it shall be declared, the firefighter shall: - Activate the orange emergency button on the portable radio (push and hold button for 4 seconds). The orange emergency button activation sends an emergency alert to all communication center consoles and initiates 20 seconds of an open mic - Announce **"[mayday, mayday, mayday]"** on the TAC channel and report a LUNAR - Location - Unit - Name - Air - Resources - Manually activate their pass device - The pass device should remain on until the Mayday firefighter is located by the RIC/RIG - If the pass device interferes with communications, the pass device may be turned off temporarily and manually reactivated once communication is completed - Attempt to self-rescue **[Terminology for reporting fire conditions]** The following terms will be utilized to describe incident conditions: - **Nothing showing**- this designation shall be used for situations in which no signs of smoke or fire are present - **Smoke showing**- this designation shall be used for situations in which smoke is visible, and should be additionally defined as light, moderate or heavy - **Flames showing**- this designation shall be used for situations in which flames are visible, and should be additionally defined as to the extent of the fire and its location - **Working fire**- this designation describes a fire that shall require the use of all of the first alarm units **[Benchmarks ]** - **Primary complete, all clear** indicates the primary search is completed and no victims have been found - **Secondary complete, all clear:** indicates the secondary search is completed and no victims have been found - **Water on the** **fire:** indicates the company has found the seat of the fire and is applying water to confine and extinguish the fire - **Fire under** **control:** indicates the fire attack company has confined the fire, eliminated further fire extension, and protected any threatened exposures - **Fire out:** indicates overhaul operations are complete **[Modes of operation ]** - The mode of operation is defined by the strategy and tactics and represents the tempo of the scene. After the 360-degree size-up is completed, the appropriate mode of operation shall be chosen - An offensive mode of operation shall be assumed unless otherwise announced by the incident commander - The incident commander **shall** clearly communicate any defensive mode of operation to all personnel - Any change between modes of operation shall be clearly communicated to all on scene personnel. This period of time is the most dangerous times of the incident - The **three recognized modes of operation** are: Investigating, offensive mode, defensive mode - The investigating mode of operation indicates there is no indication to the nature or extent of the problem - The announcement of investigating shall cue all other responding units to proceed to level 1 staging - Offensive mode is an advance into the building by firefighters with hose lines or other extinguishing agents to overpower the fire - Offensive mode should be used when there is an indication of a salvageable life and there is no evidence of imminent structural failure or a hostile fire event - **Time frame**- contemporary strategies use a 10-minute time frame for companies operating interior under [marginal] conditions. The 10-minute time frame is based on how long a building will stay together; victim can survive, and firefighter's air supply will last when working - If there are still marginal conditions after 10 minutes of interior operations, consider switching to a defensive mode of operation and withdrawing all interior personnel. The 10-minute time frame includes: dispatch notification, response time and deployment - All fire-rescue personnel shall follow Personnel Accountability and Two in-two out rule - When switching from an offensive operation to a defensive operation the IC should announce **"emergency traffic."** The IC shall announce the mode of operation change to a defensive mode and emergency traffic shall remain in effect until PARs are completed ensuring all personnel are out of the structure **[Exterior water application during offensive mode]** - Initial of water into a fire compartment can dramatically reduce heat within the flow path, improve occupant survival and create safer interior supppresion conditions - The initial application of water from the exterior during an Offensive mode is NOT intended to extinguish the fire, but rather to cool the fire compartment - The hose line should NOT have to be repositioned during exterior water application - The water application shall be deliberate and controlled not to cause over-pressurization of the fire compartment and decrease the chance of survivability - The water application should be directly into the fire compartment, a solid or straight stream without movement of the nozzle, directed into the ceiling for no longer than 15 seconds - Defensive mode is conducting suppression operations outside the fire structure using large-capacity fire streams placed between the fire and the exposures to prevent fire extension - The IC should select a defensive mode of operation when conditions have advanced to the point where there is no chance to save a life. Little chance of saving property or insufficient resources available to implement and sustain an offensive mode of operation - Ground monitors or mounted deck guns offer the