Incident Command Professional Qualifications, Development, and Standards PDF

Section I Fundamentals of Incident Command Incident Command Professional Qualifications, Development, and Standards  \"The fire officer faces a broad range of challenges in the performance of their duties from the I fire house to the incident scene. Many of the variable...

Section I Fundamentals of Incident Command Incident Command Professional Qualifications, Development, and Standards  \"The fire officer faces a broad range of challenges in the performance of their duties from the I fire house to the incident scene. Many of the variables to these challenges are local, such as culture, resources, organizational makeup, and even building construction. While there are differences in performance and action at a local level, there are clear and consistent national standards and professional qualifications to hold these positions. It is critical that organiza­ tions and officers can demonstrate awareness and competence of national guidance not only to comply, but to have the confidence that your department or personal standards meets or exceeds them. As a text of incident command for fire officers, the content of this book will match or sup­ port the various national standards, rules, and regulations regarding performance of duties for command officers or conduct of command on incident scenes. The term *professional* in the text is not intended to exclude volunteers or indicate a connection to career or compensation. The definition of the term professional within these pages is one who engages in a pursuit pro­ fessionally and conforms to technical and ethical standards. Professional Qualifications *National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1021: Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifi­* *cations* defines four levels of fire officer. It is generally accepted that Fire Officer I and Fire Offi­ cer II are company officers and Fire Officer III and Fire Officer IV are chief officers.^1^ During the 1997 revision process, NFPA established clear job performance requirements (JPRs) for certification to each level of fire officer. In the 2009 revision, in an effort by NFPA to clarify that qualification must be continually demonstrated, the term certification was removed and was replaced by qualification. To support this, the 2009 standard was the first edition to add a skill maintenance requirement. Today (2020 edition of NFPA 1021) NFPA has eight areas of fire officer duties with associated JPRs: 1. General 2. Human resource management 3. Community and government relations 4. Administration 5. Inspection and investigation 6. Emergency services delivery 7. Health and safety 8. Emergency management From NFPA 1021, these areas and JPRs are 'intended to assist the users of the standard with the implementation of the requirements and development of training programs."^2^ The concen­ tration of this text is incident command, and the NFPA requirements in the areas of emergency services delivery and emergency management have been implemented into the text to provide specific job performance demonstration and ongoing skill maintenance training for organi­ zations or individuals. Throughout the text you will find collar brass icons associated with each of the fire officer levels. These icons will identify sections of the text or simulations that connect to the qualifying JPRs. NF PA 1021: Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications for Emergency Services Delivery^3^ 4.6 Supervising emergency operations and deploying assigned resources in accordance with local emergency plan. ♦ 4.6.1 Develop initial action plan, given size-up information for an incident and assigned emergency response resources, so that resources are deployed to control the emergency. ♦ 4.6.2 Implement an action plan at an emergency operation given assigned resources, type of incident, and preliminary plan so that resources are deployed to mitigate the situation. ♦ 4.6.3 Develop and conduct a post-incident analysis given a single unit incident and post-incident analysis policies, procedures, and forms so that all required critical elements are identified and communicated, and the approved forms are completed and processed in accordance with policies and procedures.  5.6 This duty involves supervising multi-unit emergency operations, conducting pre-incident planning, and deploying assigned resources. ♦ 5.6.1 Produce operational plans, given an emergency incident requiring multi-unit operations; the current editions of NFPA 1600,1700,1710, and 1720; and authority having jurisdiction (AHJ)-approved safety procedures so that resources and their assignments are obtained and plans carried out in compliance with NFPA 1600 and approved safety procedures, resulting in the mitigation of the incident. ♦ 5.6.2 Develop and conduct a post-incident analysis given a multi-unit incident and post-incident analysis policies, procedures, and forms so that all required critical elements are identified and communicated, and the approved forms are completed and processed in accordance with policies and procedures. ♦ 5.6.3 Prepare a written report, given incident reporting data from the jurisdiction, so that major causes for fire service demands are identified for various planning areas within the service area of the organization. 