1.4 Unified Command
Purpose
A Unified Command links the responding organizations to the incident and provides a forum for these agencies to make consensus decisions. The Unified Command establishes a common set of incident objectives and strategies while Incident Commanders continue to carry out their respective agency’s jurisdictional responsibilities.
Responsibilities
The overall management of an incident. The Unified Command will develop overall objectives and strategies. The Unified Command will have ultimate approval of all resources. Unified Command is intended to be a ‘decision by committee’. If a decision cannot be agreed on by the Unified Command, the Unified Command member with the most jurisdictional responsibility will be deferred to for the final decision.
Unified commands with routine agencies such as law enforcement, other fire departments, and management teams from private entities shall be established using a streamline process to prevent delays in operations activities with the goal of hazard mitigation.
Activation
When an incident affects the jurisdictional or statutory responsibility of more than one agency. The incident is multijurisdictional and without a common system or organizational framework.
Procedure
- Agreement by Authority having Jurisdiction for a Unified Command to be established.
- Selection of members to the command determined by specifics of the incident.
- Establish a Unified Command and obtain an incident briefing from the previous Incident Commander.
- Establish a Unified Command Post that is Co-Located with all Unified Command Personnel; consider use of Mobile Command Vehicles.
- If needed, fill the Command staff positions. There should be only one Operations Section Chief to oversee Branch directors from each discipline.
- Assess the incident situation and conduct a strategy meeting with members of the Unified Command.
- Prepare one set of Incident Objectives based off of all unified discipline strategies.
- Brief the Command Staff and primary Section Chiefs.
- Prepare and approve an Incident Action Plan.
- Determine needs to make informed command decisions and relate these needs to the command staff.
- Manage overall incident operations.
- Consider a joint staging area for incident resources.
- Coordinate primary staff activities.
- Approve requests for and utilization of extended resources.
- Authorize release of information to the media. Establish a Joint Information Center (JIC) for PIOs and Media if size of incident warrants.
- Ensure the incident status form (worksheet) or command board is utilized and completed. Ensure that proper forms are available and utilized by section group leaders.
- Obtain briefing from Section Chiefs, Command Staff and agency representatives on management concerns.
- Obtain information on environmental concerns.
- Review the progress of the incident and channel organizational efforts towards highest priority tasks.
- Ensure that safety procedures and disciplines are practiced and maintained by all personnel.
- Approve plan for demobilization and return to normal operating status.
- Prepare final incident summary for media briefing, reports, etc.