greatest flow and safety to firefighters - Ground monitors can be left unattended in a collapse zone - Elevated streams may be utilized when the building is considered a loss, and large volumes of water is required. When elevated streams are deployed, personnel shall NOT operate inside the structure **[Arrival report]** The first arriving unit shall provide an arrival report which consist of **CANS**; condition, actions, needs, statement. - Conditions- describe the current conditions visible form the cab of the vehicle - Actions- what immediate action the company is going to perform - Needs- what additional resources are needed that are not in the initial alarm assignment - Statement- state the incident command name, location, and mode. Offensive mode is assumed, but defensive mode shall be declared - Use the phonetic alphabet when identifying the different sides of the structure **[Progress reports]** - Progress reports will occur with greater frequency in the pilot stages of an incident, typically every 5 to 10 minutes or as major parts of the job are completed - An incident commander may request progress reports on a periodic basis, if reports are not given by personnel under their command - Each firefighter on scene is responsible for noting pertinent changing conditions to the IC so strategies can be modified - Dispatch shall announce benchmarks every 10 minutes to assist the IC with time-tracking - It is recommended that the IC give a progress report at each 10-minute benchmark - The progress report should include **CAN** information (conditions, actions, needs) - Progress reports should briefly detail where and what actions are being undertaken and have been completed - Company officers shall communicate when assignments have been completed, assignments are unable to be completed, or additional resources are required to complete an assignment - To be effective, progress reports need to be timely, complete, and concise **[Command Sequence]** - Highly dynamic situations require sound, organized thinking. The ICS is designed to control personnel, facilities, equipment, and communications throughout an incident. - The command sequence is a logical process to guide the IC to: - Gather and analyze information - Set objectives - Prioritize problems - Define solutions - Select strategy and tactics to control and mitigate the incident - The control sequence consists of: - Incident priorities - Situation evaluation (size-up) - Development of an IAP - Strategic mode of operation - Tactical priorities (RECEVOS) - Scene control - Tasks - Evaluating the IAP - Demobilization - Termination **[Incident priorities]** - At every incident, the IC is responsible for four incident priorities: - **Life safety**- life safety is always the first priority for all firefighters. The IC shall ensure the safety of all civilians, while providing for the safety of firefighters and other emergency personnel - **Incident stabilization**- the IC shall determine a course of action that will minimize the effect that the incident will have on the surrounding area and maximize the response effort while using resources efficiently - **Property conservation**- the IC shall maximize property conservation during salvage, overhaul, and mop-up operations in order to secure all property against further damage - **Evidence preservation**- the IC shall determine if an incident meets the provisions that require evidence preservation **[Situation evaluation (size-up)]** - Size-up is a systematic process consisting of rapid, yet deliberate consideration of incident factors which leads to the development of an incident action plan based on critical incident factors. - Critical incident factors - [**BELOW** (for initial situation evaluation/ size-up)] - **B-** building construction - **E-** extent/location of fire - **L-** life safety - **O-** occupancy - **W-** water supply - [**COAL WAS WEALTH** (for ongoing fire-ground operations)] - **C-** construction **W-** water supply **W-** weather - **O-** occupancy **A-** apparatus/personnel **E-** exposures - **A-** area of fire **S-** street conditions **A-** auxiliary appliances - **L-** life safety **L-** location/extent of fire **[Risk assessment]** - The IC should conduct a 360-degree size-up which shall include a risk assessment to determine the safest approach to operations. The IC must consider hazardous conditions in relation to possible occupant survivalbility before committing firefighters to high-risk rescue operations - Risk benefit analysis include: - Do not risk firefighter lives, for lives or property that cannot be saved - Extend vigilant and measured risk to protect and rescue lives - Extend limited risk to protect savable property - The **Aldridge-Benge** firefighter safety act became law December 13, 2009, in honor of Orange County firefighters who died in 1989 after the truss roof of a gift shop collapsed - The state of Florida requires signage placed on the exterior of the building indicating truss roof and/or truss floor construction - The law requires any commercial, industrial or any multi-unit residential structure with three or more units that uses light-frame trusses to mark the structure with a sign or symbol **[Lightweight construction ]** - A floor built with lightweight construction becomes unstable after being exposed to fire for 3 minutes - Firefighters must focus on the **[loss of mass]** as the