DRI Emergency Operations & Response 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ICS position is responsible for the overall management of an incident and has authority over all personnel?
- Operations Section Chief
- Incident Commander (Correct answer)
- Logistics Section Chief
- Safety Officer
Correct answer: Incident Commander
The Incident Commander holds overall responsibility and authority for managing all aspects of an incident.
Question 2: During an EOC activation, the 'unified command' structure is BEST used when:
- A single agency has full jurisdiction over the incident
- Multiple agencies share incident jurisdiction or responsibility (Correct answer)
- The incident is confined to one geographic location
- Only federal agencies are involved in the response
Correct answer: Multiple agencies share incident jurisdiction or responsibility
Unified command is established when multiple agencies with overlapping jurisdictions or different functional responsibilities must coordinate on a single incident.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of an Incident Action Plan (IAP) in emergency operations?
- Document post-incident financial losses
- Record contact information for all responders
- Communicate objectives and tactics for a specific operational period (Correct answer)
- Establish long-term recovery milestones
Correct answer: Communicate objectives and tactics for a specific operational period
An IAP specifies the incident objectives, strategies, tactics, and assignments for a defined operational period.
Question 4: A company's Emergency Response Team (ERT) has been activated. The FIRST priority in life-safety situations is:
- Protecting company assets and equipment
- Notifying the media of the situation
- Accounting for all personnel and ensuring evacuation (Correct answer)
- Documenting the sequence of events
Correct answer: Accounting for all personnel and ensuring evacuation
Life safety is always the first priority in emergency response, requiring personnel accountability and safe evacuation before addressing other concerns.
Question 5: Which NIMS component establishes standardized resource management practices such as typing, credentialing, and inventorying?
- Incident Command System
- Resource Management (Correct answer)
- Communications and Information Management
- Command and Coordination
Correct answer: Resource Management
NIMS Resource Management establishes standard mechanisms to identify, acquire, allocate, and track resources during incidents.
Question 6: During a multi-day emergency, operational period briefings are typically held:
- Once per week to conserve response energy
- At the beginning of each operational period (Correct answer)
- Only when the Incident Commander requests them
- After the incident is fully resolved
Correct answer: At the beginning of each operational period
Operational period briefings are conducted at the start of each operational period to communicate the IAP and coordinate activities.
Question 7: The 'span of control' principle in ICS recommends that each supervisor directly manage how many personnel?
- 2 to 4 individuals
- 3 to 7 individuals (Correct answer)
- 8 to 12 individuals
- 15 to 20 individuals
Correct answer: 3 to 7 individuals
ICS guidelines recommend a span of control ratio of 1 supervisor to 3–7 subordinates, with 5 being the optimal ratio.
DRI Emergency Operations & Response 2
Which ICS position is responsible for the overall management of an incident and has authority over all personnel?