Discussion

Incident Management System
The Incident Management System can be expanded to handle an incident of any size and complexity. Hazardous materials incidents can be complex, and local, state, and federal responders and agencies will be involved in many cases of long duration. The basic IMS system consists of five functions: command, operations, logistics, planning, and finance and administration.

In an incident involving hazardous materials, a special technical group develops under the Operations section. This special branch consists of some or all of the following positions:

• A second safety officer reporting directly to the hazardous materials team officer. This hazardous materials safety officer is responsible for the hazardous materials team’s safety only.
• A hot zone entry team.
• A decontamination team.
• A backup team.
• A hazardous materials information research team.

The Command Post
The main hub of the IMS is the command post. The command post is the collection point for all information and resources. The command post must be located upwind and upgrade from the spill or leak in the cold zone to keep it from becoming contaminated or unsafe. If the command post, including those personnel housed there, were to become contaminated, the personnel inside the command post would no longer be able to control the operation. The officers in that location would become victims, the command post would become a part of the hot zone, and all operations would have to be re-established elsewhere using a completely different pool of personnel, equipment, and supplies. The overall efficiency of command would be negatively affected, and control of the scene would be temporarily lost during transfer of command. Based on the potential threat or severity of the hazard, the command post could be as close as one block away or as far as miles away from the hot zone. When choosing a site for the command post, the maximum margin of safety must be used.

Questions

At a hazardous materials incident, the IMS may be modified by creating a second safety officer who reports to the hazardous materials team officer. For whose safety is this second safety officer responsible?
A) The civilians at risk
B) The hazardous materials team
C) The response team
D) Everyone present

The main hub of the Incident Management System is the:
A. hot zone.
B. Command Post.
C. staging area.
D. logistics tent.

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