Incident Command Systems in Disaster Management

Incident Command Systems in Disaster Management

Incident Command is a disaster management system designed to suit domestic disaster management. The system integrates a mixture of procedures, personnel, equipment, facilities, and a string of communication processes operating within a structure. The structure of the Incident Command Systems (ICSs) suits the facilitation of an organization’s five significant fields, for instance, logistics, planning, intelligence, investigation (FEMA, 2017). The system works in managing a wide range of areas both commercially and domestically, including finance, administration, and disaster that may cause physical damage. The fundamentals in these systems enable managers to identify significant concerns linked to the incident of the catastrophe at the time of occurrence (Gnoni & Saleh, 2017). Moreover, the system also considers matters of urgency without diverting attention to other components of the system. This research topic focuses on the impediments of the system during any form of disaster, either domestically or commercially.

Background

The background of incident command systems in disaster management begins from defining an incident and relating it to disaster. Research across the United States investigates the fundamental and foundational roles that ICS plays on an on-seen response (Jensen & Thompson 2016). Therefore to understand the context of the functionality and obstacles that the ICS system faces in its implementation, a review on the application of policy to manage entities is necessary (Hambridge et al., 2017).  Davis and co-authors refer to researchers Pasquel and Hansen, who arranged their companion and presentation in white paper to study on establishing functions after and during an attack (Davis, Reeve & Altevogt, 2013).

They began by developing plans and policies before the study and ensured everything would be evident in responsibilities and roles. Besides, they planned for multiple purposes and levels of command throughout the region where a disaster occurred (Quaddah, 2017). The framework outlined a collective effort among local areas, states, and federal jurisdictions. The collaboration they defined involved the sharing of plans and policies. Furthermore, it also entailed sharing of situations at hand in terms of the creation of awareness at the time the incident happened.

Alignment

As a professional disaster manager, I believe the application of ICS in managing disaster that may cause physical damage is a better option for any entity. In alignment with the interest of other researchers, impediments that the implementation of ICS faces are issues that I have keen interest upon because the system, when well managed, is recommendable for any entity (Mertens & Wilson, 2018). Similar to the presentation done by Davis and co-authors, five significant challenges face the implementation of the ICS after and during a disaster period (Brown, 2018). For this reason, more studies are necessary to understand whether these challenges are similar to its application at the preparation level and whether it is the most efficient system to use.

Rationale

The logical basis of this research topic surrounds building upon previous studies to expound the understanding of the impediments of the applied Incident Command System (Roberts, 2019). It is strategic to formulate research tools directed to entities already implementing the system to understand the level of effectiveness of using this system in management. It is from this foundation that the study will investigate challenges already faced from the speculative view of implementation to after incidents. The study will further investigate whether there are corrective measures already in place to curb these challenges and their effectiveness in strengthening the ICS.

Research Questions

The research topic identified above forms a wide field of study that recommends open-ended or qualitative data. The study will want the participants to inform the study of the duration of ICS system usage within their entities and whether they had had any disaster incidents in five years. Additionally, it will need the participants to narrate their own experience with the use of the system and the level of awareness within their entities when it comes to usage of this system. The discussion should be open to allow the researchers to understand the common challenges the participants are facing the implementation of this system. The study will lastly want to now the recommendation that would help curb the problems if they get the opportunity to integrate the system further. The five common study questions that will reveal the accurate picture of the issues and opinions on making the system better for policy-making are as follows;

1. What is your (the respondent) role in the company management system?
2. Do you use Incident Command System in managing your company? If yes, for how long has it been in use?
3. Has the company had any disaster incidents in the past (Period within the existence of the system)? If yes, what was your experience as a manager working within ICS
4. From your experience, how active is ICS?
5. What are the challenges you face using this system, and what can you recommend for change in the system?

Conclusion

The research question aims at understanding the system better and finding solutions to the challenges faced. Moreover, policies on developing better means to manage disasters with the background information of ICS are necessary for entities in the current century. The review of previous studies gives an overview point of interest that develops this study, and to make is more in-depth; it will be qualitative.

 

 

 

 

 

References

Brown, T. C. (2018). Just-in-Time Training Considerations for Rural Emergency Operations Centers. Naval Postgraduate School Monterey United States.

Davis, M., Reeve, M., & Altevogt, B. (2013). Nationwide response issues after an improvised nuclear device attack: medical and public health considerations for neighbouring jurisdictions — workshop Summary. In Nationwide response issues after an improvised nuclear device attack: medical and public health considerations for neighbouring provinces. Workshop Summary. National Academies Press.

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2017). National incident management system. FEMA.

Gnoni, M. G., & Saleh, J. H. (2017). Near-miss management systems and observability-in-depth: Handling safety incidents and accident precursors in light of safety principles. Safety Science, 91, 154-167.

Hambridge, N. B., Howitt, A. M., & Giles, D. W. (2017). Coordination in crises: implementation of the national incident management system by surface transportation agencies. Homeland Security Affairs, 13(2), 38-42.

Jensen, J., & Thompson, S. (2016). The incident command system: a literature review. Disasters, 40(1), 158-182.

Mertens, D. M., & Wilson, A. T. (2018). Program evaluation theory and practice. Guilford Publications.

Roberts, C. E. (2019). Understanding Historical Empathy Through the Dialogue of Elementary School Students: A Qualitative Research Study.

 

Ouaddah, A., Mousannif, H., Elkalam, A. A., & Ouahman, A. A. (2017). Access control in the Internet of Things: Big challenges and new opportunities. Computer Networks, 112, 237-262.