NIMS Command & Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under ICS, who holds ultimate responsibility for all incident activities, including the development of strategies and tactics?
- Operations Section Chief
- Incident Commander (Correct answer)
- Planning Section Chief
- Agency Administrator
Correct answer: Incident Commander
The Incident Commander is responsible for all aspects of the incident response, including strategy, tactics, and overall management.
Question 2: Which ICS principle limits the number of individuals or resources that one supervisor can effectively manage?
- Unity of Command
- Span of Control (Correct answer)
- Modular Organization
- Establishment of Command
Correct answer: Span of Control
Span of Control defines the optimal number of subordinates (typically 3–7) that a supervisor can manage effectively.
Question 3: The Unified Command structure is most appropriate when:
- A single agency has jurisdiction over the incident
- Multiple agencies or jurisdictions share incident responsibility (Correct answer)
- The incident exceeds a single operational period
- Resources from different states are deployed
Correct answer: Multiple agencies or jurisdictions share incident responsibility
Unified Command allows multiple agencies with overlapping jurisdictions to manage an incident together without losing individual authority.
Question 4: In ICS, the term 'command staff' refers to which positions?
- Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Admin
- Safety Officer, Public Information Officer, Liaison Officer (Correct answer)
- Section Chiefs and Branch Directors
- Agency Representatives and Area Commanders
Correct answer: Safety Officer, Public Information Officer, Liaison Officer
Command Staff consists of the Safety Officer, Public Information Officer, and Liaison Officer, who report directly to the Incident Commander.
Question 5: An Area Command is established when:
- Two incidents merge into a single response
- Multiple incidents of the same type compete for scarce resources (Correct answer)
- The IC delegates geographic authority to a deputy
- A Type 1 incident requires federal coordination
Correct answer: Multiple incidents of the same type compete for scarce resources
Area Command oversees multiple incidents of the same type that are competing for the same limited resources.
Question 6: What document captures the objectives, strategies, tactics, and resource assignments for a single operational period?
- Incident Action Plan (IAP) (Correct answer)
- Resource Management Plan
- Incident Briefing Form (ICS 201)
- Operational Planning Worksheet (ICS 215)
Correct answer: Incident Action Plan (IAP)
The Incident Action Plan (IAP) is the authoritative document guiding all incident operations for each operational period.
Question 7: Which principle ensures that every individual reports to only one supervisor during an incident?
- Chain of Command
- Unity of Command (Correct answer)
- Accountability
- Management by Objectives
Correct answer: Unity of Command
Unity of Command means each person has a single designated supervisor, preventing conflicting orders.
NIMS Command & Management 2
Under ICS, who holds ultimate responsibility for all incident activities, including the development of strategies and tactics?