ICS/NIMS Command Structure
What does ICS stand for?
What is Incident Command System?
This three-digit number is used to reach emergency services in the United States.
What is 911?
This word represents the letter "A" in the NATO phonetic alphabet.
What is Alpha?
These three letters stand for Personal Protective Equipment.
This type of severe weather event is most common in Texas.
What are tornadoes (or severe thunderstorms)?
This system provides a consistent nationwide framework for managing incidents at all levels.
What is NIMS (National Incident Management System)?
This ICS position has overall authority and responsibility for managing an incident.
What is the Incident Commander?
This radio phrase means "message received and understood."
What is 10-4?
The letter "B" is represented by this word in the NATO phonetic alphabet.
What is Bravo?
This percentage of airborne particles is filtered by an N95 mask.
What is 95%?
During this type of warning, you should go to the lowest level of a building, in an interior room, away from windows.
What is a tornado warning?
When removing PPE, this item should be taken off first to minimize contamination.
What are gloves?
In ICS, the ideal span of control is between these two numbers of subordinates per supervisor.
What is 3 to 7?
This type of radio system remains functional when cell towers are damaged or overwhelmed during disasters.
What is amateur (HAM) radio?
These three NATO phonetic words spell out "CAT."
What is Charlie-Alpha-Tango?
This is the correct order for donning PPE: gown, mask, goggles, and this item last.
What are gloves?
This is the difference between a "watch" and a "warning" for severe weather.
What is a watch means conditions are favorable for severe weather to develop, and a warning means severe weather has been spotted or detected?
This emergency communication signal indicates a life-threatening distress situation.
What is mayday?
Your town experiences a major hazmat spill that affects multiple jurisdictions including city, county, and state agencies. Each agency wants to be in charge. What ICS structure should be implemented and why?
What is Unified Command? (It allows multiple agencies with different legal, geographic, or functional authorities to work together effectively while maintaining their individual agency authority and responsibility.)
[CRITICAL THINKING] You're responding to a mass casualty incident and receive conflicting information from three different sources about the number of victims. As the PIO, how should you handle communicating this information to the public?
What is verify information from the Incident Commander/official sources before releasing, acknowledge uncertainty, provide only confirmed facts, and commit to updates as information becomes available?
[CRITICAL THINKING] You're radioing a license plate number "BDM-3749" to dispatch during a pursuit. Spell it out using the NATO phonetic alphabet.
What is Bravo-Delta-Mike-Three-Seven-Four-Nine?
[CRITICAL THINKING] You're responding to a scene where a victim is bleeding heavily and needs immediate care. In your rush to help, your partner skips proper PPE donning procedures and puts gloves on first, then tries to put on a gown. What are two problems this creates, and what should happen before providing care?
What are: (1) Contaminated gloves will contaminate the clean gown as you try to put it on, defeating the purpose of PPE; (2) The gloves may tear or become compromised while donning the gown, leaving you unprotected. The responder should stop, remove the gloves properly, perform hand hygiene, and re-don PPE in the correct order (gown, mask, goggles, then gloves last) even though it takes extra time. Scene safety and responder protection must come first.
[CRITICAL THINKING] You're sheltering 50 people in a school during a tornado. Suddenly, you receive a flash flood warning for your area due to heavy rain. The tornado warning is still in effect. What do you do and why?
What is remain sheltered for the tornado (the immediate threat) in the interior rooms on the lowest level, but avoid basements if flooding is imminent? Monitor both situations closely and be prepared to move to higher ground only if water begins entering the building. The tornado is the more immediate life threat.
[CRITICAL THINKING] You're the Incident Commander at a hazmat incident. A reporter approaches the perimeter demanding information and starts interviewing bystanders who are spreading inaccurate information about the chemical involved. Your Operations Chief is busy managing the response. What ICS position should handle this situation, and what are three key messages they should communicate to maintain public trust while operations continue?
What is the Public Information Officer (PIO)? Key messages should include: (1) Acknowledge what is confirmed vs. unknown about the incident (transparency); (2) Describe protective actions the public should take to stay safe (actionable guidance); (3) Establish when and how updated information will be provided (manage expectations). The PIO should also correct misinformation professionally without creating panic. This allows the Operations Chief to focus on tactical response while ensuring accurate public communication.
[CRITICAL THINKING] You are the Incident Commander at a wildfire that has been burning for 3 days. Your Operations Section Chief comes to you exhausted and says she can't continue. Your Planning Section Chief volunteers to take over both positions to "save resources." Should you allow this? Explain your answer using ICS principles.
What is NO? This violates the ICS principle of maintaining distinct roles and manageable span of control.
[CRITICAL THINKING] During a crisis, social media is spreading rumors that are causing panic and dangerous behavior. Traditional media outlets are calling for official statements, but you don't have complete information yet. What communication strategy should you employ?
What is acknowledge what is known and unknown, directly address false rumors with facts, provide guidance on safe actions, establish regular update intervals, and use multiple communication channels to ensure accurate information reaches the public? (Accept answers demonstrating understanding of transparency, timeliness, and accuracy.)
[CRITICAL THINKING] Explain why emergency responders use the NATO phonetic alphabet instead of just saying regular letters, and give an example of a situation where NOT using it could lead to dangerous consequences.
What is to prevent miscommunication over poor radio quality, background noise, or similar-sounding letters (B/D/E/P/T)? Example: confusing "B" and "D" in a street address could send responders to the wrong location during a medical emergency, delaying life-saving treatment.
[CRITICAL THINKING] During a long incident response, your partner removes their mask because they're hot and tired, saying "I'll just put it back on if I need it." Three things are wrong with this behavior. Identify them and explain the risks.
What are: (1) Contamination exposure - hazards may be present even if not immediately visible; (2) Cross-contamination - hands may be contaminated and touching the face/mask spreads it; (3) False sense of security - you can't always detect hazards before exposure occurs. The risks include chemical exposure, biological hazards, or respiratory illness.
[CRITICAL THINKING] After a major hurricane hits the Texas coast, you're coordinating shelter operations. Three days later, you're receiving reports of illness among evacuees...respiratory problems, skin rashes, and gastrointestinal issues. What are three possible disaster-related causes you should investigate, and what actions should you take?
What are: (1) Mold exposure from water damage (2) Poor sanitation/contaminated water (3) Overcrowding leading to disease spread. Actions include: isolate sick individuals, contact public health officials, improve ventilation, ensure clean water access, inspect for mold/contamination, and possibly relocate evacuees if conditions are unsafe.
[CRITICAL THINKING] You respond to a multi-casualty incident at a school. As you arrive, you see: victims with various injuries, panicked parents breaching the perimeter, media filming, and multiple agencies arriving without coordination. Using your knowledge of ICS, communication, and disaster response, describe the first five critical actions you would take and explain why each is important.
What are: (1) Establish command and announce it via radio (unity of command/accountability); (2) Conduct a quick scene size-up and request appropriate resources (situational awareness); (3) Establish a perimeter and assign law enforcement to control access (scene safety/security); (4) Designate a staging area for incoming resources (span of control/organization); (5) Appoint a PIO to manage media/family reunification information (accurate communication/reduced chaos). Each action establishes foundational ICS principles that enable effective response.