S-130 Incident Command System 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under ICS, who is responsible for ensuring the safety of all incident personnel?
- Operations Section Chief
- Safety Officer (Correct answer)
- Incident Commander
- Logistics Section Chief
Correct answer: Safety Officer
The Safety Officer is directly responsible for monitoring and assessing hazardous conditions and ensuring personnel safety at the incident.
Question 2: What does the term 'span of control' mean in ICS?
- The geographic area a supervisor can physically cover
- The number of subordinates one supervisor can effectively manage (Correct answer)
- The time period a supervisor remains on duty
- The authority level of a supervisor within the chain of command
Correct answer: The number of subordinates one supervisor can effectively manage
Span of control refers to the number of individuals or resources that one supervisor can effectively manage, ideally kept between 3 and 7.
Question 3: Which ICS document provides a concise statement of the tactics planned for the next operational period?
- Incident Briefing (ICS 201)
- Incident Action Plan (IAP) (Correct answer)
- Resource Status Unit Log
- Situation Status Report
Correct answer: Incident Action Plan (IAP)
The Incident Action Plan (IAP) documents the incident objectives, strategies, tactics, and assignments for each operational period.
Question 4: On a wildland fire, the Division Supervisor (DIVS) reports directly to whom?
- Incident Commander
- Operations Section Chief
- Branch Director (Correct answer)
- Planning Section Chief
Correct answer: Branch Director
Division Supervisors report to a Branch Director when branches are activated, or directly to the Operations Section Chief when no branches exist.
Question 5: What ICS principle ensures that every individual has only one designated supervisor?
- Unified Command
- Modular organization
- Unity of command (Correct answer)
- Chain of command
Correct answer: Unity of command
Unity of command means each person reports to only one supervisor, preventing confusion and conflicting orders.
Question 6: Which section in ICS is responsible for tracking and maintaining the status of all assigned resources?
- Operations Section
- Finance/Administration Section
- Planning Section (Correct answer)
- Logistics Section
Correct answer: Planning Section
The Planning Section, specifically the Resources Unit, tracks status and location of all tactical resources assigned to the incident.
Question 7: When is a Unified Command structure used on a wildland fire incident?
- When the incident spans multiple shifts
- When multiple agencies share management responsibility (Correct answer)
- When resources exceed 500 personnel
- When a Type 1 Incident Management Team is activated
Correct answer: When multiple agencies share management responsibility
Unified Command is used when an incident crosses jurisdictional boundaries or involves multiple agencies that share incident management responsibility.
S-130 Incident Command System 2
Under ICS, who is responsible for ensuring the safety of all incident personnel?