combined effects of lightweight construction components are worse than gusset plates **[Developing the IAP]** - After the size-up, the IC develops an IAP based on incident priorities - The IAP reflects the objectives of the overall incident strategy, tactics, risk management and member safety - Ther are two major components to the IAP: - Determination of the appropriate strategy to mitigate an incident - Development of of tactics to execute the strategy - Strategies are general and equivalent to goals - Tactics are specific and measurable, and the objectives used to meet the goals - In smaller incidents the IAP may be a mental notion while on larger incidents a formal written IAP shall be necessary and written by the Planning section Chief - The IC is responsible for for the development of the IAP and shall make sure personnel on the incident are knowledgeable of their assignments - The IC shall select the appropriate goals to: - Command the overall incident - Establish major objectives - Set priorities - Allocate resources - Predict outcomes - Determine the strategic mode of operations (offensive or defensive) - Assign specific tactical priorities - The IAP contains incident objectives reflecting the overall incident strategy and specific tactical action and supporting information for the next tactical period - Written IAP's for expanding large scale incidents, the plan may have a number of attachments including incident objectives, org assignment list, division assignment, comms plan, medical plan, safety plan - Written IAP's are always prepared around a timeframe called an operational period. Operational periods typically last 12 hours but should be no longer than 24 hours. **[Tactical priorities ]** - Tactical priorities provide a list and an order of priority for dealing with the most important critical concerns at the incident - The IC should prioritize available resources to accomplish **Rescue** **Exposures** **Confine** **Extinguishment** **Overhaul** **---------------------** **Ventilation** **Salvage** - These tactical priorities are incident dependent and do not have to take place in any specific order. Although **RESCUE** has the highest priority, the best course of action may be to extinguish the fire and control the vent in order to accomplish the rescue - Rapid extinguishment eliminates or reduces the need for Rescue, Exposure, and confinement priorities. The priority order becomes important when rapid extinguishment is not feasible - Tactical priorities may be modified for incidents such as hazardous materials release or wildland fires **[Task]** - Tactical priorities are subdivided into tasks and assigned to companies. Task are specific assignments performed by one company or a small number of companies working together (establishing a water supply, advancing a hose line to the seat of the fire, primary search) - The IC must prioritize assignments based on the available resources and assign them as resources arrive or become available. The IC may combine task (fire attack and primary search) to protect firefighters as they achieve the current tactical priority (rescue) **[Tactical priorities] RECEOVS** **Rescue** - Rescue is the removal of civilians from an IDLH to a place of safety - The IC and operating units must be aware that the highest incident priority is life safety, and the highest tactical priority is rescue until the primary search task is completed - When there is an indication of a salvageable life and there is no evidence of imminent structural failure or a hostile fire event, resources should be assigned to the tactical priority or Rescue. When these conditions exist, Rescue shall take priority over Extinghuishment - A salvageable life is defined as a person known to be in the structure with conditions tenable for a person without protective gear - Primary search shall NOT be conducted in fully involved structures since survival of occupants is improbable - A calculated risk may be taken to perform primary search when there is no evidence of imminent structural failure or hostile fire event, to verify no victims are present, but history has shown that bystander information is many times inaccurate - Based on the conditions the first arriving rescue may need to be teamed up with the first arriving engine to perform the tactical priority of Rescue. - A TIC should be used to direct search and rescue and fire attack. **Primary search** - A Primary search is a rapid search for possible victims - It is the responsibility of the IC, primary search is performed - When performing Primary search, firefighters should search the areas based on: - Location of reported victims - Most severely threatened area - Largest number of victims (groups) - Remainder of the fire area - Exposed areas - When performing primary search, firefighters should shut the doors of uninvolved rooms to: - Minimize smoke damage - Enhance property conservation - Assist with confinement **Secondary search** - A secondary search of the structure should be performed when conditions permit - A secondary search is more thorough and methodical than a primary search, ensuring all victims have been located. - When feasible, a different company should be used to conduct the secondary search - When secondary search personnel encounter a victim, they must notify command via radio and report their location and number of victims - Victims that are obviously