South Australian Country Fire Service Promotions Unit

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

An Incident Management team is defined as :  A group of incident management personnel comprising the Incident Controller, and the personnel he or she appoints to be responsible for the functions of Operations, Planning and Logistics.  A breakdown of the roles and responsibilities each officer are listed below. These guidelines are reprinted from the CFS Operational Checklists.

Incident Controller

The Incident Controller is responsible for incident activities including the development and implementation of strategic decisions and for approving the ordering and releasing of resources.

• Assume control and obtain briefing from prior Incident Controller
• Assess the situation
• Conduct initial briefing
• Activate elements of the Incident Control System
• Conduct briefings
• Ensure planning meetings are conducted
• Approve and authorise implementation of Incident Plan
• Coordinate staff activity
• Manage incident operations
• Approve requests for additional resources and requests for release of resources
• Authorise release of information to news media
• Regularly report to the responsible agency
• Approve plan for demobilisation
• Ensure safety and welfare of all personnel
• Maintain a log of activities

Operations Officer

The Operations Officer is responsible for the management of all operations directly applicable to the primary mission. The Operations Officer activates and supervises organisation elements in accordance with the Incident Plan and directs its execution. The Operations Officer also directs the preparation of unit operational Plans, requests or releases resources, makes expedient changes to the Incident Plan as necessary and reports such to the Incident Controller

• Obtain briefing from the Incident Controller
• Develop operations portion of Incident Plan
• Brief and allocate operations personnel in accordance with Incident Plan
• Supervise operations
• Determine need and request additional resources
• Review suggested list of resources to be released and initiate recommendation for release of resources
• Assemble and disassemble strike teams and task forces assigned to Operations Section
• Report information about special activities, events and occurrences to Incident Controller/li>
• Ensure safety and welfare of all personnel
• Maintain log of activities

Planning Officer

The Planning Officer is responsible for the collection, evaluation, dissemination and use of information about the incident and status of resources.

• Obtain briefing from Incident Controller
• Negotiate with Operations Officer the allocation of initial attack personnel to incident positions as appropriate
• Establish information requirements and reporting schedules for all ICS organisational elements for use in preparing the Incident Plan
• Notify Resources Unit of Planning Section Units activated, including names and locations of personnel
• Establish a weather data collection system when necessary
• Supervise preparation of the Incident Plan
• Assemble information on alternative strategies
• Assemble and disassemble strike teams not allocated to operations
• Identify need for specialised resource(s)
• Perform operational planning for Planning section
• Provide periodic predictions on incident potential
• Compile and display incident status summary information
• Advise Incident Controller and Operations Officer of any significant changes in incident status
• Provide incident traffic plan
• Supervise Planning Section Units
• Allocate Situation Officers as required
• Activate technical specialists as required
• Prepare and distribute Incident Controller's orders
• Provide management support to the Incident Controller
• Prepare incident information for distribution to the media
• Ensure that responsible agency information collection and reporting requirements are being met
• Prepare recommendations for release of resources for submission to the Incident Controller
• Ensure safety and welfare of all personnel
• Maintain log of activities

Logistics Officer

The Logistics Officer is responsible for providing facilities, services and material in support of the incident. The Logistics Officer participates in development and implementation of the Incident Plan and activates and supervises the units within the Logistics section.

• Obtain briefing from Incident Controller
• Plan organisation of Logistics Section and allocate work locations and tasks to section personnel
• Assemble and brief unit leaders
• Identify service and support requirements for planned and expected operations
• Ensure Incident Communications Plan is prepared
• Provide input to and review communications plan, and traffic plan
• Coordinate and process requests for additional resources
• Participate in preparation of Incident Plan and estimate section needs for operational period
• Plan for and advise on current and predicted service and support capabilities
• Receive Demobilisation Plan from Planning Section and recommend release of unit resources in accordance with plan
• Prepare transport plan Ensure safety and welfare of all personnel
• Maintain a log of all activities

Situation Officer

The Situation Officer is responsible to the Planning Officer for the collection and organisation of incident status and situation information. Also responsible for the evaluation, analysis and display of that information for use by ICS personnel and responsible authorities.

• Obtain briefing and special instructions from Planning Officer
• Establish information flows
• Collect incident data as quickly as possible
• Prepare and display information and maps
• Allocate duties to Situation Unit personnel
• Request additional personnel or release excess personnel as appropriate
• Prepare predictions at periodic intervals or upon request of the Planning Officer
• Participate in incident planning meetings
• Prepare Situation reports and Incident Summaries
• Provide resource and situation information in response to specific requests
• Obtain weather forecasts/readings
• Monitor progress and implementation of Incident Plan
• Carry out Incident Prediction and Options Analysis
• Participate in planning meetings
• Brief and debrief key personnel
• Prepare demobilisation plan
• Maintain a log of activities

Divisional Commander

The Division Commander, when activated, is under the direction of the Operations Officer, and is responsible for the implementation of the portion of the Incident Plan appropriate to the Division.

• Obtain briefing from Operations Officer
• Develop with subordinates alternatives for Division Command operations
• Attend planning meetings at request of the Operations Officer
• Review and where necessary, modify resource allocations to Division
• Allocate specific work tasks to Sector Commanders
• Resolve logistic problems reported by subordinates
• Report to Operations Officer when Incident Plan is to be modified, additional resources are needed, surplus resources are available, hazardous situations or significant events occur
• Approve accident and medical reports originating with the division
• Ensure safety and welfare of all personnel
• Maintain a log of activities

Sector Commander

The Sector Commander reports to the Operations Officer (or Division Commander when activated). He/she is responsible for the implementation of the designated portion of the Incident Plan, allocation of resources within the sector, and reporting on progress of command operations and status of resources within the sector

• Obtain briefing from Operations Officer/Division Commander
• Implement Incident Plan for Sector Brief Strike Team/Task Force leaders
• Identify resources allocated to the sector
• Review Sector assignments with subordinates and allocate tasks
• Advise Resources Unit of changes in resource status allocated to Sector
• Coordinate activities with adjoining Sectors
• Determine need for assistance on allocated tasks
• Provide situation reports to Operations Officer (/Division Commander)
• Report special incidents/accidents
• Resolve problems as they arise
• Participate in development of plans for the next operational period
• Ensure safety and welfare of personnel
• Maintain a log of activities

Strike Team Leader

The Strike Team Leader reports to a Sector Commander and is responsible for performing tactical assignments allocated to the strike team or task force. The Leader reports work progress, resource status and other important information to a Sector Commander, and maintains work records on allocated personnel.

• Obtain briefing from Sector Commander
• Brief personnel allocated to the Strike Team/Task Force
• Review assignments with subordinates, allocate tasks
• Monitor work progress, make changes when necessary
• Co-ordinate activities with adjacent strike team, task forces and single resources
• Provide situation and resources status information to Sector Commander
• Ensure safety and welfare of personnel
• Maintain a log of activities