...The Incident Command System (ICS) is a incident management program that was implemented so disaster responders could have organized structure within the complexity and demands of incidents without over stepping boundaries of other organizations. The staff within the command are in charge of health and safety as well as public affairs. First in the line of command is the Information Officer, who develops and puts out the details of the incident to the media and other agencies. Next in line is the Liaison Officer who is the point of contact for organizing the work between the Incident Commander and Unified Commander. Last in command is the Safety Officer who’s job is to give advice to the IC and UC about personnel health and safety as well as...
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...Charleston Super Sofa Fire Charles Rigsbee Durham Tech, Community College Introduction On June 18, 2007, the City of Charleston’s Fire Department lost nine of their firefighters, when they became trapped fighting a fire inside of the Sofa Super Store. This tragedy was the single greatest loss of firemen on duty in the United States since 343 fire fighters died in the collapse of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Issues that plagued the Charleston Fire department on the day of the incident included the lack of a proper incident command system; no accountability system and water supply issues hampered firefighting and rescue efforts that dreadful day. Furthermore, the Sofa Super Store’s lack of sprinkler systems in vital areas resulted in heavy fire loads created by high volumes of highly combustible furniture; compliant building additions also contributed to the deaths of the 9 firemen. The Fire On June 18, 2007, approximately at 6:56 pm, a fire was spotted by someone driving along the Savannah Highway in front of the store. The passerby notified store employees of the fire outside of the loading dock. The manager attempted to extinguish the fire with portable extinguishers but was unable to bring the fire under control. At 7:08, Charleston County 911 Center received a call reporting the fire at the store. Within 2 minutes, Engines 11 and 10, ladder 5 and Battalion 4 were dispatched. Battalion 4 was the first unit on scene, his intimal size up indicated...
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...decades (1994-2002: 33 deaths; 1983-1992: 9 deaths) (Brassal, Evans 2002). Are firefighters and other fire professionals missing the evidence needed to curve the potential for firefighter fatalities due to structural collapse? Structural collapses are not always the cause of death, but may have been contributing factors that lead to the cause of death. Can training, better building practices, pre-plans and changing structural building laws decrease the risk for fire fighters? Risk Analysis and concerns regarding the Sofa Super Store fire When the first arriving officer at scene arrives and performs a through walk around or “360” of the Sofa Super Fire Store Fire, he or she must take a “Risk Analysis” of the situation prior making a command decision to send crews into a...
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...the incident command system (ics) was developed in the aftermath of a devastating wildfire in california in 1970. during the fire “16 lives were lost, 700 structures were destroyed, and over one-half million acres burned” at the expense of “$18 million per day” in overall costs. the responding agencies worked as well as they could together but they had many communications issues. three years after the incident, in 1973 a system known as “firescope” (firefighting resources of california organized for potential emergencies) was developed. this is where the ics and multi-agency coordination system (macs) were developed. soon there was agreed upon ics common terminology and procedures and conducted limited field-testing of ics the system was used on several fires and adopted by the los angeles fire department. during the 1980’s it was realized that the ics could be used on many different large scale incidents to manage personnel and so all responders used the same terminology to create easier communications between responding agencies. the characteristics of the ics include the following points: common terminology, modular organization, management by objectives, reliance on an incident action plan, manageable span of control, pre-designated incident mobilization center locations & facilities, comprehensive resource management integrated communications, establishment and transfer of command, chain of command and unity of command unified command, accountability of resources and...
