ICS 100 INTRODUCTION TO THE INCIDENT COMMAND
SYSTEM EXAMS SCRIPT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
RATED A+
✔✔Incident Action Planning: - ✔✔Incident action planning guides effective incident
management activities.
An Incident Action Plan(IAP) is a concise, coherent means of capturing and
communicating overall incident priorities, objectives, strategies, tactics, and
assignments in the context of both operational and support activities.
The IAP should focus on addressing the needs of future timeframes (called operational
periods).
To be effective, an IAP should:
Cover a specified timeframe
Be proactive
Specify the incident objectives
State the activities to be completed
Assign responsibilities
Identify needed resources
Specify communication protocols
For smaller/less complex incidents, the IAP may be oral or written, except for hazardous
materials incidents, which require a written IAP. FEMA has developed a series of ICS
Forms for use in developing a written IAP.
✔✔Manageable Span of Control: - ✔✔Depending on your role within the Incident
Command System (ICS) structure, you may be asked to manage the activities of others.
Span of control refers to the number of individuals or resources that one supervisor can
manage effectively during an incident.
The optimal span of control is one supervisor to five subordinates(1:5). However,
effective incident management may require ratios significantly different from this.
This ratio is a guideline--incident personnel should use their best judgement to
determine the appropriate ratio for an incident.
If too much responsibility is given to the supervisor, the span of control may become
unmanageable.
A manageable span of control on incidents may actually vary depending upon the type
of incident, nature of the task, hazards and safety factors, and distances between
personnel and resources.
, Maintaining a manageable span is particularly important at incidents where safety and
accountability are a top priority.
✔✔Incident Facilities and Locations: - ✔✔Depending upon the incident size and
complexity, various types of support facilities may be established by Incident Command.
These designated facilities typically include:
Incident Command Post (ICP)
Incident base, staging areas, and camps
Mass casualty triage areas
Point-of-distribution
Emergency shelters
✔✔Comprehensive Resource Management - ✔✔The standard mechanisms to identify
requirements, order and acquire, mobilize, track and report, demobilize, and reimburse
and restock resources such as personnel, teams, facilities, equipment and supplies.
Key resource management activities include:
Resource Identification and Typing
Qualification, Certification and Credentialing Personnel
Planning for Resources
Acquiring, Storing and Inventorying Resources
✔✔Integrated Communications: - ✔✔Incident communications are facilitated through
the development and use of a common communications plan and interoperable
communication processes and systems that include voice and data links.
Integrated Communications are necessary to:
Maintain connectivity
Achieve situational awareness
Facilitate information sharing
✔✔Establishment and Transfer of Command: - ✔✔The command function should be
clearly established at the beginning of an incident.
The jurisdiction or organization with primary responsibility for the incident designates the
Incident Commander and the process for transferring command.
Transfer of command may occur during the course of an incident.
When command is transferred, the process should include a briefing that captures all
essential information for continuing safe and effective operations
✔✔Unified Command: - ✔✔In a Unified Command there is no single "Commander."
Instead the Unified Command manages the incident through jointly approved objectives.
SYSTEM EXAMS SCRIPT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
RATED A+
✔✔Incident Action Planning: - ✔✔Incident action planning guides effective incident
management activities.
An Incident Action Plan(IAP) is a concise, coherent means of capturing and
communicating overall incident priorities, objectives, strategies, tactics, and
assignments in the context of both operational and support activities.
The IAP should focus on addressing the needs of future timeframes (called operational
periods).
To be effective, an IAP should:
Cover a specified timeframe
Be proactive
Specify the incident objectives
State the activities to be completed
Assign responsibilities
Identify needed resources
Specify communication protocols
For smaller/less complex incidents, the IAP may be oral or written, except for hazardous
materials incidents, which require a written IAP. FEMA has developed a series of ICS
Forms for use in developing a written IAP.
✔✔Manageable Span of Control: - ✔✔Depending on your role within the Incident
Command System (ICS) structure, you may be asked to manage the activities of others.
Span of control refers to the number of individuals or resources that one supervisor can
manage effectively during an incident.
The optimal span of control is one supervisor to five subordinates(1:5). However,
effective incident management may require ratios significantly different from this.
This ratio is a guideline--incident personnel should use their best judgement to
determine the appropriate ratio for an incident.
If too much responsibility is given to the supervisor, the span of control may become
unmanageable.
A manageable span of control on incidents may actually vary depending upon the type
of incident, nature of the task, hazards and safety factors, and distances between
personnel and resources.
, Maintaining a manageable span is particularly important at incidents where safety and
accountability are a top priority.
✔✔Incident Facilities and Locations: - ✔✔Depending upon the incident size and
complexity, various types of support facilities may be established by Incident Command.
These designated facilities typically include:
Incident Command Post (ICP)
Incident base, staging areas, and camps
Mass casualty triage areas
Point-of-distribution
Emergency shelters
✔✔Comprehensive Resource Management - ✔✔The standard mechanisms to identify
requirements, order and acquire, mobilize, track and report, demobilize, and reimburse
and restock resources such as personnel, teams, facilities, equipment and supplies.
Key resource management activities include:
Resource Identification and Typing
Qualification, Certification and Credentialing Personnel
Planning for Resources
Acquiring, Storing and Inventorying Resources
✔✔Integrated Communications: - ✔✔Incident communications are facilitated through
the development and use of a common communications plan and interoperable
communication processes and systems that include voice and data links.
Integrated Communications are necessary to:
Maintain connectivity
Achieve situational awareness
Facilitate information sharing
✔✔Establishment and Transfer of Command: - ✔✔The command function should be
clearly established at the beginning of an incident.
The jurisdiction or organization with primary responsibility for the incident designates the
Incident Commander and the process for transferring command.
Transfer of command may occur during the course of an incident.
When command is transferred, the process should include a briefing that captures all
essential information for continuing safe and effective operations
✔✔Unified Command: - ✔✔In a Unified Command there is no single "Commander."
Instead the Unified Command manages the incident through jointly approved objectives.
