Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS) The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized organization model or method for incident response and management during disasters. The system is made up of standard management and leadership hierarchy procedures, including processes meant to support various types of incidents. It does not just respect jurisdictional and agency authority, but also supports synchronized efforts among different disaster response and management teams and agencies. ICS

Crisis Management Dilemmas of Crisis Management Crisis management and Incident Command System (ICS): New Orleans' Hurricane Katrina and the SARS (Severe Acute Respirator Syndrome) outbreak in Toronto Hurricane Katrina was a natural, weather-related disaster; SARS (Severe Acute Respirator Syndrome) was an unexpected disease outbreak. Both presented logistical and biological challenges that challenged the existing disaster mitigation policies of the cities of New Orleans and Toronto respectively. While hindsight is always 20/20, according to the

command system (ICS) as defined by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is 'a standardized, on-scene, all-hazards incident management approach' used by all governmental levels in any type of incident however complex. Features of an Incident command system ICS integrates a number of management features that add up to the efficiency and strength of the system as a whole. The incident commander creates needed sections and delegates operations to other personnel. Features

National Incident Management System Theoretical Analysis of National Incident Management System (NIMS) The Federal Government established the National Incident Management System (NIMS) under the Homeland Security Presidential Directive number 5 in February 2003. The Secretary of Homeland Security played an important role of developing and administering national incident management system. NIMS provide a reliable and consistent approach to responding to all forms of incidents irrespective of size and scope (Walsh 2012). The

Manual for State of Alaska First Responders Introduction to the Critical Incident Manual This critical incident manual contains information that will be valuable for all emergency or public service agencies in State of Alaska, such as police, fire, emergency medical teams, and others tasked with first response to natural and manmade disasters. The manual contains the relevant components of operations, planning, administration, and logistics with a view to providing first respondents

(Jones, Kowalk and Miller, 2000) The following is an example of these classifications. Figure 1 Risk Assessment Matrix Source: Jones, Kowalk and Miller (2000) III. PUBLIC SECTOR'S RESPONSIBILITIES The critical incident management plan is important in the community response provided and this includes the response of emergency responders, police officers, the fire departments as well as others who are involved in such plans. The first duty of the public sector is to maintain community