The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination of emergency response providing a common hierarchy within which responders from multiple agencies can be effective. ICS was initially developed to address problems of inter-agency responses to wildfires in California but is now a component of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in the US, where it has evolved into use in all-hazards situations, ranging from active shootings to hazmat scenes. In addition, ICS has acted as a pattern for similar approaches internationally.
Overview ICS consists of a standard management hierarchy and procedures for managing temporary incident(s) of any size. ICS procedures should be pre-established and sanctioned by participating authorities, and personnel should be well-trained before an incident. ICS includes procedures to select and form temporary management hierarchies to control funds, personnel, facilities, equipment, and communications. Personnel are assigned according to established standards and procedures previously sanctioned by participating authorities. ICS is a system designed to be used or applied from the time an incident occurs until the requirement for management and operations no longer exists. ICS is interdisciplinary and organizationally flexible to meet the following management challenges:
Meets the needs of a jurisdiction to cope with incidents of any kind or complexity (i.e., it expands or contracts as needed). Allows personnel from a wide variety of agencies to meld rapidly into a common management structure with common terminology. Give logistical and administrative support to operational staff. Be cost-effective by avoiding duplication of efforts, and continuing overheads. Provide a unified, centrally authorized emergency organization.
History The ICS concept was formed in 1968 at a meeting of Fire Chiefs in Southern California. The program reflects the management hierarchy of the US Navy, and at first was used mainly to fight California wildfires. During the 1970s, ICS was fully developed during massive wildfire suppression efforts in California (FIRESCOPE) that followed a series of catastrophic wildfires, starting with the monumental Laguna fire in 1970. Property damage ran into the millions, and many people died or were injured. Studies determined that response problems are often related to communication and management deficiencies rather than a lack of resources or failure of tactics. Weaknesses in incident management were often due to:
Lack of accountability, including unclear chain of command and supervision. Poor communication due to both inefficient use of available communications systems and conflicting codes and terminology. Lack of an orderly, systematic planning process. No effective predefined way to integrate inter-agency requirements into the management structure and planning process. "Freelancing" by individuals within the first-response team without direction from a team leader (IC) and those with specialized skills during an incident and without coordination with other first responders Lack of knowledge with common terminology during an incident. Emergency managers determined that the existing management structures – frequently unique to each agency – did not scale to dealing with massive mutual aid responses involving dozens of distinct agencies and when these various agencies worked together their specific training and procedures clashed. As a result, a new command and control paradigm was collaboratively developed to create a consistent, integrated framework for the management of all incidents from small incidents to large, multi-agency emergencies. At the beginning of this work, despite the recognition that there were incident or field level shortfalls in organization and terminology, there was no mention of the need to develop an on the ground incident management system like ICS. Most of the efforts were focused on the multi-agency coordination challenges above the incident or field level. It was not until 1972 when Firefighting Resources of Southern California Organized for Potential Emergencies (FIRESCOPE) was formed that this need was recognized and the concept of ICS was first discussed. Also, ICS was originally called Field Command Operations System. ICS became a national model for command structures at a fire, crime scene, or major incident. ICS was used in New York City at the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. On 1 March 2004, the Department of Homeland Security, in accordance with the passage of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5) calling for a standardized approach to incident management among all federal, state, and local agencies, developed the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which integrates ICS. Additionally, it was mandated that NIMS (and thus ICS) must be used to manage emergencies to receive federal funding. The Superfund Amendment and Re-authorization Act title III mandated that all first responders to a hazardous materials emergency must be properly trained and equipped in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.120(q). This standard represents OSHA's recognition of ICS. HSPD-5 and thus the National Incident Management System came about as a direct result of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, which created numerous All-Hazard, Mass Casualty, multi-agency incidents.
Jurisdiction and legitimacy
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