deceased due to fire should not be disturbed or moved **[Exposure ]** - Exposure protection is utilized to keep any property not involved in the fire from being involved. Examples of exposure are: - Buildings near the fire building - Buildings attached to the fire building - Areas near the fire, but protected by firewalls or divisions - Areas that may be threatened by flying brands, heat, or toxic gases - The IC shall prioritize which exposures should be protected first. Factors that influence potential exposures are distance, radiant heat, and wind - Buildings up to 30 feet from the fire are classified as an exposure - The tactical priority of Exposure control generally requires: - Initial exposure hose lines with a 2 ½ hose line flowing a minimum of 200 GPM - Exposure protection with ground monitors or mounted deck guns - Exposures should be identified as exposure side Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, or Delta **[Confinement]** - Confinement is intended to stop the progress of a fire - Examples of when confinement may be used include - As a method of preventing fires from extending into unburned portions of a structure - To provide time to conduct a rescue - To protect ext stairways and corridors so civilians may be safely removed **[Extinguishment]** - Extinguishment is intended to bring the fire under control by reducing the temperature of burning materials below their ignition temperature and stopping combustion. Succesful extinguishment requires water (GPM) applied at a greater rate than the combustion process can produce BTU's, heat - To determine needed fire flow, use the NFA formula (National Fire Academy Needed Fire Flow (NFF) formula: [ ] - [L x W] x % involved = NFF [ ] 3 - [30' x 80'] x 25% involved = NFF 3 - 800 GPMx 25% (.25) =200 GPM - This formula can also be used for multiple floors such as a high-rise structure by determining the Needed Fire Flow for the same structure (30'x80') divided by 3 with 25% involvement on two floors: 200 GPM x 2 floors = 400 GPM - Where a life hazard is present, the first hose line is stretched and **operated** as quickly as possible **between the fire and the means of escape.** The objective is retrieval and removal of victims (not fire attack/extinguishment) - The tactical priority of extinguishment requires: - Most initial fires can be controlled with 1 ¾" hose line flowing a minimum of 150 GPM - Larger fires (extend beyond room of origin) may be controlled with 2 ½" hose line flowing a minimum of 200 GPM - Often the initial fire attack hose line shall have the most impact on the outcome of the incident - The IC shall ensure the back-up hose line is the same size, length, and capability as the Fire attack hose line and is to protect firefighters performing fire attack, NOT a secondary attack line **[Overhaul]** - Overhaul is an action taken to expose hidden fire and to assure complete extinguishment - Overhaul should follow the incident priorities of Life safety, incident stabilization, property conservation, and evidence preservation - Overhaul should include total extinguishment of all smoldering fires and checking for and extinguishing all hidden fires and extension - A TIC should be used during overhaul - Attic spaces with blown-in cellulose insulation presents a major rekindle hazard and should be checked thoroughly - Mattresses and over-stuffed furnishings exposed to fire should be removed from structures completely **[Ventilation ]** - Ventilation is designed to remove the products of combustion from a fire area and allow cool, fresh air to enter - Effective ventilation can improve survival chances for occupants and improved conditions for firefighters to enter and operate inside structures - When operating at ventilation-limited fires, controlling the door, and coordinating ventilation with water application are vital to controlling the flow path early in suppression operations - Ventilation **MUST** be coordinated with Fire Attack operations **[Salvage]** - Salvage is the tactical priority of protecting property from damage and can be placed when appropriate and is often performed in parallel with other tactical priorities - Basic salvage principles include minimizing damage to buildings and contents caused by fire, smoke, water, or firefighting operations **Scene control** **[Accountability]** - the IC will always account for all units/personnel. The Passport accountability system shall be utilized anytime two or more units are assigned to an IDLH incident **[Staging ]** - Level 1 staging - Level 1 staging allows responding units to identify and declare an appropriate staging location, based on the type of incident, so resources are ready for immediate deployment - Level 1 staging is located at a development entrance or several streets away from the incident - Level 1 staging shall be utilized on all multiple company responses - Upon arrival in level 1 staging, responding units shall announce to dispatch their arrival and staging location - Units shall remain in level 1 staging until directed by the IC or dispatch **[Level 2 staging]** - Level 2 staging is a formal process directed by the IC or Operations section chief where units are assigned in anticipation of future deployments - Level 2 staging is located several blocks away from the incident - Level 2 staging should be of sufficient size for all anticipated units (large parking lots) - It takes