6.6 This duty involves managing multi-agency planning, deployment, and operations. ♦ 6.6.1 Prepare an action plan given an emergency incident requiring multiple agency operations so that the required resources are determined and the resources are assigned and placed to mitigate the incident ♦ 6.6.2 Develop and conduct a post-incident analysis given a multi-agency incident and post-incident analysis policies, procedures, and forms so that all required critical elements are identified and communicated, and the approved forms are completed ♦ 6.6.3 Develop a plan for the organization given an unmet need for resources that  7.6 This duty involves developing plans for major disasters. ♦ 7.6.1 Develop a comprehensive disaster plan that integrates other agencies resources ♦ 7.6.2 Develop a comprehensive plan given data, so that the agency operates at a NFPA 1021: Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications for Emergency Management^4^ 6.8 This duty involves polices, procedures, and programs for the role of the fire service in the community's emergency management plan and the roles of local, state/provincial, and national emergency management agencies. ♦ 6.8.1 Develop a plan for the integration of fire services resources in the community's Professional Development Since the publication of *America Burning* and the National Fire Protection and Control Act of 1974, the professionalization of the American fire service regarding education and training has been a priority at the federal level. In the modern era, professional development has advanced to include higher education. When the National Fire Academy established the FESHE model, they intended to create a consistent path and curriculum for the fire service and higher edu­ cation institutions to work together on professional development degree programs. Within the National Fire Academy Professional Development Model, the transition from purely certificate-based education to blending higher education begins at the Fire Officer I level. The FESHE model provides curriculum guidance to include course outcomes, objectives, out­ lines, and references for the discipline-specific courses for Fire and Emergency Services associ­ ate's, bachelor's, and graduate degree programs. The content of this text supports the outcomes, objectives, and outlines for the FESHE associate's degree Strategy and Tactics (C0279) course. FESHE Strategy and Tactics (C0279)^5^ Description Provide principles of fireground control through utilization of personnel, equipment, and extin­ guishing agents. Outcomes 1. Discuss fire behavior as it relates to strategies and tactics. 2. Explain the main components of pre-fire planning, and identify steps needed for a pre-fire plan review. 3. Identify the basics of building construction and how they interrelate to pre-fire planning, strategy and tactics. 4. Describe the steps taken during size-up using the FPODP model. 5. Examine the significance of fireground communication. 6. Identify the roles of the Incident Management System as it relates to strategy and tactics. 7. Demonstrate the various roles and responsibilities in ICS/IMS. Objectives 1\. Create a strategy and implement appropriate tactics. 2\. Possess a working knowledge and execution of IMS at the incident. In Appendix D, a detailed FESHE curriculum model for Strategy and Tactics (C0279) is pro­ vided to include page numbers, sections, and simulations that directly connect to the course outcomes, objectives, and outlines. This serves as an additional tool for both implementation and validation for the individual, organization, or institution utilizing this text as a compo­ nent of professional development for the fire officer. Professional Standards The first two sections of this chapter concentrated on professional qualifications and devel­ opment of the individual. For this section, the focus shifts to professional standards and expec­ tations associated with the practice and operations of incident command and incident management. As the first chapter demonstrated, the history and practice of command is centuries old, whereas the concept of incident management as it is known today has only matured in the past few decades. It was the 1970s when the first movement began that moved away from the civil defense centralized command models to the initial decentralized emergency management systems like FIRESCOPE. FIRESCOPE evolved into the Incident Command System (ICS) and the Multiagency Coordination System (MACS). In 1982 FIRESCOPE and the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) worked together to create the National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS). As more disasters and events were managed and planned using these systems, they quickly became the dominate model for large scale incidents. While inci­ dent management practices were broadly adopted during the 1990s, it was not universal. The events of September 11th, 2001 galvanized the need for a unified approach, language, and prac­ ** Integrated communications:** Integrated communications provide and maintain contact among and between incident resources, enable connectivity between different jurisdictions and various levels, achieve situational awareness, and facilitate information sharing. ** Establishment and transfer of command:** The command function should be estab­ lished at the onset of the incident. When command transfers, the transfer process includes a briefing that captures essential information for continuity of operations and communicates the transfer to all involved in the incident. ** Unified command:** When no one jurisdiction, agency, or organization has primary authority or the resources to manage an incident on its own, Unified Command may be established. In Unified Command, there is no single commander. Instead, the Unified Command manages the incident by jointly approved objectives. ** Chain of command and unity of command:** Chain of command refers to the orderly line of authority within the ranks of the incident management organization. Unity of command means that each individual only reports to one person. This clarifies reporting relationships and reduces confusion caused by multiple, conflicting directives, enabling leadership at all levels to effectively direct the personnel under their supervision. ** Accountability:** Effective accountability for resources during an incident is essential. **n Dispatch/deployment:** Spontaneous deployments overburden the recipient and com­ pound accountability challenges. Resources should deploy only when appropriate authorities request and dispatch them ** Information and intelligence:** The incident management organization establishes a process for gathering, analyzing, assessing, sharing, and managing incident-related information and intelligence ** Incident facilities and locations:** Typical facilities include the Incident Command Post (ICP), incident base, staging areas, camps, mass-casualty triage areas, points of distribu­ tion, and emergency shelters. The National Incident Management System is the compass by which the direction of all inci­ dent command and coordination models must be set, from the local to the federal level. Each of these core incident command and coordination characteristics will be spoken to directly, demonstrated in practice, and connected to key points in lessons-learned contributions throughout this text to ensure it is a relevant and reliable resource. NFPA 1561: Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System and Command Safety^8^ The first edition of NFPA 1561 was issued in 1990, born out of NFPA 1500. In 2000, the standard was expanded to better incorporate the shift in models from primarily command and control to incident management systems, and with it added Incident Management System to the stan­ dard title. 