NCJ Number
190971
Date Published
2001
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This chapter discusses the basics of the incident management system.
Abstract
The chapter discusses 10 major points that are critical for an effective incident management system (IMS): (1) it is a functionally based system, with emphasis on common terminology, a chain of command with effective span of control, and assignment of resources on a priority basis; (2) it is an all risk system that applies to any technological or natural disaster incident, and terrorism/tactical violence incidents; (3) consequence management involves measures to alleviate the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused by emergencies, and is the responsibility of local/regional emergency response agencies; (4) the four major sections of the IMS are operations, logistics, planning, and administration; (5) an incident action plan is dynamic in the early stages of an incident, written and formalized on complex and long duration incidents, and developed by the planning section; (6) the Emergency Medical Services branch is responsible for mass casualty operations and is divided into triage, treatment, and transport; (7) a local community disaster plan must specify who is in charge; (8) an IMS provides pre-staged disaster caches of supplies and equipment that are rapidly deployed (push logistics); (9) an IMS provides a template for safe operations; and (10) local emergency management agencies provide critical functions including planning, support, interagency coordination, exercise planning, and emergency operations center/multiagency coordination center operations. Notes