The Incident Command System

The ICS concept was formed in 1968 at a meeting of Fire Chiefs in Southern California. The program reflects the management hierarchy of the US Navy, and at first was used mainly to fight California wildfires. During the 1970s, ICS was fully developed during massive wildfire suppression efforts in California (FIRESCOPE) that followed a series of catastrophic wildfires, starting with the massive Laguna fire in 1970. Property damage ran into the millions, and many people died or were injured. Studies determined that response problems often related to communication and management deficiencies rather than lack of resources or failure of tactics.

Nowadays, the Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination of emergency response providing a common hierarchy within which responders from multiple agencies can be effective.

Source: Wikipedia

What ChatGPT-4 answers when asked “Please describe briefly what is the incident command system?

The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized, on-scene, all-hazard incident management concept in the United States. It's a flexible, yet organized, framework that allows government, private sector, and non-governmental organizations to work together during incidents of all kinds, from small to complex incidents, both natural and manmade.

ICS is typically used by emergency personnel to organize efforts during a response to an emergency situation. It's based on the principle of clear command structure, roles, and responsibilities, which allows for efficient coordination and communication among different agencies and individuals involved.

The ICS is characterized by five major functional areas: command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance/administration. These functions may be expanded or contracted as necessary to meet the needs of an incident. ICS also includes principles to manage the incident after-action review and improvement planning.

The system was developed in the 1970s following a series of catastrophic fires in California's wildlands, and it's since been applied to emergencies on a national and even global scale, including the management of terrorist attacks, industrial accidents, and public health emergencies.

ICS room in San Jose, CA
- courtesy of San Jose Fire

What Bard answers when asked “Please describe briefly what is the incident command system?

The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination of emergency response providing a common hierarchy within which responders from multiple agencies can be effective. ICS was initially developed to address problems of inter-agency responses to wildfires in California and Arizona but is now a component of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in the US, where it has evolved into use in all-hazards situations, ranging from active shootings to hazmat scenes. In addition, ICS has acted as a pattern for similar approaches internationally.

ICS procedures should be pre-established and sanctioned by participating authorities, and personnel should be well-trained prior to an incident. ICS includes procedures to select and form temporary management hierarchies to control funds, personnel, facilities, equipment, and communications. Personnel are assigned according to established standards and procedures previously sanctioned by participating authorities. ICS is a system designed to be used or applied from the time an incident occurs until the requirement for management and operations no longer exist.

Learn more about the Incident Command System

There are many many available resources about ICS, here are some of our favorites: