ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITHIN THE ICS STRUCTURE
- Incident Commander (IC) at the Incident Command Post (ICP):
This position is held by the most capable person at the incident scene, and is usually a BCDPD command level officer, but may also be another first responder (law, fire, EMS) or a trained District authority who can take charge until a first responder arrives to become the new IC. The IC’s responsibilities include:
- Taking immediate actions to preserve life and safety of staff, faculty, students, and visitors.
- Establishing incident objectives and tactics to address the immediate threat. The IC is directly responsible for ensuring that all functional area activities of the Incident Management Team (IMT) are directed toward accomplishment of the tactical objectives.
- Initiating contact with the EMC to begin assessment of the incident situation.
- Activating relevant Command and General Staff to assist in response and recovery of the incident, including requests for additional first responder support.
- Providing verbal and written communication to District executive staff, or their representatives (e.g., the ERT, EOC) about the status of the incident and condition of the threat and its impacts, including estimated amount of control of the impacts and estimated time needed to close the incident response.
- Emergency Management Coordinator at the EOC (if activated):
This position is generally held by the BCDPD Chief of Police but may be staffed by a command level officer or Director of Safety and Risk Management, and they will report to the designated EOC. The personnel comprising the EOC may be referred to as the Emergency Management Team (EMT). Once at the EOC, the EMC confirms its habitability and begins the process of activation using the checklists provided in the Annex. Once enough staff and communications are available to perform the EOC functions, the EMC informs the Executive Policy Group (EPG) and the ICP that the EOC is operational. The EMC’s responsibilities will then include:
- Ensuring emergency communications remain operational.
- Setting overall organization incident-related priorities.
- Supporting first responder and Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT) immediate actions to preserve life and safety of staff, faculty, students and visitors.
- Establishing incident objectives and strategies that support the IC to address the immediate threat. The EMC is directly responsible for ensuring that all functional area activities are directed toward accomplishment of the strategic objectives.
- Initiating contact with the first District Executive available in their line of succession to ensure they are aware and provide policy and oversight support.
- Activating additional relevant Command and General Staff to assist in response and recovery of incident, including requests for additional position support by Command Staff Officers and Section Chiefs.
- Providing verbal and written communication to the EPG about the status of the incident and condition of the threat and its impacts, including estimated amount of control of the impacts and estimated time needed to close the incident response.
- Providing verbal and written communication to the IC about the status of ICP requested resources and support from the District needed to close the incident response tactical objectives.
- Command Staff:
- Public Information Officer (PIO):
The Public Information Officer (PIO) is responsible for interfacing with the public and media and/or with other agencies with incident-related information requirements. The PIO gathers, verifies, coordinates, and disseminates accurate, accessible, and timely information on the incident’s cause, size, and current situation; resources committed; and other matters of general interest for both internal and external audiences. The PIO may also perform a key public information- monitoring and rumor control role. Only one PIO should be designated per incident. Assistant PIOs may be assigned from other involved agencies, departments, or organizations. The IC, EMC, EPG and the District PIO must collaborate to approve the release of all incident-related information as part of a Joint Information System (JIS) process required by NIMS. In large-scale incidents, or where multiple command posts are established within the District operations, a single designated PIO should lead the Joint Information Center (JIC) in order to ensure consistency in the provision of information to the public.
- Safety Officer (SO):
The Safety Officer (SO) monitors incident operations and advises the IC and the EMC on all matters relating to operational safety, including the health and safety of emergency first responder personnel. The ultimate responsibility for the safe conduct of incident management operations of first responders rests with the IC and supervisors at all levels of incident management. The SO at the EOC is responsible in the same way for District personnel taking response actions to support emergency operations.
