At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• Describe chain of command and formal communication relationships.
• Identify common leadership responsibilities and values.
• Describe span of control and modular development.
• Describe the use of position titles. 

While examining Chain of Command and Unity of Command, we will also discuss additional information related to leadership in incident management.

We'll begin by reviewing chain of command.

Unity of command means that each individual involved in incident operations will be assigned – and will report – to only one supervisor.

Chain of command and unity of command help to ensure that clear reporting relationships exist and eliminate the confusion caused by multiple, conflicting directives. Incident managers at all levels must be able to control the actions of all personnel under their supervision.

Unity of command clears up many of the potential communication problems encountered in managing incidents or events because each individual maintains a formal communication relationship only with his or her immediate supervisor.

Don't confuse unity of command with Unified Command!

When no one jurisdiction, agency, or organization has primary authority and/or the resources to manage an incident on its own, Unified Command may be established.  There is no one "Commander." The Unified Command can allocate resources regardless of ownership or location.

This illustration shows three responsible agencies managing an incident together under a Unified Command.

Unified Command:

• Enables all responsible agencies to manage an incident together by establishing a common set of incident objectives and strategies
• Allows Incident Commanders to make joint decisions by establishing a single command structure at one Incident Command Post (ICP)
• Maintains Unity of Command. Each employee reports to only one supervisor

Advantages of using Unified Command include:

• A single set of objectives guides incident response.
• A collective approach is used to develop strategies to achieve incident objectives.
• Information flow and coordination are improved between all involved in the incident.
• All agencies have an understanding of joint priorities and restrictions.
• No agency's legal authorities will be compromised or neglected.
• Agencies' efforts are optimized as they perform their respective assignments under a single Incident Action Plan.

As illustrated on the previous screen, formal communication must be used when:

• Receiving and giving work assignments
• Requesting support or additional resources
• Reporting progress of assigned tasks

Other information concerning the incident or event can be passed horizontally or vertically within the organization without restriction. This is known as informal communication.

Informal communication:

• Is used to exchange incident or event information only
• Is NOT used for:
• Formal requests for additional resources
• Tasking work assignments

Within the ICS organization, critical information must flow freely!

Examples of informal communication are as follows:

• The Communications Unit Leader may directly contact the Resources Unit Leader to determine the number of persons requiring communications devices.
• The Cost Unit Leader may directly discuss and share information on alternative strategies with the Planning Section Chief.

A good leader:

• Communicates by giving specific instructions and asking for feedback.
• Supervises the scene of action.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of the plan.
• Understands and accepts the need to modify plans or instructions.
• Ensures safe work practices.
• Takes command of assigned resources.
• Motivates with a "can do safely" attitude.
• Demonstrates initiative by taking action.

The safety of all personnel involved in an incident or a planned event is the first duty of ICS leadership. This is the overall responsibility of Team Leaders, Group or Division Supervisors, Branch Directors, Sections Chiefs, and all members of the Command or Unified Command staff. Ensuring safe work practices is the top priority within the ICS common leadership responsibilities.

What can you do, personally, that demonstrates your commitment to duty to those you lead? As a leader, you should try to:

• Take charge within your scope of authority.
• Be prepared to step out of a tactical role to assume a leadership role.
• Be proficient in your job.
• Make sound and timely decisions.
• Ensure tasks are understood.
• Develop your subordinates for the future.

In order to maintain leadership and respect, a leader should:

• Know their subordinates and look out for their well-being. A leader’s workforce is their greatest resource. Not all workers will succeed equally, but they all deserve respect.
• Keep their subordinates and supervisor informed by providing accurate and timely briefings and giving the intent behind assignments and tasks.
• Build the team. Conducting frequent briefings and debriefings with the team enables a leader to monitor progress and identify lessons learned. Considerations made during these meetings should include team experience, fatigue, and physical limitations when accepting assignments.

To ensure sharing of critical information, all responders must:

• Brief others as needed
• Debrief their actions
• Communicate hazards to others
• Acknowledge messages
• Ask if they do not know

While not always possible, the most effective form of communication is face-to-face.

Provide complete briefings that include clearly stated objectives and the following elements:

Assessment is an important leadership responsibility and is conducted after a major activity in order to allow employees and leaders to discover what happened and why. Assessment methods include:

• Corrective action report/After-Action Review (AAR)
• Debriefing
• Post-incident critique
• Mitigation plans

ICS establishes common terminology that allows diverse incident management and support entities to work together.

Major functions and functional units with incident management responsibilities are named and defined. Terminology for the organizational elements involved is standard and consistent.

The ICS organization:

• Is typically structured to facilitate activities in five major functional areas: Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration
• Is adaptable to any emergency or incident to which domestic incident management agencies would be expected to respond
• Has a scalable organizational structure that is based on the size and complexity of the incident

However, this flexibility does NOT allow for the modification of the standard, common language used to refer to organizational components or positions.

