Incident Command System - Coursework Example

Table of contents 1.0 Introduction 2 1.1 History of incident command system 2 2.0 Structuring an incident 3 2.1 Sectorisation of an incident 3 2.2 Vertical sectorisation 3 2.2.1Fire sector 4 2.2.2 Search sector 4 2.2.3 Lobby sector 4 2.3 Location of sector commanders 5 2.4 Assuming and handing over of command of sector 6 3.0Line of command 6 4.0 Purpose of functional officer 7 5.0 Span of control 7 6.0 Why use command support and command support officer 8 7.0 Inner and outer cordons 8 8.0Tactical modes-offensive, defensive and transitional 8 9.0Advantages of incident command system 9 10.0 Incident command system for high rise buildings 9 11.0Harrow Court incident 9 12.0 Dynamic risk assessment 11 13.0 Inter agency liaison 11 14.0 Recommendation 12 15.0 Conclusion 12 1.0 Introduction Incident command system refers to management model that is used during occurrence of various incidents like fire etc. In this case, protocol has to be observed when managing the whole situation. Through this protocol, there is better management of equipment, facilities, personnel and also proper communications. This paper is explaining the incident command system and how it would be implemented at a major incident. This paper also handles sectorisation of an incident among other issues. (Bartosh, 2003) 1.1 History of incident command system Research shows that incident command system was started in the early seventies by Ian Gilchrist. This was after realising that many people were being injured, some died and property was destroyed. Studies showed that there were mostly management and communication problems but not unavailability of resources. There are different levels of command that were put in place in order to easily manage incidents. These levels include Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels of command. In the Bronze level of command there is the use of both skilled and unskilled labour in accomplishment of tasks. It is also called the operational level. The silver level of command refers to the second incident commander answerable to the overall commander. It is also called the tactical level. The gold level of command refers to the overall incident commander in charge of the whole situation. The platinum level refers to the committee that handles incidents. (Blossom, 2002) 2.0 Structuring an incident Structuring an incident in simple terms refers to putting up structure that needs to be followed when handling the incident. 2.1 Sectorisation of an incident Sectorisation of an incident basically refers to division of the incident into smaller sectors that are easily manageable. There are different types of sectors that an incident can be divided into. They include; i. Functional ii. Geographic iii. Combination of both functional and geographic sectors. All these can be used to make an incident manageable. 2.2 Vertical sectorisation Vertical sectorisation is quite essential in high rise buildings. In this case the incident commander divides the incident in terms of the floor which is affected. This helps the incident commander to make essential decisions like evacuation of occupants and how to access the affected floor or room. It also refers to dividing the high rise or multi storey building into three sectors. These include the area that is affected by the fire, the search area and the lobby sector. (Chapman, 1995) 2.2.1Fire sector The fire sector basically refers to the area that is affected by the fire. In high rise and multi-storey building, it is quite important to know which floor. It is quite imperative for the incident commander to ensure that there is a safety officer that is placed on the floor that is affected by the fire. It is quite essential that there be good communications from the safety office to the rest of the rescue or fire fighting crew. 2.2.2 Search sector It is the area where operations take place. This includes rescuing of people tapped in the building and venting. It is quite essential that the secondary commander be put at this place. The individual should not be physically involved in the operations. He should however control the crew carrying out search of people trapped within the building. This area is known to have quite a lot of activity and therefore needs to be adequately controlled. The person in charge of this sector has to communicate and be in unity with the commander on the fire floor. (Kramer, 1992) 2.2.3 Lobby sector The lobby area is also referred to the entrance area. In high rise buildings, it could be two floors below the floor affected by the fire. This sector also requires proper management. It is through this area that equipment used to quench the fire should be collected. The relief personnel should also be readily available at the lobby sector. The incident commander on this floor should be readily available and positioned in a place where he is easily accessible. 2.3 Location of sector commanders The location of sector commanders is a factor that plays a very big role towards the success of any rescue team. It is quite essential that sector commanders be placed in areas where they are easily accessed by the rest of the team members. The sector commanders have to be placed in areas where there are very few risks that can harm them since such an occurrence thwarts the efforts of the entire group. (Lesak, 1989) The sector commander of the lobby area has to be positioned at the lobby. The sector commander of fire area has to be positioned on the floor where the fire occurs. The search area should also have commander positioned therein in order to co-ordinate the search. Through proper positioning of sector commanders objectives are easily achieved. 2.3.1 Support or functional sector The functional sector is part and parcel of different sectors that have to be incorporated during managing of incident. This sector is in charge of definition of tasks that have to be accomplished at the scene. These sectors are also called groups. This could include the group that is in charge of attacking the fire or its source. Each group in this case is given a specific task to accomplish at the incident. There could also be a functional group in charge or rescuing those trapped within the building while others could deal with removing property within premises. This is especially property that is at the risk of being destroyed by the fire. (Munger, 1991) 2.4 Assuming and handing over of command of sector Assuming and handing over command of sector is a common occurrence during many incident command scenarios. An individual in rescue team can assume the position of command of sector when there is no one qualified to handle it. This is later handed over when more qualified personnel able to handle the sector arrive on the scene. The handing over of command of sector can be carried out for various reasons. One of them is when a more qualified person arrives on the scene who can handle the sector. This is especially when the incident grows to a level that the current person in command of the sector cannot handle. Handing over command of sector can also be carried out when the incident subsides and can therefore be managed by a less qualified person. 3.0Line of command The line of command in incident command is known to vary from organisation to organisation. The most common is whereby there is the incident commander, operations commander, the sector commander, command support, safety officer and the working crew etc. The incident commander is always in charge of managing all the other people at the scene. He has all the people answerable to him. Every person at the scene is however not directly answerable to the incident commander. The role of the incident commander is to make final decisions at the scene. (Terpak, 2002) In other words he is the overall decision maker. The next person after the incident commander is the operations commander. He is in charge of directing the actions at the incident in order to accomplish set objectives. He is answerable to the incident commander. The sector commander is in charge of managing the sector assigned to him. This could be the lobby sector etc. He has to follow instructions given by the operations commander. 