The SO is, in turn, responsible for the systems and procedures necessary to ensure ongoing assessment of hazardous environments, including the Incident Safety Plan, coordination of multiagency safety efforts, and implementation of measures to promote emergency response safety as well as the general safety of incident operations. The SO has immediate authority to stop and/or prevent unsafe acts during incident operations. It is important to note that the agencies, organizations, or jurisdictions that contribute to joint safety management efforts do not lose their individual identities or responsibility for their own programs, policies, and personnel. Rather, each contributes to the overall effort to protect all personnel involved in incident operations.
- Liaison Officer (LO):
The Liaison Officer (LO) is the point of contact for representatives of other governmental agencies, non-government organizations (NGO), and the private sector (with no jurisdiction or legal authority) to provide input on their agency’s policies, resource availability, and other incident-related matters. Representatives from assisting or cooperating agencies and organizations coordinate through the Liaison Officer. Agency and organizational representatives assigned to an incident must have the authority to speak for their parent agencies or organizations on all matters, following appropriate consultations with their agency leadership.
Assistants and personnel from other agencies or organizations, public or private, involved in incident management activities may be assigned to the LO to facilitate coordination.
For the initial operations of the District EOC, the LO will coordinate with the IC at the ICP until there are other assisting cooperating agencies involved with the response. For incidents that require multiple operational periods, the EMC and the Operations Section Chief will eventually become the primary contacts with the IC, while the LO takes on other coordination duties.
D. Other Command Staff, as required:
During an emergency there may be a need for legal consultation, technical/medical advice, as well as additional security for the EOC. The IC and the EMC may assign representation for these functions. The EMC may make requests for this support from the EPG.
- General Staff:
- Operations Section Chief:
This position is responsible for all tactical activities focused on reducing immediate hazards, saving lives and property, establishing situational control, and restoring normal operations. Lifesaving and responder safety will always be the highest priorities and the first objectives in the Incident Action Plan (IAP) developed in coordination with the Planning Section Chief and approved by the EMC.
In catastrophic incidents, the District may request outside support to expand positions in the ICS structure for the Operations Section by activating any or all of the following Branches that report to the Operations Section Chief:
- Search and Rescue
- Emergency Medical Services
- Assembly and Accountability
- Fire
- Law
- Hazardous Materials
- Air Support
- Staging
- Reunification
- Mass Casualty and Temporary Morgue Operations
- Planning Section Chief:
The Planning Section Chief collects, evaluates, and disseminates incident situation information and intelligence to the IC at the ICP, and/or to the EMC and incident management personnel. This Section prepares status reports, displays situation information, maintains an evaluation of resources assigned to the incident, and documents the IAP, based on Operations Section input and guidance from the IC or the EMC.
In catastrophic incidents, the District may request outside support to expand positions in the ICS structure for the Planning Section by activating any or all the following to report to the Planning Section Chief:
- Resources Unit:
Responsible for recording the status of resources committed to the incident. This Unit also evaluates resources committed currently to the incident, the effects additional responding resources will have on the incident, and anticipated resource needs.
- Situation Unit:
Responsible for the collection, organization, and analysis of incident status information, and for analysis of the situation as it progresses.
- Demobilization Unit:
Responsible for ensuring orderly, safe, and efficient demobilization of incident resources.
- Documentation Unit:
Responsible for collecting, recording, and safeguarding all documents relevant to the incident.
- Technical Specialist(s):
Personnel with special skills that can be used anywhere within the ICS organization.
- Logistics Section Chief:
The Logistics Section Chief is responsible for all service support requirements needed to facilitate effective and efficient incident management, including ordering resources from off-site locations. This section also provides facilities, security (of the incident command facilities and personnel), transportation, supplies, equipment maintenance and fuel, food services, communications and information technology support, and emergency medical services.
In catastrophic incidents, the District may request outside support to expand positions in the ICS structure for the Logistics Section by activating any or all of the following reports to the Logistics Section Chief:
- Supply Unit:
Orders, receives, stores, and processes all incident-related resources, personnel, and supplies.
- Ground Support Unit:
Provides all ground transportation during an incident. In conjunction with providing transportation, the unit is also responsible for maintaining and supplying vehicles, keeping usage records, and developing incident Traffic Plans.