The next series of screens will assess how much of this terminology you remember from the ICS 100 course.

• Incident Commander (IC): The individual responsible for all incident activities, including the development of strategies and tactics and the ordering and the release of resources. The IC has overall authority and responsibility for conducting incident operations and is responsible for the management of all incident operations at the incident site.
• Command Staff: The Command Staff consists of:
• Liaison Officer: A member of the Command Staff responsible for coordinating with representatives from cooperating and assisting agencies. The Liaison Officer may have Assistants.
• Public Information Officer: A member of the Command Staff responsible for interfacing with the public and media or with other agencies with incident-related information requirements.
• Safety Officer: A member of the Command Staff responsible for monitoring and assessing safety hazards or unsafe situations, and for developing measures for ensuring personnel safety. The Safety Officer may have Assistants.
• General Staff: The organization level having functional responsibility for primary segments of incident management (Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration). The Section level is organizationally between Branch and Incident Commander. Sections are as follows:
• Operations Section: The Operations Section responsible for all tactical operations at the incident. The Operations Section includes:
• Branch: That organizational level having functional, geographical, or jurisdictional responsibility for major parts of the incident operations. The Branch level is organizationally between Section and Division/Group in the Operations Section, and between Section and Units in the Logistics Section. Branches are identified by the use of Roman numerals, by function, or by jurisdictional name.
• Division: That organization level having responsibility for operations within a defined geographic area. The Division level is organizationally between the Strike Team and the Branch.
• Group: Groups are established to divide the incident into functional areas of operation. Groups are located between Branches (when activated) and Resources in the Operations Section.
• Unit: That organization element having functional responsibility for a specific incident planning, logistics, or finance activity.
• Task Force: A group of resources with common communications and a leader that may be preestablished and sent to an incident, or formed at an incident.
• Strike Team/Resource Team: Specified combinations of the same kind and type of resources, with common communications and a leader.
• Single Resource: An individual, a piece of equipment and its personnel complement, or an established crew or team of individuals with an identified work supervisor, that can be used on an incident.
• Planning Section: Responsible for the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of information related to the incident, and for the preparation and documentation of the Incident Action Plan. The Planning Section also maintains information on the current and forecasted situation, and on the status of resources assigned to the incident. This Section includes the Situation, Resources, Documentation, and Demobilization Units, as well as Technical Specialists.
• Logistics Section: The Section responsible for providing facilities, services, and materials for the incident. Includes the Service Branch (Communications Unit, Medical Unit, and Food Unit) and Support Branch (Supply Unit, Facilities Unit, and Ground Support Unit).
• Finance/Administration Section: The Section responsible for all incident costs and financial considerations. The Finance/Administration Section includes the Time Unit, Procurement Unit, Compensation/Claims Unit, and Cost Unit.
• Intelligence/Investigations (I/I) Function: Some incidents involve intensive intelligence gathering and investigative activity, and for such incidents, the Incident Commander or Unified Command may reconfigure intelligence and investigations responsibilities to meet the needs of the incident.  The purpose of the Intelligence/Investigations function is to ensure that intelligence and investigative operations and activities are properly managed and coordinated.

The ICS organization adheres to a "form follows function" philosophy. The size of the current organization and that of the next operational period is determined through the incident planning process.

Because the ICS is a modular concept, managing span of control is accomplished by organizing resources into Teams, Divisions, Groups, Branches, or Sections. When the supervisor-to-subordinate ratio exceeds manageable span of control, additional Teams, Divisions, Groups, Branches, or Sections can be established. When a supervisor is managing too few subordinates, Sections, Branches, Divisions, Groups, or Teams can be reorganized or demobilized to reach a more effective span of control.

The initial response to most domestic incidents is typically handled by local "911" dispatch centers, emergency responders within a single jurisdiction, and direct supporters of emergency responders. Most responses need go no further.

Approximately 95% of all incidents are small responses that include:

• Command: Incident Commander and other Command Staff
• Single Resource: An individual, a piece of equipment and its personnel complement, or an established crew or team of individuals with an identified work supervisor that can be used on an incident

Incidents that begin with single resources may rapidly expand requiring significant additional resources and operational support.

At each level within the ICS organization, individuals with primary responsibility positions have distinct titles. Using specific ICS position titles serves these important purposes:

• Provides a common standard
• Ensures qualified individuals fill positions
• Ensures that requested personnel are qualified
• Standardizes communication
• Describes the responsibilities of the position

You have completed the Incident Command and Unified Command lesson. You should now be able to:

• Describe chain of command and formal communication relationships.
• Identify common leadership responsibilities and values.
• Describe span of control and modular development.
• Describe the use of position titles. 

The next lesson will discuss delegation of authority and management by objectives.