The Incident Briefings and Meetings lesson introduces you to different types of briefings and meetings.

Lesson Objectives

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

• Describe components of field, staff, and section briefings/meetings.
• Prepare to give an Operational Period Briefing.

Effective briefings and meetings are:

• An essential element to good supervision and incident management
• Intended to pass along vital information required in the completion of incident response actions

Typically, these briefings are concise and do not include long discussions or complex decision-making. Rather, they allow incident managers and supervisors to communicate specific information and expectations for the upcoming work period and to answer questions.

There are three types of briefings/meetings used in ICS: staff level, field level, and section level.

• Staff-level briefings are delivered to resources assigned to nonoperational and support tasks at the Incident Command Post or Base.
• Field-level briefings are delivered to individual resources or crews who are assigned to operational tasks and/or work at or near the incident site.
• Section-level briefings are delivered to an entire Section and include the Operational Period Briefing.

Staff-Level Briefings

This level typically involves resources assigned to nonoperational and support tasks that are commonly performed at the Incident Base or Command Post. These briefings will be delivered to individual staff members or full units within a section. These briefings occur at the beginning of the assignment to the incident and as necessary during the assignment. The supervisor attempts to clarify tasks and scope of the work as well as define reporting schedule, subordinate responsibilities and delegated authority, and the supervisor's expectations. The supervisor will also introduce coworkers and define actual workspace, sources of work supplies, and work schedule.

Field-Level Briefings

This level typically involves resources assigned to operational tasks and/or work at or near the incident site. These briefings will be delivered to individual subordinates, full crews, or multiple crews such as Strike Teams or Task Forces and will occur at the beginning of an operational shift. The location will usually be near the work site or just prior to mobilization to the field. The supervisor attempts to focus the subordinates on their specific tasks and helps define work area, reporting relationships, and expectations.

Section-Level Briefings

This level typically involves the briefing of an entire Section (Operations, Planning, Logistics, or Finance/Administration) and is done by the specific Section Chief. These briefings occur at the beginning of the assignment to the incident and after the arrival of Section supervisory staff. The Section Chief may schedule periodic briefings at specific times (once per day) or when necessary. A unique briefing in this category is the Operational Period Briefing (also called a Shift Operations Briefing). Here, the Operations Section Chief presents the plan for all operational elements for the specific operational period. This specific briefing is done at the beginning of each operation shift and prior to the operational resources being deployed to the area of work. Often, a field-level briefing will take place subsequent to the completion of the Operational Period Briefing.

During any section-level briefing, the supervisor attempts to share incident-wide direction from the Incident Commander (IC), how the direction impacts the Section staff, and specific ways the Section will support the IC's direction. The supervisor will establish Section staffing requirements, Section work tasks, Section-wide scheduling rules, and overall timelines for meetings and completion of work products.

Below is a list of topics that you may want to include in a briefing.

• Current Situation and Objectives
• Safety Issues and Emergency Procedures
• Work Tasks
• Facilities and Work Areas
• Communications Protocols
• Supervisory/Performance Expectations
• Process for Acquiring Resources, Supplies, and Equipment
• Work Schedules
• Questions or Concerns

The Operational Period Briefing:

• Is conducted at the beginning of each operational period.
• Presents the Incident Action Plan for the upcoming period to supervisory personnel within the Operations Section.
• Should be concise.

In addition to the Operations Section Chief, the other members of the Command and General Staff as well as specific support elements (i.e., Communications Unit, Medical Unit) can provide important information needed for safe and effective performance during the operational period.

The Operational Period Briefing is facilitated by the Planning Section Chief and follows a set agenda. A typical briefing includes the following:

• The Planning Section Chief reviews the agenda and facilitates the briefing.
• The Incident Commander or Planning Section Chief presents incident objectives or confirms existing objectives.
• The Planning Section (Situation Unit Leader) provides information on the current situation.
• The current Operations Section Chief provides current assessment and accomplishments.
• The on-coming Operations Section Chief covers the work assignments and staffing of Divisions and Groups for the upcoming operational period.
• The Logistics Section Chief provides updates on transportation, communications, and supplies.
• The Finance/Administration Section Chief provides any fiscal updates.
• The Public Information Officer provides information on public information issues.
• The Liaison Officer briefs any interagency information.

• Technical Specialists present updates on conditions affecting the response (weather, fire behavior, environmental factors).
• The Safety Officer reviews specific risks to operational resources and the identified safety/mitigation measures.
• Supervisors of specialized functions such as Intelligence/Investigations or Air Operations brief on their area (if activated).
• The Incident Commander reiterates his or her operational concerns and directs resources to deploy.
• The Planning Section Chief announces the next Planning Meeting and Operational Period Briefing, then adjourns the meeting.

You have completed the Briefings lesson. You should now be able to:

• Describe components of field, staff, and section briefings/meetings.
• Prepare to give an Operational Period Briefing.

The next lesson will discuss organizational flexibility.