- Facilities Unit:
Sets up, maintains, and demobilizes all facilities used in support of incident operations. The unit also provides facility maintenance and security services required to support incident operations.
- Food Unit:
Determines food and water requirements, plans menus, orders food, provides cooking facilities, cooks, servers, maintains food service areas, and manages food security and safety concerns.
- Communications Unit:
Major responsibilities include effective communications planning as well as acquiring, setting up, maintaining, and accounting for communications equipment.
- Medical Unit:
Responsible for the effective and efficient provision of medical services for incident personnel.
- Finance/Administration Section Chief:
A Finance/Administration Section is established when the incident management activities require on-scene or incident-specific finance and other administrative support services. Some of the functions that fall within the scope of this section are recording personnel time, maintaining vendor contracts, administering compensation and claims, and conducting an overall cost analysis for the incident. If a separate section is established, close coordination with the Planning Section and Logistics Section is also essential so that operational records can be reconciled with financial documents.
The Finance/Administration Section is a critical part of ICS in large, complex incidents involving significant funding originating from multiple sources. In addition to monitoring multiple sources of funds, the Section Chief must track and report the accrued cost as the incident progresses. This allows the IC and/or the EMC to forecast the need for additional funds before operations are negatively affected.
In catastrophic incidents, the District may request outside support to expand positions in the ICS structure for the Logistics Section by activating any or all of the following to report to the Finance/Administration Section Chief:
- Compensation/Claims Unit:
Responsible for financial concerns resulting from property damage, injuries, or fatalities at the incident.
- Cost Unit:
Responsible for tracking costs, analyzing cost data, making estimates, and recommending cost savings measures.
- Procurement Unit:
Responsible for financial matters concerning vendor contracts.
- Time Unit:
Responsible for recording time for incident personnel and hired equipment.
- Information Collection, Analysis, and Dissemination:
Emergency operations succeed or fail based on good intelligence. The first half of providing that intelligence is efficient gathering of information:
- Evaluating raw (unverified) data about the event.
- Compiling facts (verified) about the event.
- Considering possible future conditions (forecasts) that might impact the event and the response.
Confusion often occurs when there is no clear protocol on how to find and manage information critical for emergency operations. The following discussion provides those protocols. ICP, EOC, and EPG staff must consider the Essential Elements of Intelligence (EEI) as a core element of the District’s concept of operations.
A. Gathering the Data
Gathering data is a critical process. Effective gathering requires using a well- defined system of collection, sorting and filing so that the Planning Section can perform the task of analysis. The ICP/EOC will use its Planning Section to ensure that documentation and analysis are completed efficiently. The Section Chief will define the sources to be used for gathering data.
- Collecting and Defining Sources
There are hundreds of sources that could be used for gathering information during emergencies. These include, but are not limited to, these potential resources:
- Blinn College District Police Department
- ICP/IC
- District PIO
- Radio stations/programs
- TV stations/programs
- Government agencies (officials contacted directly)
- Private agencies (through the Liaison Officer)
- Warning system (EAS and NOAA Radios)
- Other response/recovery centers at the local and state level
- Analyzing the Content
There are three key measurements needed to transform raw information into intelligence once it is gathered from the specified sources of information.
It is important to verify the data for accuracy:
- Is the information correct?
- Can the source be identified, contacted, and trusted?
- Does this information conflict with or contradict other information verified as accurate?
Information must be tested for relevance:
- Does the information relate to the District’s concerns about the emergency or critical incident?
- How will this information affect the decision-making process for necessary action(s)?
- What is the age of the information and is it actionable?
Inspect for mission value:
- Is the content generated clear and readily understandable?
- Is the content organized in a manner that can assist in clarifying specific mission objectives for taking action(s)?
