Incident Command System for Organisations

Introduction

When an incident occurs, confusion over who is in charge, who does what and how information flows can waste precious time. Incident command systems provide a proven, scalable structure for managing incidents of any size, with clear roles, a manageable span of control, common terminology and a disciplined planning cycle.

This Incident Command System for Organisations training course explains how to adapt incident command principles, widely used by emergency services, to the needs of businesses, public bodies and industrial sites. Participants learn the core functions of command, operations, planning, logistics and finance, how to establish and expand an incident structure, how to run incident action planning and how to coordinate with external responders.

Practical exercises allow participants to practise setting up and running an incident command structure under realistic conditions.

Course Objectives

By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the principles and benefits of incident command systems
• Describe core functions and roles within an incident structure
• Establish and scale an incident command structure
• Apply span of control, unity of command and common terminology
• Run incident action planning cycles and briefings
• Manage resources, logistics and documentation during incidents
• Coordinate with emergency services using unified command
• Transfer command and demobilise effectively

Target Audience

This training course is suitable for a wide range of professionals, including:

• Emergency response team leaders
• Health, safety and environment managers
• Security and facilities managers
• Business continuity and crisis managers
• Site and plant managers
• Public sector emergency planners

Training Methodology

The course is practical and exercise-driven. Participants learn each element of the incident command system and then apply it in progressively complex scenarios, establishing structures, producing incident action plans, conducting briefings and coordinating with simulated external agencies.

Target Competencies

• Incident command structure design
• Incident leadership
• Incident action planning
• Resource and logistics management
• Unified command coordination
• Incident documentation

Day One: Principles of Incident Command

• History and purpose of incident command systems
• Core principles: modular structure and span of control
• Unity of command and chain of command
• Common terminology and integrated communications
• Applying incident command in non-emergency organisations
• Lessons from incidents with poor command structures
• Exercise: analysing a poorly coordinated incident

Day Two: Incident Command Roles and Structure

• The incident commander and command staff
• Operations, planning, logistics and finance sections
• Safety, liaison and public information officers
• Establishing the initial structure in the first minutes
• Expanding and contracting the structure as needed
• Incident command posts and facilities
• Exercise: establishing an initial incident structure

Day Three: Incident Action Planning

• The operational period and planning cycle
• Setting incident objectives and priorities
• Developing the incident action plan
• Briefings and situation reports
• Tracking resources and assignments
• Documentation and decision logs
• Workshop: producing an incident action plan

Day Four: Resources, Logistics and Coordination

• Requesting, tracking and managing resources
• Logistics support for responders and facilities
• Finance and administration during incidents
• Working with emergency services on site
• Unified command with external agencies
• Communication plans and radio discipline
• Simulation: a site incident with external responders

Day Five: Transfer of Command and Recovery

• Transfer of command procedures and briefings
• Handover from response to recovery teams
• Demobilisation planning and responder welfare
• Post-incident debriefs and lessons learned
• Training and exercising incident command teams
• Integrating incident command with crisis management
• Personal action plan for incident command