NCJ Number
215637
Date Published
2006
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This chapter describes a joint (police, fire, emergency medical services, SWAT, hazard materials, and public health) tactical planning process that can be used to implement the National Incident Management System and Incident Command System (ICS) required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive five.
Abstract
A law enforcement and firefighter response to any major incident, ranging from mass gatherings at conventions to mass casualty terrorist attacks, involves the five Cs: command, communication, control, coordination, and consolidation. A joint tactical plan should address these areas for each target or event. Regarding command and communication, the first arriving unit (police or fire) assumes incident command responsibilities and conducts an assessment of conditions and response options. Once threats are identified, unified command must undertake operations needed to address the threat and its consequences. Various tasks that might be performed under the control regimen are outlined. As the incident evolves, the involvement of other agencies will become critical to mitigating harms. Tasks involved in coordinating these agencies are also outlined. Consolidation involves sustaining the response and safety at the scene, as well as the performance of an investigation of the incident for an extended period. Seven incident command tips are offered in the chapter. One tip is that SWAT commanders and HazMat team leaders should not be incident commanders; they should be assigned to the Operations Section. A second tip is to ignore the chaos of an incident while implementing the incident command system with predetermined checklists. Another tip is to lay out detailed planning for various types of incidents because it is impossible to respond rationally and effectively without having planned before the incident happens. Finally, train for the joint tactical plan and conduct simulation exercises to determine where the plan needs to be improved and revised.