approximately 8 parking spaces for each fire apparatus - Level 2 staging area layout shall have adequate access routes, egress routes, and traffic flow patterns - Level 2 staging should be established on the following incidents - Multiple alarm incidents - MCI incidents that are level 2 or greater - Aircraft incidents that are Alert 3 index or greater - Any other incident where coordinated placement of multiple resources should receive supervised assistance - Personnel responding to fulfill Incident command and general staff positions shall report directly to the IC, not level 2 staging **[Staging area identification]** - Staging areas can be identified simply as "staging" when only one staging area has been designated - When two or more staging areas are used then can be identified by function or location (EMS staging, Walmart staging) **[High-rise incidents ]** - Staging in a high-rise incident should be two floors below the fire. This is the area where resources and equipment are staged prior to entering the fire floor - Base is the term for the staging of resources prior to entering the incident scene **[Scene security ]** - The IC shall ensure the incident scene remains secure for the protection of firefighters and civilians and will use law enforcement to assist in this function - To effectively implement scene control, the IC shall evaluate the incident area quickly and accurately to determine the perimeter boundaries **[Perimeter]** - The perimeter is the most distant control point or boundary of the incident and is used to restrict all public access to the incident - When initially determining the perimeter boundaries, it is better to overestimate the size than underestimate. It is easier to reduce the footprint than attempt to expand the perimeter once it's been established and push the public and media back. **[Terrorism, active shooter]** - Responders may not initially realize they are at the scene of a terror attack and terrorist may still be lurking. Once recognized, responders should - Be mindful of secondary devices - Be alert for actions against responders - Implement PPE measures (including SCBA use) - Use extreme caution prior to initiating any tactical actions - Preserve evidence and always maintain a high level of situational awareness **[Hazardous materials]** - Hazmat incidents emcompasses a wide variety of potential situations including - CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive) - Due to the extreme lethality of CBRNE incidents, specialized response procedures and specially trained personnel shall be required to mitigate them - A thorough understanding of the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and Hazmat are required to manage CBRNE incidents - Initial actions at CBRNE incidents firefighters must use the ERG and WISER - Firefighters must remain familiar with the DOT ERG and WISER is an application by the National Institue of Health (NIH) available on smart phones **[Control zones]** - The IC should establish control zones on all incidents: - Exclusion zone- any area where risk outweigh the benefit - Hot zone- any area with high risk - Warm zone- any area with little risk - Cold zone- any area with no risk **[Initial isolation zone]** - Decision-making is based on potential to harm life, potential to harm critical systems, and potential to harm property - The IC shall identify the initial isolation zone around the hazard based on information provided by the ERG or WISER. The initial isolation zone becomes the Hot Zone when the product is confirmed and confirmed distances - An unknown hazard, Guide 111, the ERG recommends an initial isolation zone of 100 meters (330) in all directions - Monitoring is the only way to detect the presence of radiation. The use of appropriate detection equipment is essential in determining the initial isolation zone. Monitoring for radioactive materials at a bombing event should always be done **[Protective Action Zone]** - A downwind protective action zone shall be identified and evaluated to determine if victims within this area should be [evacuated or protected in place]. Law enforcement and the reverse 911 system should be utilized to rapidly alert potential victims and secure the protective action zone **[Evacuation ]** - Evacuating the public from danger is a decision that indicates the public is at greater risk by remaining near an incident - The IC should determine the civilian danger as estimated by a risk assessment. Identify the availability of resources necessary to evacuate the affected population. Availability of resources needed to notify the public and provide instructions before and during the evacuation. Identify safe evacuation routes and shelters - LE agencies should control all evacuation routes and provide security at destination points, so they do not become targets for terrorist - Alternative shelters and evacuation routes in case others become endangered - Anticipate delays with evacuations, consider contacting Emergency Management to assist with shelters and evacuations **[Protected in place]** - Involves the affected population to remain in the confines of the shelter they currently occupy - Protect in place is based on the risk assessment of the incident - Best decisions to have public protect in place during airborne chemical hazards, line-of-sight exposures, explosives **[Evaluating the IAP]** - The IC shall