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...Colorado Wildfires 2012 Inter-Agency Communication Introduction Natural disasters have been around since the beginning of time. Every day, natural processes are taking place that can disrupt the equilibrium in our lives which can cause natural disasters. Learning from the past has caused better communications, and technological advancements have helped in predicting many events, but never can man actually predict the exact catastrophe. With the global population expanding, we become more vulnerable to these threats, and our only means of protection is through better planning. One particular natural disaster that has become a complex danger over time is the wildland fire. Wildfires have occurred on every continent except Antarctica. Wildfires are a natural phenomenon caused by topography, fuels, and weather that man has had to deal with since the cave man era. History reveals the progression of wildfires but not until the 20th century have wildfires caused so much destruction. The wide spread population growth along the wildland-urban areas of Colorado and other natural prone fire habitats have cause for huge concern as wildfires get harder to control. The year 2002, which was previously the worst wildfire season recorded in Colorado’s history prior to this year, caused state and federal land management agencies to increase their efforts to work with communities and private land owners about risk assessment, addressing wildfire prevention, and mitigation.ii It all...
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...I don’t have a paper yet he Blackwater fire was caused by a lightning strike on August 18, 1937, in Shoshone National Forest, about 35 miles (56 km) west of Cody, Wyoming, United States. Fifteen firefighters were killed by the forest fire when a dry weather front caused the winds to suddenly increase and change direction. The fire quickly spread into dense forest, trapping some of the firefighters in a firestorm. Nine died during the fire and six died afterwards from severe burns and respiratory complications; 38 others were injured. More U.S. wildland firefighters died in the Blackwater fire than in any incident since the Great Fire of 1910; the death-toll was not surpassed until 2013 when 19 firefighters died in the Yarnell Hill Fire. Firefighters in the first half of the 20th century used mostly hand tools to suppress wildfires, and all gear was carried by the firefighters or by pack animals. Weather forecasting and radio communication were generally poor or nonexistent. After the Blackwater fire, better ways to respond to such fires were developed, including the smokejumper program in 1939 and the Ten Standard Firefighting Orders (a standardized set of wildland firefighting principles) in 1957. n 1937, firefighters did not have portable radios for rapid on-scene communication or helicopters to bring supplies and provide water drops.[8][9][a] Firefighters had some access to gas-powered portable water pumps (two were set up on the Blackwater fire), but most used backpack pumps...
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...comprehensive, nationwide, systematic approach to incident management, including the Incident Command System, Multiagency Coordination Systems, and Public Information * A set of preparedness concepts and principles for all hazards * Essential principles for a common operating picture and interoperability of communications and information management * Standardized resource management procedures that enable coordination among different jurisdictions or organizations * Scalable so it may be used for all incidents (from day-to-day to large-scale) * A dynamic system that promotes ongoing management and maintenance | * A response plan * Only used during large-scale incidents * A communications plan * Only applicable to certain emergency management/incident response personnel * Only the Incident Command System or an organization chart * A static system | Correct. Review the feedback below. When you are ready to proceed, click on the Next button. Review the correct answers below: CONSISTENT WITH NIMS: A jurisdiction is inventorying and categorizing resources (e.g, personnel, equipment, supplies, and facilities) to establish and verify levels of capability prior to an incident. Explanation: Inventorying and categorizing of resources is a critical element of preparedness because it: * Establishes and verifies the levels of capability needed based on risk and hazard assessments prior to an incident. * Identifies and verifies that emergency response...
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...name] | 10/23/2011 | Table of Contents PURPOSE OF EMERGENCY PLAN.................................................................................. PLANNING FOR EMERGENCY....................................................................................... PROCEDURES............................................................................................................... RESPONDERS SAFETY................................................................................................... DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS................................................................................. INCIDENT COMMAND CENTER .................................................................................... INCEDENT COMMAND SYSTEM (ISC) FIRE DEPARTMENT....................................................................................................... INCIDENT CLASSIFICATION EVACUATION PROCEDURES.......................................................................................... POLICE DEPARTMENT .................................................................................................. EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONCE................................................................................. STAGING MANAGER COMMUNICATION PROCEDURES.................................................................................. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS EMERGINCY RESPONSE PLAN PURPOSE OF EMERGENCY PLAN This plan is to serves as a guide-line for city of Chula...
