Basic ICS Principles
The Incident Command System is built around basic principles that govern both the table of organization and the management of decisions, resources and personnel during an emergency. To provide a clearer picture for the reader, next to each concept we have included an example of how public health would utilize that portion of ICS during a DOH-limited emergency response (two cases of measles in a day care center) as well as a larger inter-agency emergency response operation (major weather event which results in a loss of electrical power, disruption of the transportation infrastructure and a large displaced population.)
- Defined Organizational Structure
- Branches and Units
- Common Nomenclature
- Expandability and Contractibility
- Management by Objectives
- Span of Control
- Pre-Designated Incident Locations and Facilities
- Integrated Communications
- Unity of Command
- Unified Command System
- Incident Action Plan (IAP) & Section Action Plan (SAP)
- Emergency Response Functional Roles