Command & General Staff
This individual is the officer at the top of an incident chain of command responsible for overall management of the incident.
Who is the Incident Commander (IC)?
An individual piece of equipment and its personnel complement, or a single individual.
What is a Single Resource?
This fundamental principle states that every responder answers to only one single supervisor during an incident.
What is Unity of Command?
A location where personnel and equipment are held on a three-minute available status while awaiting tactical assignment.
What is a Staging Area?
These three specific positions make up the Command Staff and report directly to the Incident Commander.
What are the Public Information Officer (PIO), Incident Safety Officer (ISO), and Liaison Officer?
A specified number of personnel assembled for an assignment under the direct supervision of a leader.
What is a Crew?
This term describes the number of subordinates or functions one supervisor can effectively manage, usually between 3 and 7.
What is Span of Control?
This management framework is used when an incident involves multiple agencies with overlapping legal or geographic authority to establish joint objectives without relinquishing agency control.
What is Unified Command?
This General Staff section directly manages all tactical activities, tactical priorities, and the safety and welfare of personnel working in the section.
What is the Operations Section?
A combination of mixed resource types assembled with common communications and a leader to accomplish a specific mission.
What is a Task Force?
This organizational structure routes decisions and information down through an uninterrupted chain of command and feedback back up to the top.
What is the Scalar Structure?
Reciprocal assistance provided upon request between neighboring jurisdictions.
What is Mutual Aid?
This officer serves as the point of contact for assisting and cooperating agency representatives at a multijurisdictional incident.
Who is the Liaison Officer?
A set number of resources of the same kind and type with common communications and a leader operating in a separate vehicle.
What is a Strike Team?
While a Division manages operations in a defined geographic area, this equal organizational level manages a specified functional assignment regardless of geography.
What is a Group?
Formal written agreement signed by lead officials that defines roles and responsibilities within a Unified Command structure.
What is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)?
In the Logistics Section, these two distinct Branches handle (1) medical, communications, and food services, and (2) supplies, facilities, and ground support.
What are the Service Branch and the Support Branch?
Under NIMS protocol, resources and incidents are typed on a scale of I through V; these specific Roman numerals represent the most capable resource and the most complex incident type.
What is Type I?
According to NIMS-ICS guidelines regarding span of control within the Operations Section structure, an Operations Section Chief may establish up to this maximum number of Branches, and each Branch may contain up to this maximum number of Divisions or Groups.
What is up to 5 Branches and up to 5 Divisions/Groups per Branch?
Name the four standard levels of ICS briefings, specifically distinguishing the one delivered to nonoperational/support personnel at the ICP from the one delivered to crews at the start of an operational shift.
What are Staff-Level (ICP/nonoperational), Field-Level (crews/shift start), Section-Level, and Operational Period briefings?