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...| Table of Content Chapter Page 1. WHAT IS THE PROVINCIAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM? 4 2. INTRODUCTION 5 3. CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES 5 4. OVERVIEW OF PIMS COMPONENTS 6 4.1. PREPAREDNESS 6 4.2. COMMUNICATIONS & INFORMATION MANAGEMENT 6 4.3 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 6 4.4 COMMAND & MANAGEMENT 7 4.5 ONGOING MANAGEMENT & MAINTENANCE 7 5. COMPONENT 1: PREPAREDNESS 8 1) UNIFIED APPROACH 8 2) LEVELS OF CAPABILITY 9 6. COMPONENT 2: COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT 16 7. COMPONENT 3: RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 23 a) CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES 23 1) Concepts 23 2) Principles 23 a) Planning 24 b) Use of Agreements 24 c) Categorizing Resources 24 d) Resource Identification and Ordering 24 e) Effective Management of Resources 24 8. COMPONENT 4: COMMAND & MANAGEMENT 25 a) INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 25 b) MANAGEMENT CHARACTERISTICS 26 9. PIMS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE PROVINCIAL DM FRAMEWORK 28 |Distribution | At this stage limited to GPG OPS Workgroup members |WHAT IS THE PROVINCIAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM? | The Provincial Incident Management System (PIMS) provides a systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies...
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...establish consistent, often times comprehensive changes to the way it accomplishes Emergency Response operations. The catastrophic events of both September 11, 2001 and the lingering tragedy of Hurricane Katrina proved to be instantaneous prompts for the evolution of governmental amendment to and eventual restructure of the overarching procedural standard for incident response in the country. One of the many important after-effects would become what was labeled the National Response Framework, or NRF. A detailed outline of the NRF structure and intent follows. The template is a doctrinal approach to the domestic partnerships and implementation of resources above and beyond those rules set by the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS) (FEMA, 2012). The sole purpose of the 90-page document is to ensure that government executives, private sector, nongovernmental organization (NGO) leaders, and emergency management practitioners across the nation understand domestic incident response roles, responsibilities and relationships in order to respond more effectively to any type of incident. General administrators of NRF-specific guidance will typically be policy-level personnel or heads-of-agencies, who directly or strategically coordinate echelon and subordinate agencies at all eventual layers of government emergency response. It is guided mainly by the data and regulatory information offered to emergency managers at the NRF Resource Center...
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...capability and resources to continue to sustain its essential functions without being overwhelmed by the demand placed on them. The American Nursing Association is helping to ensure that disaster preparedness and response is robust in this country to be personally and professionally prepared for a disaster. Being in a prepared profession can help cope and help the communities recover from disaster better, faster and stronger (Brewer, 2010). According to the Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) at Maricopa Medical Center, they have a specialized disaster preparedness plan to fit their current top three hazards. Maricopa Medical Center conducts a Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (HVA) annually. The current top three hazards K.F., Manager of Fire Safety and Disaster Preparedness, at Maricopa Medical Center has identified include: Mass Causality Incidents (trauma, burns, pandemic, etc.), Small Casualty Hazardous Materials Response (less than five patients), and Severe Weather Incidents (monsoonal action, thunderstorms, and haboobs). This organization has a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan that addresses the top three current hazards in the organization’s region. Maricopa Medical Center is also further developing their business continuity and recovery plans into stand-alone plans (K.F., personal...
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...Running head: The Charleston Fire The Charleston Fire Gary Scott Ard Columbia Southern University MSE 5201-10A-4A12-S1 Professor Donald Adams Running head: The Charleston Fire Abstract On June 18th, 2007 nine firefighters died in the line of duty fighting a fire at the Sofa Super Store. The way of life for firefighters in Charleston, SC was thus changed forever. The history and mindset of the department would change forever following the tragic event. This event would change the department’s way of doing business forever. The Charleston Fire Department (CFD) was established as a full time service in 1882. The department possesses sixteen engines and three ladder trucks. A large scale department with modern equipment yet stuck in an ancient time when it came to performing firefighting objectives. There had always been a ideology that a firefighter who wasn’t rushing into any situation without concern for many safety related issues was not a good firefighter. It was the mindset of many employees that rushing in and putting out of a fire was all they needed to worry about-this was a deadly mindset passed down through ranks by leadership and the Chief. This was a very outdated way of thinking in the fire service, unfortunately Charleston had fell behind the times and refused to progress as time moved forward. The departments’ philosophy was one of interdependency and did not feel the need to look beyond their own doors for anything. Charleston felt...
