Chapter 5 Glossary: Incident Command System

Front 1

Branch

Back 1

The organizational level having functional, geographical, or jurisdictional responsibility for major aspects of incident operations. (NFPA 1026)

Front 2

Branch director

Back 2

A person in a supervisory level position in either the operations or logistics function to provide a span of control. (NFPA 1561)

Front 3

Command

Back 3

The first component of the ICS. It is the only position in the ICS that must always be staffed.

Front 4

Command Staff

Back 4

The public information officer, safety officer, and liaison officer, all of whom report directly to the incident commander and are responsible for functions in the incident management system that are not a part of the function of the line organization. (NFPA 1561)

Front 5

Crew

Back 5

A team of two or more fire fighters. (NFPA 1500)

Front 6

Designated incident facilities

Back 6

Assigned locations where specific functions are always performed.

Front 7

Division

Back 7

A supervisory level established to divide an incident into geographic areas of operations. (NFPA 1561)

Front 8

Division supervisor

Back 8

A person in a supervisory-level position who is responsible for a specifi c geographic area of operations at an incident. (NFPA 1561)

Front 9

Finance/Administration Section

Back 9

Section responsible for all costs and financial actions of the incident or planned event, including the time unit, procurement unit, compensation/claims unit, and the cost unit. (NFPA 1026)

Front 10

Fire-ground command (FGC)

Back 10

An incident management system developed in the 1970s for day-to-day fire department incidents (generally handled with fewer than 25 units or companies).

Front 11

FIRESCOPE (Fire Resources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies)

Back 11

An organization of agencies established in the early 1970s to develop a standardized system for managing fire resources at large-scale incidents such as wildland fires.

Front 12

Group

Back 12

A supervisory level established to divide an incident into functional areas of operation. (NFPA 1561)

Front 13

Group supervisor

Back 13

A person in a supervisory-level position who is responsible for a functional area of operation. (NFPA 1561)

Front 14

ICS general staff

Back 14

The chiefs of each of the four major sections of ICS: Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration.

Front 15

Incident action plan (IAP)

Back 15

The objectives reflecting the overall incident strategy, tactics, risk management, and member safety that are developed by the incident commander. Incident action plans are updated throughout the incident. (NFPA 1500)

Front 16

Incident command post (ICP)

Back 16

The field location at which the primary tactical-level, on-scene incident command functions are performed. (NFPA 1026)

Front 17

Incident command system (ICS)

Back 17

The combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure that has responsibility for the management of assigned resources to effectively accomplish stated objectives pertaining to an incident or training exercise. (NFPA 1670)

Front 18

Integrated communications

Back 18

The ability of all appropriate personnel at the emergency scene to communicate with their supervisor and their subordinates.

Front 19

Liaison officer

Back 19

A member of the Command Staff who serves as the point of contact for assisting or coordinating agencies. (NFPA 1026)

Front 20

Logistics Section

Back 20

Section responsible for providing facilities, services, and materials for the incident or planned event, including the communications unit, medical unit, and food unit within the service branch and the supply unit, facilities unit, and ground support unit within the support branch. (NFPA 1026)

Front 21

Logistics Section Chief

Back 21

The general staff position responsible for directing the logistics function. It is generally assigned on complex, resource-intensive, or long-duration incidents.

Front 22

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

Back 22

A system mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5) that provides a systematic, proactive approach guiding government agencies at all levels, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work seamlessly to prepare for, prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, so as to reduce the loss of life or property and harm to the environment. (NFPA 1026)

Front 23

Operations Section

Back 23

Section responsible for all tactical operations at the incident or planned event, including up to 5 branches, 25 divisions/groups, and 125 single resources, task forces, or strike teams. (NFPA 1026)

Front 24

Operations Section Chief

Back 24

The general staff position responsible for managing all operations activities. It is usually assigned when complex incidents involve more than 20 single resources or when Command cannot be involved in the details of tactical operations.

Front 25

Planning Section

Back 25

Section responsible for the collection, evaluation, dissemination, and use of information related to the incident situation, resource status, and incident forecast. (NFPA 1026)

Front 26

Planning Section Chief

Back 26

The general staff position responsible for planning functions. It is assigned when Command needs assistance in managing information.

Front 27

Public information officer

Back 27

A member of the Command Staff who is responsible for interacting with the public and media or with other agencies with incident-related information requirements. (NFPA 1026)

Front 28

Resource management

Back 28

Under NIMS, includes mutual-aid agreements; the use of special federal, state, local, and tribal teams; and resource mobilization protocols. (NFPA 1026)

Front 29

Safety officer

Back 29

A member of the Command Staff who is responsible for monitoring and assessing safety hazards and unsafe situations, and for developing measures for ensuring personnel safety. (NFPA 1561)

Front 30

Single command

Back 30

A command structure in which a single individual is responsible for all of the strategic objectives of the incident. It is typically used when an incident is within a single jurisdiction and is managed by a single discipline.

Front 31

Single resource

Back 31

An individual, a piece of equipment and its personnel, or a crew or team of individuals with an identified supervisor that can be used on an incident or planned event. (NFPA 1026)

Front 32

Staging area

Back 32

A prearranged, strategically placed area, where support response personnel, vehicles, and other equipment can be held in an organized state of readiness for use during an emergency. (NFPA 424)

Front 33

Strike team

Back 33

Specified combinations of the same kind and type of resources, with common communications and a leader. (NFPA 1026)

Front 34

Strike team leader

Back 34

The person in charge of a strike team. This individual is responsible to the next higher level in the incident organization and serves as the point of contact for the strike team within the organization.

Front 35

Task force

Back 35

Any combination of single resources assembled for a particular tactical need, with common communications and a leader. (NFPA 1051)

Front 36

Task force leader

Back 36

The person in charge of a task force. This individual is responsible to the next higher level in the incident organization and serves as the point of contact for the task force within the organization.

Front 37

Transfer of command

Back 37

The formal procedure for transferring the duties of an incident commander at an incident scene. (NFPA 1026)

Front 38

Unified command

Back 38

An application of the incident command system that allows all agencies with jurisdictional responsibility for an incident or planned event, either geographical or functional, to manage an incident or planned event by establishing a common set of incident objectives and strategies. (NFPA 1561)