CCP 11-19-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

.---- -, -, . . Communitv ResDonse to the Threat of Terrorism - A Public Em/tv Risk institute Svmnosium act. I think Ihat by slarting some honest dialogue regardingol.lfs!lortcom-iii-gs and ttying to fix Ihem if we find them, we can all benefil by having the first responders prepared when one of these incidents occurs in our jurisdiction, Unified Command at a Terrorist Incident The Incident Command System (ICS) has been almost universally adopled as the method ofrapidly organizing a crilical incident, such as a terrorist attack, The eight jobs in the Incident Command System will allow us to rapidly organize a confusing set of circumstances, If alllhe agencies involved in the incident are using the same eight critical jobs to manage their agency, Ihe cooperative effort of all the agencies will increase dramatically, The principal is that of having all responders "singing off the same sheet of music," so thai we don't waste valuable time learning each other's organizalional framework, California has mandated the use of ICS al any critical incident or natural disasler for which reimbursement will be sought from the state. This law Ihat went into effect in 1996 was a direct outgrowth ofthe disastrous Oakland / Berkeley Hills fire of 1993, Valuable time was wasted during the attack on the fire because all ofthe mutual aid agencies thai responded used a different method of command organization, This led to significant confusion between the responding agencies. Subsequent investigation and reform by the state legislature resulted in the passage of California's Standardized Emergency Management System -- or SEMS -- law. It is this law that oullines the principles of ICS and the eight critical jobs it encompasses, With regard to the job of Incident Commander, it is important in the context of "who's in charge" to lalk about the ICS concepl of Unified Command, Unified Command speaks to the issue that all of the major players in an incident need to gel together to share information, resources, and responsibility for Ihe smoolh delivery of effective service. But, as in all events, there can only be one boss, one "shol caller," directing the focus of the group, and setting the group's goals, The image of a triangle helps 10 convey this concept. In an organizational chart there is usually a box at the top for the Incidenl Commander. I want you to think of the Incident Commander position in this chart as a triangle in which multiple agencies' bosses can reside, In our terrorist incident, there are Ihree major players: local fire, local law enforcement, and the FBI. There could certainly be others, such as public works for heavy equipment and major infrastructure damage, but let's slay with the main three for now, This whole system of "who's in command" and Unified Command only works if all agencies are aware of each olher's primary needs, The Fire Departmenl must have crowds kept back and clear streets to move in heavy equipment. Law enforcement needs to have evidence preserved and witnesses identified, The FBI needs to have extensive cooperation and support for many days and even weeks from both the local fire and law enforcement to preserve the scene and collect evidence, Unified Command at Q Terrorist Incident 4