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...Running head: The Charleston Fire The Charleston Fire Gary Scott Ard Columbia Southern University MSE 5201-10A-4A12-S1 Professor Donald Adams Running head: The Charleston Fire Abstract On June 18th, 2007 nine firefighters died in the line of duty fighting a fire at the Sofa Super Store. The way of life for firefighters in Charleston, SC was thus changed forever. The history and mindset of the department would change forever following the tragic event. This event would change the department’s way of doing business forever. The Charleston Fire Department (CFD) was established as a full time service in 1882. The department possesses sixteen engines and three ladder trucks. A large scale department with modern equipment yet stuck in an ancient time when it came to performing firefighting objectives. There had always been a ideology that a firefighter who wasn’t rushing into any situation without concern for many safety related issues was not a good firefighter. It was the mindset of many employees that rushing in and putting out of a fire was all they needed to worry about-this was a deadly mindset passed down through ranks by leadership and the Chief. This was a very outdated way of thinking in the fire service, unfortunately Charleston had fell behind the times and refused to progress as time moved forward. The departments’ philosophy was one of interdependency and did not feel the need to look beyond their own doors for anything. Charleston felt as though they...
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...In the town of Beslan located in North Ossetia, Russia on September 1, 2004 School number one experienced one of their most devastating terror attacks imaginable. The day was planned to begin with festivities to mark a new year also known as the Day of Knowledge. The celebrations came to an immediate halt as a terrorist group, later discovered to contain Ingush and Chechen militants stormed the school. The 3 day siege left a devastating impact on the Russians as well as the entire world who then questioned their own vulnerability. America who had been increasing security measures since 2001 now needed to re-evaluate the school security system. Following the separation of the Soviet Union a Muslim group located in the Caucus Mountains started an independence movement. Resisting Russian rule, this group has been responsible for many terror attacks including, bombings, suicide bombings, sieges and the killing of innocent people. (Mcevers 2006) The group is well known for violent tactics and having absolutely no regard for human life including their own. The extreme measures taken over the years have shown to be true especially at School number one in Beslan. At approximately 9:00 AM almost 1,200 individuals at the celebration were forced into the school by masked armed militants. Immediately upon entering they began killing a group of boys while wiring the gymnasium area with explosives. Children were used as human shields to cover exposed windows and more boys who may have...
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...Date Emergency Management Plan for Daytona State College Incident Command System (ICS) ICS provides a standardized incident response preplanning that is on-scene and caters for all hazards. ICS is based on a flexible and scalable response to hazards that can expand or contract as the need arises. At the scene of the incident, responders may come from multiple agencies that do not normally work together but can work efficiently due to the standardization of ICS (Porter 21). There are two classifications of ICS activities. These are incident and events. Incidents are the unplanned situations that necessitate response from various parties. Incidences include terrorism, natural disasters, and hazardous material spills. On the other hand, events are planned situations. Events require the emergency responders to preplan how to respond to emergencies. Some examples of events include parades, inaugurations, parties, concerts, and other state fairs. In ICS, all individuals participating in the operations report to only one supervisor. This helps in eliminating conflicting orders to the individuals (Porter 21). This greatly aids in improving the efficiency of the activities especially if the emergency responders have to expand them. Main Components of NIMS Preparedness Effective emergency management activities should have preparedness activities that are continuously undertaken prior to any potential incident. NIMS focus on five elements of preparedness: “planning;...
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