- Categorizing Analyzed Data
The final step of turning information into intelligence is defining what categories the information should be placed under to classify its best use. This scheme can vary based on emergency events. For example:
Critical life-safety information for immediate dissemination to the IC and/or EMC:
- Injuries requiring aid
- Active gunfire or explosions
- Approaching “cloud” of hazardous material
- Individuals trapped in burning or collapsed building(s)
- Advancing waters approaching occupied area
Information requiring advanced planning:
- Weather predictions
- Flooding expectations
- Potential utilities disruptions
- Expected resource shortages
- Uncontrolled fire spread predictions
Discipline-related intelligence:
- Search and Rescue operations
- Medical Care and Triage
- Reunification
- Facilities condition
- Debris Removal
- Law Enforcement
- Fire Response
Situation Status Reports:
- Current situation report (SITREP)
- Summary of deployed District assets and personnel
- Jurisdictions and agencies actively involved
- District operations and facilities impacted
- Injuries, deaths, and financial losses
It is important to remember that all information, documentation, request forms, notes and official correspondence created and/or utilized during the operation period of the emergency or critical incident must be maintained as it will be necessary for federal reimbursement, if applicable, and required for the official After Action Repot (AAR). Archival information includes, but is not limited to:
- SITREPS
- Logs and Logbooks
- E-mail correspondence
- Photographs of status boards
- BlinnALERT mass communications
- Media Releases
- Captured media reports regarding event
- Intelligence Use
ICS clearly defines intelligence processes as being the role of the Planning Section, unless a specific Intelligence Unit is moved/located in another section, or under the Command Staff. However, it is every ICP/EOC member's responsibility to recognize critical information. Training should provide all staff with the understanding that life-and-death information needs to be addressed immediately and shared with all IC/EOC staff.
Data that is compiled, analyzed and evaluated does not become actual intelligence until it is available to people who can use it to make decisions and take action. The priorities for distribution of intelligence in the ICP/EOC will be as follows:
- The IC/EMC has access to all information but depends on the Planning Section Chief to focus on the most important parts of intelligence reports relevant to the concern at the moment, and for critical advance planning.
- The Safety Officer receives copies of all reports and is immediately informed of any intelligence involving the safety of people involved in the response.
- The PIO has access to all information generated in the ICP/EOC. Specific, complex issues should be discussed between the Planning Section Chief and the PIO prior to releasing intelligence in news releases or preparing public statements for the District. The PIO will also share any key data with the Planning Section when that information is acquired from monitoring media sources.
- The Planning Section is responsible for gathering and compiling, analyzing and verifying, and evaluating all data. The Section develops Advance Plans and Situation Status Reports from all available intelligence. The Planning Section Chief is responsible for ensuring all intelligence is provided in a timely manner to the correct ICP/EOC staff. All ICP/EOC staff should have copies of the Situation Status Reports and be able to see the status boards, which are updated with time-sensitive intelligence. The Planning Section also provides all ICP/EOC participants with copies of the Incident Action Plan, which has all the operational objectives for the Operational Period.
- The Operations Section receives fast-breaking intelligence and intelligence related to specific disciplines, such as search and rescue or medical operations. The Operations Section also receives the Advanced Planning reports from the Planning Section. The Operations Section Chief is responsible for providing reports to the Planning Section for use in Situation Status Reports.
- The Liaison Officer and Technical Representatives from other organizations receive copies of all reports relevant to their roles.
- The Logistics Section should receive a copy of all reports generated in the ICP/EOC. Logistics obtains much of its intelligence directly from the Operations Section and from EOC status boards and reports. They should also report relevant, critical data from their Section to the Planning Section Chief, especially regarding resource use and allocation.
- The Finance/Administration Section should receive a copy of all reports generated in the IC/EOC, but their focus is on data, not necessarily intelligence. Time reporting, costs, etc., are not considered intelligence unless they have relevance to operations decisions. This may occur in the case of ramping up operations or reductions during demobilization. At those times, the data from Finance/Administration should go through the intelligence process before it is provided to the IC/EMC. This is the responsibility of the Planning Section in coordination with the Finance/Administration Section Chief.