History of incident command system - Assignment Example

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM of Affiliation INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM History of ICS Incident Command System came into being in 1970 as response to a number of ruinous fires that had rocked California’s urban set-up. In addition to property damage that stood at millions of dollars, significant number of people were either killed or sustained serious injuries. The personnel charged with the responsibility to ascertain the causes of these destructive outcomes analyzed the case histories and hardly established grounds linking response challenges to inadequate resources or failure of tactics.

Shockingly, it was apparent that response challenges were substantially associated with deficiencies in management rather than any other solitary reason (Abbott, Hetzel & American Bar Association, 2010). Abbreviated as ICS, incident management system was designed to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in the emergency incident management by integration of factors such as personnel, equipment, communication, protocols and procedures, and facilities within a shared organizational structure. The fundamental principle of ICS operation is that it is generally applicable.

It is used to plan and organize for short-term to long-term field level of operations for a wide range of emergencies. In addition to being widely accepted in all levels of government that include federal, state and local, ICS has also penetrated into several private players in the private sector and non-governmental organizations. Its’ structure is organized in such a manner so as to carry out five major roles which include command, planning, logistics, and finance and administration (Canton, 2007).

Reasons why such a system is needed in emergency management ICS is very crucial in emergency management for various reasons, key of which include co-ordination of response among different jurisdictions and functional agencies, management and planning of resources, and integration of facilities, personnel, and other critical bits in the response. To begin with, ICS helps to harmonize the efforts and speedy response from all levels of the governments that include local, state, and federal. There are cases where emergency operations ended up dilly dallying or rather ineffective because of jurisdiction complexities.

For instance, the devastating impacts of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans could have minimized if only jurisdiction issues between the local and federal government had not existed. Unfortunately, because of the failure and the consequent delay of the federal government to understand at what point it was supposed to come in and help the overwhelmed local government, the impact of the disaster was much more devastating. Secondly, ICS is crucial as it integrates different facilities, equipment, personnel, command system, and communication protocol which enhances overall efficiency and effectiveness of the response.

Undoubtedly, the broader the source of above mentioned factors the better the expertise and ability to contain disasters. A disaster occurring at one point may easily be handled thanks to the management experience brought in by resources from other regions or non-governmental institutions. Lastly, planning and management of resources is enhanced by existence of incidence command system. Since several players come into play, a common pool of resources is also established. From this pool, appropriate allocation of resources needed for emergency operations can be allocated basing on the risk levels of a region relative to the other.

Also, ICS helps minimize the extent of financial burden that a given local or state government may incur in a bid to contain or respond to the aftermath of a disaster. In conclusion, establishment of incident command system is an essential component of emergency operations as it enhances efficiency and effectiveness. Through integration of different pre-requisites of emergency operations, ICS offers a platform through which response to emergency are expeditious and economical. References Abbott, E. B., Hetzel, O. J., & American Bar Association. (2010). Homeland security and emergency management: A legal guide for state and local governments.

Chicago, IL: Section of State and Local Government Law, American Bar Association. Canton, L. G. (2007). Emergency Management: Concepts and Strategies for Effective Programs. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.