I AM among the team of instructors discussing modules of Basic Incident Command System Training to the Army Reserve Command of Cordillera Administrative Region today and I thought I should share some to you too.
The Incident Command System, or ICS, is a standard on-scene management concept that can be used by everyone in any event or incident, especially by response groups in case of disasters. It works well by organizing functions of each member of teams who wants to help respond to a certain situation. The basic process starts with having an incident commander (IC) by authority of the responsible official in the area. In cases of quick rescue response, the First person doing the rescue operation is automatically the IC until the arrival of the authorized Commander.
The IC will now select his staff composition consisting of three to seven individuals. These individuals will help him implement his objectives, guided by what the responsible official likes to happen. When more manpower is needed, each of these selected staff of the IC can also employ maximum of seven as their personnel for the job assigned to them until the mission is completed.
There's a lot more that happens after this. It’s what participants learn in this kind of course. In fact, there are four courses to finish before you will be an accredited Incident Management Team (IMT) Member (Basic ICS, Integrated Planning, All Positions & All Hazards IMT). All are implemented by the Office of Civil Defense of the Region.
But the question is “Was the ICS used during Typhoon Ompong?”
As for now, I cannot speak for others in the region, but in La Trinidad, we did used it. Although it was not as perfect, it was effective in a sense that coordination and modes of actions were better during the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong. It was more useful during the rehabilitation and recovery phase as required documents were immediately available where required.
In today’s daily activities, the ICS must be adopted. Don’t worry because some of its components are already being done during events. In a lighter sense, ICS is a tool to improve the way we manage. Make use of it and make it familiar. So that in the future, everyone knows what to do, especially if you are among those who responds to emergencies.