ul coordination is needed to ensure a prompt and appropriate response that is tied together to provide maximum benefit to the community. If the problems of which agencies are responsible for what actions is identified before the disaster occurs, the likelihood is much greater that the initial and continued response by all agencies will effectively mitigate the effect of the disaster.
A third and critical reason for fire departments developing emergency plans is that areas which may be essential to the success of the plan may be lacking in resources or responsibility. By creating the plan before the disaster occurs, these areas can be addressed. One solution is to obtain the necessary resources when necessary, be it equipment, additional personnel or additional training. Another solution is to find workarounds that can be used in the event that additional resources cannot be obtained, for whatever reason. By clearly identifying gaps in the plan, steps can be taken to fill the gaps before the disaster occurs and the gaps lead to tragedy.
The Incident Command System (ICS) grew out of a federal project called the Fire Resources of Southern California Organized for Potential Emergencies (FIRESCOPE). The agencies involved in FIRESCOPE recognized the importance of providing a single system which would allow comprehensive coordination of efforts during mutual aid situations, when coordination can be lost due to adherence to differing standards and chains of command. ICS provides not only a multi-agency and major emergency system, but also strives to deliver an operational system which can be used for day-to-day situations.
At the heart of ICS is the mutual agreement and acceptance of the organizational structure, common operational procedures, the use of common terminology and personnel qualifications. Since the initial influence of the Southern California agencies, ICS has received input from agencies throughout the country. ...