Primary: Josh Schultz
Backup: (1) Julie McClure (2) John Zikmund
Responsibilities: The Incident Commander function is typically staffed by the organization’s leader or designee. In the absence of the primary designee, the Incident Commander role can be filled by an assigned alternate designated in the chain of command. When multiple jurisdictions are involved in emergencies, the Incident Commander will work as part of a Unified Command (UC) which will allow agencies with different legal, geographic, and functional authorities to work together effectively.
During an emergency, the Incident Commander is responsible for the overall management of the incident. To effectively direct response actions, the Incident Commander must constantly assess the situation and develop and implement appropriate strategies. The Incident Commander must be familiar with the available resources (law enforcement, fire department, etc.), ensure accurate documentation of all response actions, and effectively communicate response strategies to others participating on the response team.).
- Assess the incident and ensure welfare and safety of personnel.
- Establish and determine the time and location of planning meetings.
- Coordinate with related first responders/emergency personnel. Review the current situation status and initial incident objectives. Ensure that all local, State, and Federal agencies impacted by the incident have been notified.
- Supervise Incident Command and general staff response to the emergency.
- Brief staff and identify incident objectives and any policy directives for the management of the incident. Authorize protective action statements (i.e. evacuation order, shelter in place, etc.) as necessary.
- Determine the status of disaster declaration and delegation of authority (bypass normal procedures).
- Establish parameters for resource requests and releases, including requests for critical resources.
- Confirm who has ordering authority within the organization.
- Work with the PIO and authorize release of information to the media:
If operating within a Unified Command, ensure all Incident Commanders approve release.