Shannon W Unit 13: Command and Control in the uniformed public services P4
Task 4 (P4)
Command and Control
The individual that is responsible for assuming control at an emergency is an incident commander
and they are responsible for all aspects of an emergency response. They will develop and manage
the objectives they set out for their team to follow. This role can be assumed either by a higher
qualified officer or a senior officer upon their arrival. Their role is to delegate and take charge of the
situation by handing out roles to several other individuals which can either be a part of the same
public service or a different one.
Levels of command and Control
The gold, silver and bronze command structure is a command hierarchy which is used by UK public
services during major incidents or operations to ensure it runs more effectively. However, as an
alternative some people prefer to use the term strategic, tactical and operational command
structure.
Strategic (Gold) – The Gold commander is the individual who is overall in charge and responsible for
determining a strategy that both silver and bronze command need to follow. They can also be
known as an overseer because they are never at the scene where the incident is happening;
therefore, they must be in a place which makes them easily contactable as well as having the correct
staff and tools to effectively manage the incident while it unfolds. There is never more than one gold
commander.
Tactical (Silver) – The silver commander commands and coordinates while following the strategy
that was made by the gold commander. They are usually based somewhere near the scene in order
to coordinate bronze command more quickly and effectively.
Operational (Bronze) – A bronze commander is responsible for the operational decisions in order to
accomplish the tactical plan set out by the silver commander. They can be found among the
personnel at the scene. Bronze commanders need to have a good and clear understanding of the
silver commanders tactical plan so they know what the deadlines are, what resources they have and
what they are required to do. They also have the responsibility of delegating further tasks to their
personnel and managing them throughout.
Planning
When a commander is going through the planning phase, it is important to remember the mnemonic
known as SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based. It is basically giving
certain criteria in order to guide an individual in the setting of objectives. It allows an individual to
use their time and resources more effectively by setting SMART goals, which also allows them to
clarify their ideas.
Briefing
It is the commander’s responsibility to provide their team with a briefing and it is important for a
commander to thoroughly brief their personnel’s on the task, as well as providing a debriefing at the
end in order to identify the good areas and areas for improvement. It will set out clear objectives
Task 4 (P4)
Command and Control
The individual that is responsible for assuming control at an emergency is an incident commander
and they are responsible for all aspects of an emergency response. They will develop and manage
the objectives they set out for their team to follow. This role can be assumed either by a higher
qualified officer or a senior officer upon their arrival. Their role is to delegate and take charge of the
situation by handing out roles to several other individuals which can either be a part of the same
public service or a different one.
Levels of command and Control
The gold, silver and bronze command structure is a command hierarchy which is used by UK public
services during major incidents or operations to ensure it runs more effectively. However, as an
alternative some people prefer to use the term strategic, tactical and operational command
structure.
Strategic (Gold) – The Gold commander is the individual who is overall in charge and responsible for
determining a strategy that both silver and bronze command need to follow. They can also be
known as an overseer because they are never at the scene where the incident is happening;
therefore, they must be in a place which makes them easily contactable as well as having the correct
staff and tools to effectively manage the incident while it unfolds. There is never more than one gold
commander.
Tactical (Silver) – The silver commander commands and coordinates while following the strategy
that was made by the gold commander. They are usually based somewhere near the scene in order
to coordinate bronze command more quickly and effectively.
Operational (Bronze) – A bronze commander is responsible for the operational decisions in order to
accomplish the tactical plan set out by the silver commander. They can be found among the
personnel at the scene. Bronze commanders need to have a good and clear understanding of the
silver commanders tactical plan so they know what the deadlines are, what resources they have and
what they are required to do. They also have the responsibility of delegating further tasks to their
personnel and managing them throughout.
Planning
When a commander is going through the planning phase, it is important to remember the mnemonic
known as SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based. It is basically giving
certain criteria in order to guide an individual in the setting of objectives. It allows an individual to
use their time and resources more effectively by setting SMART goals, which also allows them to
clarify their ideas.
Briefing
It is the commander’s responsibility to provide their team with a briefing and it is important for a
commander to thoroughly brief their personnel’s on the task, as well as providing a debriefing at the
end in order to identify the good areas and areas for improvement. It will set out clear objectives
