| |
TRAINING OFFICERS FIREFIGHTERS
HAZMAT TEAMS
RESCUERS
EMS
and more...
VESTS
HELMET SHIELDS
PASSPORTS
Click Image
|
|
Command-ment I will help you establish a strong foundation for an effectice command presence. In addition, Command-ment I will identify fundamentals that will help you obey Command-ments II through X. |
-BC Mark Emery
Having a fireground Incident Commander is not a revelation. Having an Incident Commander is easy, if not routine; somebody arrives at the incident, announces “I’m in Command,” dons a colorful vest, and begins narrating the incident using a portable radio—nothing to it, piece of cake.
However, being called ‘command’ is a lot easier than commanding; there is a BIG difference between somebody in a colorful vest being called ‘command’ and somebody competently managing the incident.
The first of the Ten Command-ments declares that you shall have one COMPETENT Incident Commander. Competent command is a concept worthy of exploration; exactly what is it that distinguishes a good Incident Commander from a great Incident Commander? What is it that differentiates a reactive tactician from the proactive strategist? What distinguishes a competently managed fireground from a poorly managed fireground?
|
First of all, addressing each of the Ten Command-ments of Intelligent and Safe Fireground Operations will help establish a competent command presence. Subsequent articles will describe how to address each of the nine remaining Command-ments. An Incident Commander that is addressing each of the Ten Command-ments and ensuring that none of the 13 Fireground Indiscretions are being transgressed (Firehouse, April 2006), is worthy of consideration as ‘competent’. (The ability to recall and recite the words of NIMS/ICS is not enough to achieve command competence.)
| THE TEN COMMAND-MENTS |
I. One Competent Incident Commander
II. Maintain teams of at least Two personnel
III. Monitor and factor the Three That Kill
IV. Ensure that Four sides are seen and compared
V. Do not exceed a span of control of Five.
VI. Operate within one of Six Operational Modes
VII. Perform Seven-step action plan process
VIII. Make Eight assignments early
IX. Nine tactical objectives that address three strategic priorities
X. Evaluate the situation, mode, and plan every Ten-minutes
|
|
|
This article will discuss the following components for establishing a foundation for competent command:
- Command Responsibility
- Communication Foundation
- Establishing the Command Post
- Incident Equilibrium
Future Ten Command-ment articles will build upon this strategic framework; once the strategic framework of The Ten Command-ments is in place—and obeyed—it will be much easier for you to provide a competent command presence.
Suffice it to say that a competent Incident Commander obeys The Ten Command-ments of Intelligent and Safe Fireground Operations. |
|
|
COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY
To obey Command-ment One requires an understanding of the fundamental responsibility of ‘Command.’ The Incident Commander is responsible for the management of just three things:
- Strategy
- Resources
- Risk
An Incident Commander that retains tactical control—beyond the initial stage of a multi-company incident—will quickly lose strategic control of the incident. A competent Incident Commander will quickly delegate responsibility for tactical control to Supervisors (Divisions, Groups), during larger incidents to Directors (Branches), and at major, complex incidents to an Operations Section Chief. Before proceeding, I want to make reiterate that credit for Command-ment One is bestowed when there is evidence that the Incident Commander—at a Command Post—competently managing strategy, resources, and risk.
| Reliable indicators of Incompetent Command |
1. Conversational, task-level communications
2. Migratory Incident Commander
3. Companies self-deploy
4. Tactical control retained by the Incident Commander
|
|
|
|
Strategy: A competent Incident Commander proactively manages strategy. There must be evidence of a plan (Command-ments #7 and #9) and that the plan has been executed within the margins of a declared operational mode (Command-ment #6). All fireground tactical activities are driven by problems identified during size-up (Command-ments #3 and #4). The framework for developing a fireground strategy is simple but crucial:
|
|
|
|
|
