According to the
National Incident Management System
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a standardized approach to incident management developed by the United States Department of Homeland Security. The program was established in March 2004, in response to Homeland Security Presidentia ...
(NIMS), and the
Incident Command System
The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination of emergency response providing a common hierarchy within which responders from multiple agencies can be effective.
ICS was initially devel ...
(ICS), the incident command post (ICP) is one of five predesignated temporary facilities and signifies the physical location of the tactical-level, on-scene incident command and management organization.
It typically comprises the
incident commander
The incident commander is the person responsible for all aspects of an emergency response; including quickly developing incident objectives, managing all incident operations, application of resources as well as responsibility for all persons involv ...
and immediate staff and may include other designated incident management officials and responders from federal, state, local, and tribal agencies, as well as private-sector, nongovernmental, and volunteer organizations.
Typically, the ICP is located at or in the immediate vicinity of the incident site and is the focus for the conduct of direct, on-scene control of tactical operations. Incident planning is also conducted at the ICP; an incident communications center also would normally be established at this location. The ICP may be collocated with the incident base, if the communications requirements can be met. The ICP may perform local emergency operations center-like functions in the context of smaller jurisdictions or less complex incident scenarios. It is commonly marked with a green emergency light, so as to be distinguished from a distance.
See also
NIMS predesignated facilities and areas
* Incident command post (ICP)
*
Incident base
* Camp, or
fire camp
A fire camp is a campsite for firefighters and support personnel. It is typically set up for a large project fire which requires a large amount of manpower, organisation and logistics. According to the National Incident Management System (NIMS), ...
*
Mobilization and staging area
*
Helibase and supporting
helispot and
drop point
References
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NIMS 3.04
Incident management