Incident Control

Using the Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System (AIIMS)

Control is the management of all activities necessary for the resolution of an incident

In the initial phases of an incident, the Crew Leader on the first arriving appliance will become the Incident Controller. At this point, the incident is a Level 1 incident and can be managed at the location of the incident.

If the incident progresses and becomes larger with more appliances, or more complex, another person, usually an Officer, may come and take over or assist with the role of Incident Controller.

Span of Control is a term used within AIIMS to describe the concept of how many groups or individuals can be successfully managed by one person. The control of an incident is scalable depending on the size and complexity, and a small incident may utilise one appliance and all the roles performed by the Incident Controller, whereas a larger incident may involve a group control center with multiple appliances, and the roles will be performed by individuals.

Within the Control role of AIIMS, the following are an example of the roles performed in a specific area:

• Incident Management Team (IMT)
• Interagency Liaison
• Safety Advisor