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PUBLIC SERVICE
Who’s on First?
By Kirby Turner, MD, DABPN, FACFP
ICS stands for INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM. It is a stan- • Technological crisis
dardized approach to command control and coordination for emer- • Terrorist attacks
gency response to disasters. It started in Arizona in 1968.
Prior to ICS, when multiple agencies responded to disasters there
After 9/11, by presidential order, it became the system used was so much disorganization and confusion that response was inef-
throughout the United States for response to disasters — either fective AND many times this was a safety hazard in itself.
man-made or natural.
If one wants to see what emergency preparedness and response
On March 1, 2004, the Department of Homeland Security, in was like prior to ICS look up Abbott and Costello’s sketch “entitled
accordance with the passage of Homeland Security Presidential Di- “Who’s on First” on YouTube.
rective 5 (HSPD-5) calling for a standardized approach to incident
management amongst all federal, state, and local agencies, developed NOT understanding the ICS system is like going to a dance
the National Incident Management System (NIMS) which inte- and not knowing how to dance, or going to a formal dinner and
grates ICS. Additionally, it was mandated that NIMS (and thus ICS) not understanding etiquette regarding the proper utilization of
must be utilized to manage emergencies in order to receive federal the dinner utensils. It’s like driving and NOT understanding the
funding. rules of the road.
Incidents are defined within ICS as unplanned situations neces- For medical practitioners who desire to volunteer their services
sitating a response. Examples include: during a disaster and do not want to appear uninformed or confused
• Emergency medical situations (ambulance service) AND DO NOT WANT TO PUT THEMSELVES IN A DAN-
• Hazardous material spills GEROUS SITUATION when attending a disaster, one can take
• Man-made disasters such as vehicle crashes, industrial accidents, ICS courses 100, 200, 700 and 800. These are available free online
and are self-paced.
train derailments, or structure fires
• Natural disasters such as wildfires, flooding, earthquakes or tor- Website is: https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/icsresource/
For more information contact the Bexar County Medical Society
nados Emergency Preparedness Committee.
• Public Health incidents, such as disease outbreaks
• Search and Rescue operations
34 San Antonio Medicine • June 2017
