It’s no secret that emergencies are getting more prolific. Some emergency managers even note that they are running their EOCs year-round because disaster is become business as usual.
But not all incidents are the same. They have different scales, demanding different responses.
So, what are the five levels of incident response? Read on to find out.
Command and control systems
Of course, incident level response types exist in a broader framework, governed by the larger command and control system.
From NIMS to AIIMS to ISO 22320, most incident management standards and structures prescribe command and control. Indeed, these requirements are often even codified in relevant state, local, or national legislation.
The objective of a command and control system is to enable an organization to efficiently operate during an incident independently or jointly with other parties involved.
This might be elementary, but it’s important to remember such systems are meant to be scalable, adaptable, integrated, and flexible. In general, command and control tends to includes the following tasks:
- Establishing and updating goals and objectives for the incident response
- Determining roles, responsibilities, and relationships
- Establishing rules, constraints, and schedules
- Ensuring legal compliance and liability protection
- Monitoring, assessing, and reporting on the situation and progress
- Recording key decisions
- Managing resources
- Dissemination of information
Strategic and tactical command bands
You’ve likely heard of strategic and tactical command bands, which are meant to be reflective of the command and control structure itself. Different levels operate within different bands.
As we’ll soon learn, these bands bear directly on the level of incident response. In the ISO incident management system requirement, for instance, there’ve historically been two command bands: strategic and tactical.
Within the strategic band, there are two command levels: grand strategic and command of strategic operations, policy, and objectives. The former, grand strategic, correlates with the severest incident levels. Just below that, the second strategic command level involves heads of jurisdictions.
Tactical command bands include incident command, control, coordination, cooperation and task level control of operations. The former gloms on to the slightly higher incident level, involving incident command of each participating organizations. The latter is essentially limited to support functions.
5 levels of incident response
To re-emphasize, corresponding to those predefined strategic and tactical command structures is the scale of incident severity. Things have to be so cut and dried in order to implement the appropriate level of the command structure efficiently and effectively.
What then are the levels of incident response? The five levels include:
Level 1
Event can be dealt with by resources deployed on the initial predetermined response. This incident level requires a tactical command level, perhaps monitored and supported by tactical coordination.
Level 2
Event can be dealt with by resources deployed solely by the affected organization. This incident level also requires a tactical command level but with coordination among participating organizations, as well.
Level 3
Event can be dealt with by resources deployed by the affected organization, supported by mutual aid assistance from neighboring organizations under normal arrangements. This elevated incident level will require strategic command within jurisdictions.
Level 4
Event can be dealt with by resources deployed by the affected organization, supported by mutual assistance from organizations anywhere within the affected geographical jurisdiction. Assistance for this incident level is likely to be obtained through the use of a local governmental coordination center. However, strategic command within the jurisdictions will be needed and probably monitored by Grand Strategic.
Level 5
Covers the management of any incoming aid to help the organization respond to an event and will be facilitated by the affected government using the existing protocols used by bilateral treaties and international organizations. This highest incident level requires Strategic Command within and across jurisdictions and might even require the support and intervention of Grand Strategic.
The next question to ask is what command and control process to establish to deal with the varying levels of incident response.
To find out, check out our Comprehensive Guide to ISO 22320.
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