constantly evaluate if the appropriate strategy and tactics are meeting the IAP. - The IC shall perform a situation evaluation (size-up) and the effectiveness of the IAP at least every 10 mins and shall continually monitor and adjust throughout the incident **[Demobilization ]** - Demobilization involves the release and return of resources that are no longer required for the support of an incident and may occur during or after the incident is over - Demobilization of individual assets may occur at widely varying times with some early in the response if objectives have been met - Incident command should be terminated when the incident has deescalated where all units have returned to service **[After action review ]** - An AAR is an analysis of the events that transpired during the incident and a review of the actions used to mitigate it - The AAR should be done in a constructive manner and should also take time to recognize exceptional performance - The goals of the AAR are to - Identify and disseminate all critical lessons learned - Provide personnel with the impact their actions had on the outcome of the incident - Identify trends and patterns to prevent errors from occurring - Serve as a catalyst for revising SOG's, Policies and Protocols - Identify additional or remedial training - Improve safety, performance, and customer service - PBCFR categorizes AARs into 3 types - Informal Debriefing AAR - Informal Battalion AAR - Formal AAR - **[Informal debriefing AAR]** - May be held at the tailboard or fire station - May not be possible or desirable to conduct on scene - May be conducted after returning to quarters - CO may request for units to be placed out of service - The informal debriefing AAR should: - Be held as soon as possible after the incident - Be handled at the company level - Moderated by the Company or Chief Officer involved in the incident - Consist of a simple discussion of company actions and outcomes - **[Informal Battalion AAR]** - May be held at the fire station or Battalion HQ - Company officers may request units to be placed out of service - The informal Battalion AAR should: - Be held within a few shifts or immediately after the incident - Be handled at the company or chief officer level - Be moderated by the company or chief officer involved in the incident - Consist of an in-depth discussion of actions and outcomes - **[Formal AAR]** - May be held at the Battalion HQ or Fire Rescue HQ - All critical personnel involved should be placed out of service - Personnel shall be notified of date, time and location at least 1 shift prior to scheduled formal AAR - Non-operational personnel should be invited to the formal AAR to include: - Dispatch, law enforcement, administration, outside agencies - Prior to the AAR, the appropriate CQI officer and IC shall review the: - WAV file - Incident chronology - Incident report - Investigators report - FIRE or EMS CQI questionnaires - Videos and photos - The Formal AAR should: - Be scheduled as soon as all the information is reviewed, 30-90 days after the incident - Handled by the appropriate CQI officer or Chief officer - Moderated by the CQI officer or IC - Consist of detailed review and analysis of the incident - **[Follow-up]** - Documentation and follow-up actions, parties responsible for the follow-up and timelines for completion. Assure all identified recommendations are carried out with established timelines. The final report of incident analysis including lessons learned, pictures and WAV files included in the STEALTH report - **[STEALTH]** reports should be utilized on incidents to transfer lessons learned - **Set time:** determine specific time and location for debriefing within a few shifts if possible - **Tone:** nameless and rankless debriefings. Moderator will lead debriefings - **Execution vs** **objectives:** were they clear, measurable and did we execute properly and meet all of the objectives - **Analyze:** determine the causes of successes and errors in execution, identify system issues, root causes - **Lessons learned:** pick several errors and reinforce them as lessons learned for future incidents - **Transfer lessons learned:** communicate lessons learned to the entire department to accelerate the experience of the entire organization to improve future execution - **High note:** positive summation, admitting errors and highlighting successes. Ending with an optimistic outlook **[Public information systems]** - Systems and protocols for communicating timely and accurate information to the public are critical during crisis or emergency situations - The PIO supports incident command by handling - Media and public inquiries - Media monitoring - Rumor monitoring and response - Emergency public information and warnings - Functions required to disseminate accurate and timely information related to public health and safety - The PIO is also responsible for coordinating public information at or near the incident site and serving as the on-scene link to the joint information system **[Joint information system]** - In a large-scale operation the PIO serves with links to the Joint information center co-located with Federal, state, regional or tribal EOC. The JIS provides the mechanism for integrating public information among JIC's, across jurisdictions, and with private-sector and non-gmo's - The JIC provides timely and accurate information to the public during a crisis - A