EMC008 ICS Management
To:   Emergency Communications Units - Information Bulletin
By:   Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS), the volunteer
      communications reserve of the State of California 
      Governor's Office of Emergency Services

ICS organizational structure develops in a modular fashion based
on the kind and size of an incident. It builds from the TOP down
with responsibility and performance placed initially with the
Incident Commander. AS THE NEED EXISTS four separate sections CAN
be developed, each with several units which MAY be established.

If one individual can simultaneously manage all major functional
areas, no further organization is required. Positions that are
not assigned/filled are functionally performed at the next higher
level. If one or more of the areas requires independent
management, a person is named to be responsible for that area.

The common ICS terminology and organizational function is shown
by the following management standard:

Those assigned to manage at each level have a distinctive title:

  - Incident Command = Incident Commander
  - Command Staff    = Officer
  - Section          = Section Chief
  - Branch           = Branch Director (optional level)
  - Division         = Division Supervisor
  - Unit             = Unit Leader

In general, within the ICS, the span-of-control of any person with
emergency management responsibility should range from three to
seven, with a span-of-control of five as a general rule of thumb. 

The ICS uses a unified command because:
   -1 Incidents have no regard for jurisdictional boundaries. 
   -2 Individual agency responsibility and authority is usually
      legally confined to a single jurisdiction

The concept of a unified command means that all agencies who have
a jurisdiction responsibility at a multi-jurisdictional incident
contribute to the process of management of the incident. In our
fire scenario the situation is rapidly developing into one that
will require a unified command.

Next bulletin: ICS terminology 

Visit ACS on the World Wide WEB at http://www.garlic.com/oes
E-mail: crm@oes.ca.gov or seh@oes.ca.gov.  Phone:916-262-1600
BBS 916-262-1657  Packet: W6SIG@WA6NWE.CA    FAX 916 262-1677
ACS c/o State OES, 2800 Meadowview Rd., Sacramento, CA. 95832
EOM EMC008                          W6WWW@KM6PX.#NOCAL.USA.NA