Showing papers on "Homeland security published in 2024"

The Incident Command System

Abstract: Chapter 41 explores the history and development of the Incident Command System (ICS). First responders operating at large-scale events in which management of resources and personnel is crucial for success of emergency operations need coordination. During the Southern California wildfires of the 1970s, the resources of local departments were overwhelmed by the size and complexity of the multiple fires. There was no coordinated effort of departments responding to the same fires. They lacked the ability to communicate and pivot resources quickly and proved to the fire departments how vulnerable they were individually. A need for coordination of response operations was crucial for stopping these fires. After the fires were out, a task force of fire officials came together to study the problem. They formed Firefighting Resources of Southern California Organized for Potential Emergencies, better known as FIRESCOPE, to respond to disasters in a coordinated manner. FIRESCOPE recognized the depth and breadth of the problem in managing the incident with a multiagency response. Incident Command was born. FIRESCOPE also recognized the need for a system to request resources as the scale of the operations grew. The Multiagency Coordination System (MACS) was developed to provide mutual aid from surrounding areas and from greater distances. The events of September 11, 2001, showed the need for an even greater ability to coordinate resources from the federal, state, and local levels. President George W. Bush, through the office of Homeland Security, commissioned the National Incident Management System (NIMS), a mandatory framework first responders must use to coordinate response to disasters.