JIC is a physical location where public affairs professionals co-locate for coordinating and disseminating official information **[Emergency management plans]** **[Comprehensive emergency management plan]** - The CEMP establishes the framework to ensure PBC will be adequately prepared to respond to, and recover from, any hazards that threaten the lives and property of residents and visitors of PBC - CEMP outlines the responsibilities and coordination mechanisms of county agencies, municipalities, constitutional officers, other taxing districts, non-gmo's and private sector in a disaster **[Hazard specific plans]** - A formal written plan for specific threatening hazards that identifies potential emergency conditions and procedures to be followed to minimize or prevent loss of life and property damage - The local mitigation strategy identified 12 hazards most likely to affect PBC - **Natural hazards** - Severe weather - Floods - Agricultural pests and diseases - Fire - Communicable diseases - **Technological hazards** - Transportation incidents - Hazmat - Nuclear power plants - Dike failure - **Human-caused hazards** - Domestic security - Workplace/school violence - Mass migration **Incident support plan** - ISP support the response to emergencies and disasters that augment the procedures outlined within HSP's and other plans - Mass fatality/mass casualty incident plan - Gen pop shelter procedures - Continuity of operations plan **Event action plan** - The EAP is a short-written plan for special or campaign events that identifies potential emergency conditions and prescribes procedures to minimize or prevent loss of life or property damage - Involves crowds of 10,000 or more in a defined geographical area where access by emergency vehicles might be delayed due to crowds or congestions - Every EAP is tailored to site-specific conditions **[Multi-agency coordination systems]** - MACS are part of the US standardized ICS - Provides the basic architecture for facilitating the allocation of resources, incident prioritization, coordination, and integration of multiple agencies for large, complex incidents - The PBC EOC serves as the primary MACC for the county **[Emergency operations center ]** - EOC's represent the physical location at which the coordination of information and resources to support on-scene incident management activities **[Emergency operation area]** - PBC is divided into 6 geographic areas - The EOA's are field command post under the direction and control of the EOC that utilize an area command structure - The role of the EOA is to provide communication and resource coordination between: - The EOC - Municipalities - Other governmental agencies - Non-profit orgs - The public **[Incident management teams]** - The USFA has established 5 levels of incident management teams - Type 5- type 1 - **Local or regional** (type 4 or 5) - Single and /or multi-agency team for expanded incidents typically formed and managed by a city, county, or pre-determined regional entity - **7-10** trained personnel that responds to incidents and typically contained within one operational period - May be utilized for major structure fires, hazmat incidents, special and campaign events, armed robbery operations - May initially manage large, complex incidents prior to arrival of all-hazard type 1 or 2 - **All-hazard** (type 3) IMT - Multi-agency/multi-jurisdiction team for extended incidents managed at the state, regional or metropolitan level - **10-35** trained personnel to support incidents that extend beyond one operational period - Large, complex incidents requiring significant resources that extend into multiple operational periods and require a written IAP - May be utilized for a tornado touchdown incident, earthquake, flood incident, multi-day hostage/standoff, planned mass-gatherings such as festivals, political rallies - **Type 2 IMT** - Self-contained, all-hazard or wildland team recognized at the national or state level - **20-35** team to manage incidents of regional significance requiring a large number of local, state, regional and national resources - Incidents where operations section personnel approach 200 per operational period and total personnel approach 500 - Several dozen type 2 IMT's exist and operate through the US Forest Service - **Type 1 IMT** - Self-contained, all-hazard or wildland team recognized at the national or state level - **35-50** personnel to manage incidents of national significance - Incidents where operations section personnel approach 500 per operational period and total personnel approach 1000 - 18 type 1 IMTs exist and operate through the US forest service **[Area command]** - Activated only if necessary, depending on the complexity of the incident and span-of-control considerations - An agency administrator or other public officials with jurisdictional responsibilities make the decision to establish area command - Oversee the management of multiple incidents being handled by separate ICS organizations - Used when there are a number of incidents in the same area and of the same type: - Hazardous materials incidents - Oil spills - Wildland fires - If the incidents under the authority of the area commander are multi-jurisdictional then a unified area command should be established - An area command oversees management of the incident while an EOC coordinates support functions and provides resources support