4.0 Purpose of functional officer The purpose of a functional officer is to ensure that all operations run smoothly. 5.0 Span of control A span of control is a very common terminology that is used in incident command. This refers to the number of people that one manager or commander should be in control of. It is a requirement that one person should a maximum of seven people and a minimum of three people to control. In fact, the ideal number required is five people. (Terpak, 2002) When the people are that are being controlled by one person are more than seven, it is considered to be overloading. If this situation occurs, then it is highly required that expansion of command structure is carried out. This is definitely through delegation of the available responsibilities. When the people are less than three, then next person in the chain of command can be given the responsibility to direct and control them. 6.0 Why use command support and command support officer The command support in literal sense means that external support is offered to incident commander. This helps the incident commander look at things in a different perspective. 7.0 Inner and outer cordons The inner cordon refers to the area at the incident where emergency personnel work. In most cases their work is to help survivors and causalities. It is a requirement that personnel in the inner cordon have proper protective attires and equipment. It is in this area that evidence needs to be well preserved. The outer cordon refers to the area that encompasses the inner cordon. In most cases it closes the area of the incident such that the public cannot access it. This is carried out in order to prevent or protect the public from being harmed. This also makes operations easier. 8.0Tactical modes-offensive, defensive and transitional Tactical mode is when an incident is handled in a mode that is described to be offensive. In this case the risks are known to be lower than the benefits. The team in this case works in an area that is hazardous. The defensive mode of fighting is whereby the benefits are low when compared to the risks that have been identified in the area. In this case of defensive mode, the team fights the fire within the building using aerial and external jets. The transitional mode is whereby both the defensive and the offensive tactical modes are carried out concurrently. This is when the entire incident is referred to as being handled in a mode that is transitional. (Munger, 1991) 9.0Advantages of incident command system The incident command system is quite advantageous. This is because it plays a big role in enhancing order at the incident. It also helps in avoiding conflicting advice from different people. It also allows sectorisation which makes the management of incidents easier. Through the incident command system it is easy to hand over leadership of a sector or the entire incident. An incident without it would have more confusion and even have more deaths and injuries. 10.0 Incident command system for high rise buildings Incidents at high buildings require ICS to be put in place. The incident command system helps to carry out sectorisation of the high rise building. This is quite essential since the fire floor sector deals with quenching the fire. Other sectors like search area helps in rescuing those trapped and also salvaging property from the building. This helps in managing the fire very easily. It also helps in minimising deaths and injuries. All these are good factors concerning incident command system for high rise buildings. 11.0Harrow Court incident This occurred in the year two thousand and five on the second of February. The Hertfordshire fire service was informed of fire on Harrow Court. The fire was on the fifteenth floor. This building has eighteen floors. There was dispatch of two fire machines. Michael Miller, Jeffrey Wornham and Helen Antrobus went to locate the exact floor of fire since it was not clear. These fire fighters entered the building without protective clothing or water. The fire spread so fast when they entered the building and as Jeffrey was escaping, he was trapped by electric cables. He was later found by the reinforcing team still held up. The cables were cut and official recording of his death was carried out in hospital. Michael Miller was also trapped by electric cables. The two died as they tried or made efforts to rescue a woman trapped within the building. The incident was not well managed because there was no incident command system in place at Harrow Court. The incident was not well managed because the first team entered the building quite early. In this case there was no support team or any control measures in place. The two fire fighters did not use hose lines as protection when they were entering the building. The two also entered the building while a plan was being formulated on necessary facilities required to handle such a situation. It was better for the two fire fighters to have ensured that they have protective hose lines before entering the building. The two would also have waited for proper plans to be made before embarking on the rescue mission. 12.0 Dynamic risk assessment Dynamic risk assessment refers assessment of risks that is continuous in nature. It is carried out in circumstances that show changes that are quite dynamic. In this case, the circumstances are at an incident that is operational. This continuous risk assessment is therefore carried out in order to put in place control strategies to ensure that safety at the scene is of an acceptable standard. The Harrow Court incident did not incorporate a dynamic risk assessment at an early stage. This would have helped them to know the drastic changes at the scene early enough. This played a role in the two fire fighters’ death. 13.0 Inter agency liaison Inter agency liaison at fire incidents is important. These include the government, police, ambulance and local authority. The ambulance can help in transporting injured to hospital. The police can interrogate any suspicious people around. The incident commander can also get massive help from the government and the local authority. The Harrow Court incident would have benefited from all these agencies. The structural engineer would have given advice in relation to the way the building is constructed and how safe rescues can be made. Police would help in recording statement concerning deaths. (Bartosh, 2003) 14.0 Recommendation It is highly recommended that the incident command system be incorporated during occurrence of incidents. This includes sectorisation of incidents. Through this, deaths at incidents will be highly minimised. 15.0 Conclusion Incident command system was started in the early seventies by Ian Gilchrist. Sectorisation of an incident usually helps to handle the situation in a more organised manner. The incident commander always has the power to choose the tactical mode of handling the situation. Incidents in high rise buildings require sectorisation into lobby, search and fire area. Through this the fire can be managed and people easily rescued. The Harrow court incidence saw to it the death of two fire fighters. The two of them went into the building quite early and without protective hose lines. They did not wait for proper plans on how to handle the situation to be carried out. All this would have been avoided if there was an incident command system in place. Read More