The MACS is a process that allows all levels of government and all disciplines to work together more efficiently and effectively. It occurs across the different disciplines involved in incident management, across jurisdictional lines, or across levels of government.

MACS coordinates activities above the incident-level and prioritizes incident demands for critical or competing resources, thereby assisting the coordination of the operations in the field. MACS integrates several elements into a common system including personnel (e.g., NRCS), procedures, protocols, facilities (e.g., NRCC), business practices, and communications.