2005 brought a complete upgrade of the standard to align the content and direction of the standard with the National Incident Management System and the National Response Plan. In chapter 4 of the standard, System Implementation, the expectation is set that emer­ gency services organizations shall adopt the National Incident Management System. In 2014 the standard title changed again to include the term Command Safety, as a new chapter under that title was added to the standard. This chapter included information and direction for the management of incidents with Mayday events and added clarification on the use of emergency medical services at all incidents, including when EMS shall be used and what minimum level of EMS shall be used. The 2020 edition of 1561 is the standard to which this text is written, since NFPA added language to address command practices to prevent the incident within an incident (IWI). "It is imperative that the incident commander stay in control of the entire inci­ dent and not become overly committed to the emergency." The tone of this language and direction mirrors one of the core principles of this text. The incident commander must stay ahead of the incident power curve to prevent the potential command lag created through the reflex time of addressing new conditions, challenges, or emergencies. Fire or emergency services organizations composed of career, combination, or volunteer employees should familiarize themselves with NFPA1561 as a bridge text that focuses in from the all-discipline, all-agency, all-hazards scope and language of NIMS and the National Response Framework towards more specific fire and emergency services applications. While National Fire Protection Association standards are not law, in most areas they serve in depart­ ment polices as recommendations. NFPA standards can be trusted sources as they have stood both the test of time and legal challenge as national best practices. NFPA 1561 clearly defines the national best practices for fire and emergency services regard­ ing incident management and the role of command. Consider the 1561 standard to be the "what," or expectations, of incident management and command. This text will fill in the "how to" and "why" we do incident management and command. The value of NFPA 1561 as an incident management and command guide is not limited to the constraints of the standard. The annexes of NFPA 1561 provide a greater depth of informa­ tion to the chapter sections of the standard. It is encouraged that the reader also cross refer­ ence applicable annexes from NFPA 1561 to this text. It is the belief of the authors that the following annexes work purposely with the content in this text as supporting sources in both directions. Annex F---Division Designation: Tactical Assignments for a Multistory Incident AnnexH---Functional Assignments for High Rise Building Incidents Annex I---Development of Subordinate Officers for Implementing a More Efficient Management System Annex J---Incident Management for the Fire Service on Type 5 or 4 Incidents Annex K---Structural Fire Fighting: Risk Assessment and Operational Expectations NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments^9^ From the NIMS to NFPA 1561, and now on to *NFPA 1710: The Standard, for the Organization and* *Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations and Special Opera­* *tions to the Public by Career Fire Departments,* expectations and definitions of the role and function of incident command are narrowed. From all the aforementioned qualifications, cur­ ricula, and standards, the common thread is that the modern approach to handling incidents is in a professional, informed, and managerial style. Out of this change, utilization of command teams has continued to expand. Early incident management systems were born out of large-scale events, and the publication of NIMS in response to the events of 9/11 has contributed to a per­ ception by many in emergency services that the utilization of these systems is not necessary for routine incidents. This idea could not be further from the truth. In nearly every publication related to incident management referenced in this text, utilization of some form of incident management is recommended for every emergency event. To inform emergency services on the application of IMS to the more routine events, the 2020 edition of NFPA 1561 includes Annex J---Incident Management for the Fire Service on Type 5 or 4 Incidents. To support the ability for emergency service organizations to stand up a com­ mand team at an incident that has expanded to the Type 5 or Type 4 level, recognition, and preparation for it, begins at the incident onset. Modern incident command is a team sport. It is accomplished through division of labor, manageable spans of control, and tactical coordi­ nation. This is where NFPA 1710, as the standard for organization and deployment, works to apply this to the fire service down to the initial incident organization at the first alarm level. In chapter 5 of NFPA1710, Fire Department Services, under the deployment section of 5.2.4, the tactics and tasks most likely associated with a full alarm working incident at four differ­ ent occupancy classifications is defined. NFPA 1710---5.2.4.1.1 Single Family Dwelling (Typical 2,000 square foot, two-story single-family dwelling without a basement and with no