S-130 Incident Command System 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under ICS, what is a 'Division'?
- A functional grouping of resources by task
- A geographic subdivision of the incident (Correct answer)
- A time segment within an operational period
- A group of crews from the same agency
Correct answer: A geographic subdivision of the incident
A Division is a geographic designation used to divide an incident into manageable areas of operations.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of the Staging Area on a wildland fire?
- To serve as a command post for the Incident Commander
- To provide food and rest for off-shift personnel
- To hold available resources awaiting tactical assignment (Correct answer)
- To store equipment not yet checked in to the incident
Correct answer: To hold available resources awaiting tactical assignment
Staging Areas are established to hold resources that are available and ready for deployment but not yet assigned to a tactical task.
Question 3: Which ICS position is responsible for coordinating ground support, food, communications equipment, and facilities?
- Finance/Administration Section Chief
- Operations Section Chief
- Logistics Section Chief (Correct answer)
- Planning Section Chief
Correct answer: Logistics Section Chief
The Logistics Section Chief oversees services and support requirements including supply, facilities, ground support, food, and communications.
Question 4: What does 'check-in' accomplish at a wildland fire incident?
- It confirms personnel have reviewed the IAP
- It ensures all resources are accounted for and tracked in the system (Correct answer)
- It assigns personnel to their operational division
- It authorizes overtime pay for incoming resources
Correct answer: It ensures all resources are accounted for and tracked in the system
Check-in is the process of accounting for all resources arriving at an incident so they can be tracked and assigned efficiently.
Question 5: An ICS 'Group' differs from a 'Division' in that a Group is organized by:
- Shift assignment
- Geographic area
- Functional task (Correct answer)
- Agency affiliation
Correct answer: Functional task
Groups are established to divide the incident management structure by function rather than geography, such as a Rescue Group or Firing Group.
Question 6: Who authorizes the ordering of resources on an ICS incident?
- The Safety Officer
- Personnel with designated ordering authority (Correct answer)
- Any Section Chief
- The Finance/Administration Section Chief
Correct answer: Personnel with designated ordering authority
ICS requires that only personnel with designated ordering authority can request resources to ensure accountability and cost control.
Question 7: What is the Incident Command Post (ICP) primarily used for?
- Housing and feeding incident personnel
- Tactical command operations for the incident (Correct answer)
- Staging incoming resources before assignment
- Processing and demobilizing released resources
Correct answer: Tactical command operations for the incident
The ICP is the field location where the primary tactical-level, on-scene incident command functions are performed.
S-130 Incident Command System 3
Under ICS, what is a 'Division'?