JP 3-28, Civil Support - Federation of American Scientists

Appendix D
communications operating within a common organizational structure, designed to enable effective and
efficient domestic incident management. A basic premise of ICS is that it is widely applicable. It is used
to organize both near-term and long-term field-level operations for a broad spectrum of emergencies,
from small to complex incidents, both natural and man-made. ICS is used by all levels of government
— federal, state, local, and tribal — as well as by many private-sector organizations and NGOs. ICS
is also applicable across disciplines. It is normally structured to facilitate activities in five major functional
areas: command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance and administration.
d. Unified command is an application of the NIMS/ICS used when there is more than one agency
with incident jurisdiction or when incidents cross political jurisdictions. Agencies work together through
the designated members of the unified command to establish their designated incident commanders at a
single incident command post (ICP). In the unified command, entities develop a common set of objectives
and strategies, which provides the basis for a single incident action plan. The structure for NRP coordination
is based on the NIMS construct: ICS/unified command on-scene supported by an area command (if
needed) and multiagency coordination entities. The JFO provides resources in support of the unified
command and ICP(s). Acts of biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear terrorism or other catastrophic
events represent particular challenges for the traditional ICS structure. Events that are not site specific,
are geographically dispersed, or evolve over longer periods of time will require extraordinary coordination
between federal, state, local, tribal, private-sector, and NGOs.
7. National Incident Management System Command and Coordination
a. There are four major components of NIMS: command and management; preparedness;
resource management; and communications and information management. This section focuses
on the three NIMS standard incident command structures making up command and management
to identify how they work together as a system to provide the national framework for preparing
for, preventing, responding to, and recovering from domestic incidents, regardless of cause,
size, or complexity. NIMS distinguishes between command authority and coordination authority.
Command authority is vested in the incident commander, whether a single incident commander
or an area commander, and is exercised through the ICS. Coordination authority is vested in
coordinating officers such as the FCO and DCO. Each coordinating officer has the authority to
make coordinating decisions within his or her jurisdiction, whether federal, state, or local.
b. The Incident Command System. The ICS defines the operating characteristics, interactive
management components, and structure of incident management and emergency response organizations
engaged throughout the life cycle of an incident. Direct tactical and operational responsibility for conducting
incident management activities rests with the incident commander. The incident command organizational
structure develops in a top-down, modular fashion that is based on the size and complexity of the
incident, as well as the specifics of the hazard environment created by the incident. The ICS organization
has five major functions, as described in Figure D-5. These are: command, operations, planning,
logistics, and finance and administration. When needed, separate functional elements can be established,
each of which may be further subdivided to enhance internal organizational management and external
coordination. Responsibility for the establishment and expansion of the ICS modular organization
ultimately rests with the incident commander, who bases these on the requirements of the situation. As
incident complexity increases, the organization expands from the top down as functional responsibilities
D-16
JP 3-28