exposures). Total effective response force with a minimum of 16 (17 if an aerial device is used). NFPA 1710---5.2.4.2.2 Open-Air Strip Shopping Center (Ranging from 13,000 to 196,000 square feet in size). Total effective response force a minimum of 27 (28 if an aerial device is used). NFPA 1710---4.2.4.3 Apartment (Typical 1200 square foot apartment within a three-story, garden style apartment building). Total effective response force a minimum of 27 (28 if an aerial device is used). NFPA 1710---4.2.4.4 High Rise (Building with the highest floor greater than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access). Total effective response force a mini­ mum of42 (43 if the building is equipped with a fire pump). For the establishment of command at a single-family dwelling fire with no exposures, no basement, and an initial effective alarm response of 16 to 17 members, NFPA 1710 has a min­ imum of one member dedicated to this task. For responses to all other occupancies, to ensure overall coordination, direction, and safety of the initial full alarm assignment, a minimum of two members should be dedicated to managing the task of incident command. The change of occupancy size and exposure potential associated with the other classifications, combined with the increased number of members and units deployed to these occupancies, require an associated appropriate command level deployment. This early command team must be competent and capable of initially establishing division of labor, manageable spans of control, and tactical coordination, not just the position of com­ mand. Too often, the fire service considers an initial command team as an IC and a scribe, or an IC and a safety officer, and while these two positions are extremely valuable to an incident commander and contribute to incident management, neither of those roles directly improve span of control or the efficiency of communication and information transfer in the initial stages of an incident. NFPA 1710 does not define the roles of these two members dedicated to man­ aging the task of incident command. This allows the incident or authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) to determine if one serves as IC and the second as an early functional group or division supervisor which does improve span of control and reduces communication demands. Summary Proper use of incident management and the role of command can be viewed through two lenses: what is proper by the professional standards and mandates, and what is proper in practice. The fire service in the 21st century has reached a point where these two are in alignment. For too long the fire service has lacked strong, substantiated professional guidance for the prac­ tice of incident management. At the same time, in practice the fire service has had an almost egotistical low-trust view of incident management, with limited decentralization and delega­ tion, retaining power at the upper limits of span of control. Command systems under stress and tension during a normal load will fail when the force of unexpected extension to an expo­ sure, a victim being located, or a Mayday is added to them. Early establishment of division or group supervision and the support of tactics as they are initiated progressively and proactively reduces span of control and communication barriers. In the event of an incident within an incident, attempting to offload resources and reassign units to supervisors on the fly while simultaneously assessing and collecting information on the new emergency chokes commu­ nication paths and is a recipe for disaster. When *1710,1561* and NIMS are viewed collectively, the professional road map of continuity, coordination, and cooperation become clear. When the balance of this text is utilized to inform on how and why you as an individual or an organization must practice an incident manage­ ment and command model to meet and forecast the needs of a more dynamic and time com­ pressed emergency scene, your practices will also align. Chapter Review Review Questions 1. Explain the importance of the 2009 revision to *NFPA1021: Standard for Fire Officer* *Professional Qualifications.* 2. What does FESHE stand for and what is the purpose? 3. Describe some of the foundational characteristics of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). 4. Explain NFPA 1561. 5. According to NFPA 1710, for what occupancies is it recommended that more than one member be assigned to the duty of managing command? FESHE Strategy and Tactics (C0279) Related Content Course outcome \#3 is the expectation that students identify the basics of building construc­ tion and how they interrelate to pre-fire planning, strategy, and tactics. This chapter intro­ duces the NFPA 1710 occupancy type recommendations to evaluate and establish appropriate deployment models and operations for departments and incident commanders for single-family dwellings, apartments, open-air strip shopping centers, and high-rises. Course outcome \#6 is the expectation that the students identify the roles of NIMS and IMS as it relates to strategy and tactics, and course outcome \#7 is the expectation that the student can demonstrate knowl­ edge of the various roles and responsibilities in ICS/NIMS. This chapter connects NIMS to the fire service-specific expectations and recommendations within NFPA 1021,1561 and 1710. Endnotes 1. *National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1021: Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qual­* *ifications* (NFPA, 2020). 2. *NFPA 1021.* 3. *NFPA 1021.* 4. *NFPA 1021.* 5. *Fire* and Emergency Services Higher Education Initiative (FESHE). gov/nfa/about/feshe/ 6. Alan V. Brunacini, *Fire Command,* 2nd ed. (Quincy, Massachusetts/Phoenix, Arizona: National Fire Protection Association, 1985). 7. *National Incident Management System,* 3rd ed. (Federal Emergency Management Agency \[FEMA\], 2017),. 8. *NFPA 1710: Standardfor the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations,* *Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Depart­* *ments* (NFPA, 2020). 9. *NFPA 1561: Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System and Command* *Safety* (NFPA, 2020).