Who’s In Charge?

Well last night was the end of the sixteen hour Haz-Mat 1st Responder Operations class that I took which is put on by the NY State of Fire Prevention and Control. Over all, it was a very good class and I walk away with knowledge to better perform on an emergency scene if called upon to do so. Any class taken where you have a few more tools added into your tool bag or sharpen is a good class. Such was the results of this past class. I’ve taken Haz-Mat classes before and even though the basic information is always for the most part the same it becomes clearer how very important the knowledge gain or reviewed can help when it’s time.

On any emergency response we all know that there’s one and only one “On Scene Commander.” This is what we’ve learn in all those ICS classes. Yes, we have our sector commanders that report to “Command,” and there can be a transfer of “Command.” You know the drill and anyone that has been in this fire protection/EMS game knows how it all transpires. Its a simple process when all are on the same page. Nothing new, at least you would think till presented something…well; it’s not new but a different take on it. There was a video shown at last night’s class, covering “The Many Hats” that gave me a new prospective on ICS. Now the short YouTube video is but a preview to the longer version the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) entitled "The Hats of Incident Management" you can download off the VDOT’s site at … http://virginiadot.org/info/incidentmanagement.asp

Here’s the short 10 minute YouTube excerpt …



The different outlooks shown in this short video are interesting and give a better prospective of different “I’m In Charge” persons we sometimes encounter. The reality of it is, everyone has there individual responsibilities and want to help as best they can. Get the job at hand done and as best you can. ICS structure at its simplest is a set-up that enables the response to expand & contract as needed by the scope of the incident, resources and hazards. In most local responses, looking at the big picture is as easy as a “KISS” (Keep It Simple Stupid). I think looking at different scenarios or in the case of the YouTube what may show up on an emergency scene give us a bases on trying better to work in the right direction of a successful emergency response.

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)