Incident Command System Positions
PUERTO RICO - U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Stephen Bishop, the logistics section chief, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Cassidy Stevens, the supply unit leader, order resources at the Hurricane Maria ESF-10 PR Unified Command Incident Command Post in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Oct. 20, 2017.
The Maria ESF-10 PR Unified Command, consisting of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, U.S. Coast Guard in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Control Board, Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. and Fish & Wildlife Service, is responding to vessels found to be damaged, displaced, submerged or sunken.
The ESF 10 is the framework by which federal support is coordinated with state agencies in response to actual or potential oil spills or hazardous material releases. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Tamargo
ICS Positions
As part of the National Incident Management System, the Department of Homeland Security - Presidential Directive 5 mandates using the ICS structure in response to large-scale natural and man-made disasters.
By way of brief background, ICS was born from the chaos and tragedy of a disastrous California wildfire season in 1970, where the lives of emergency personnel were needlessly endangered by disorganization and lack of communication. Both people and materials were dispersed in an uncoordinated fashion instead of being focused at points where they could most effectively achieve necessary objectives. The protocols of the ICS are widely used today to respond to everything from local flash floods to an event of unprecedented scale, such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
In Summary, the ICS is the incident management side of EM events. It takes training and experience to be effective at the job. ICS has many positions, from Field Observer (FOBS) to Incident Commander. Prior knowledge and training levels designate what type of incident someone is qualified for. For example, a Situation Unit Leader (SITL) could be a SITL3, SITL2, or SITL1. In most cases, Auxiliary personnel could qualify and serve in Level 3 positions, but some members may have prior service or working in civilian jobs with higher ICS qualifications.
The world of EM and positions in ICS are both challenging and rewarding. To advance in this field, visit Q’s ICS Training and Qualification Section and read the Career Progression Guide. That is a starting point for exciting career opportunities in EM.
By way of brief background, ICS was born from the chaos and tragedy of a disastrous California wildfire season in 1970, where the lives of emergency personnel were needlessly endangered by disorganization and lack of communication. Both people and materials were dispersed in an uncoordinated fashion instead of being focused at points where they could most effectively achieve necessary objectives. The protocols of the ICS are widely used today to respond to everything from local flash floods to an event of unprecedented scale, such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
In such large-scale events, the ICS is designed to bring order out of chaos to an overwhelming event involving multiple local, county, state, and federal jurisdictions. Often, the Coast Guard, as the nation’s maritime first responder, has been able to lend the expertise of its personnel to the continued development of the ICS and the nation’s most historic emergency responses. “It has been said, “…initiating an ICS response is comparable to setting up a Fortune 500 Company and operational within 18 hours”(see The U.S. Coast Guard’s Role in National Incident Management)
In Summary, the ICS is the incident management side of EM events. It takes training and experience to be effective at the job. ICS has many positions, from Field Observer (FOBS) to Incident Commander. Prior knowledge and training levels designate what type of incident someone is qualified for. For example, a Situation Unit Leader (SITL) could be a SITL3, SITL2, or SITL1. In most cases, Auxiliary personnel could qualify and serve in Level 3 positions, but some members may have prior service or working in civilian jobs with higher ICS qualifications.
The world of EM and positions in ICS are both challenging and rewarding. To advance in this field, visit Q’s ICS Training and Qualification Section and read the Career Progression Guide. That is a starting point for exciting career opportunities in EM.