Incident Action Plan
Incident Action Plan
In our day to day tasks, we are always exposed to potential hazards but most of us usually overlook these situations. Most people overlook the likelihood of injuring themselves or putting themselves in “harm’s way” in their daily tasks (Erickson, 1999). However simple or difficult a task may be, there is always a possibility of an incident or accident occurring if the task is not done in accordance with the safety measures and regulations in place. An emergency situation may happen at a time when it’s least expected to happen and hence it becomes necessary for people to prepare for it so as not to be caught on the footing. In an emergency situation, personnel involved would always prefer coming up with an emergency plan before they take the initiative of dealing with the emergency situation. They are hence compelled to develop an Incident Action Plan, which basically is the specific emergency response plan that outlines activities to be taken in the event of an emergency response to an incident or a hazardous material.
An Incident Action Plan (IAP) is a document that is used to record an incident strategy, the tactical actions and all the supporting information with regard to an incident or an emergency situation. It is usually prepared during the Incident action Planning process. An IAP contains the overall incident status or strategy, the specific strategic strategy and the necessary supporting information, assignment of responsibility for each objective and the date and time for the next operational period. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an Incident Action Plan formally documents the incident goals, the operational period objectives and the general response strategy during response planning (2012). The IAP contains general tactics to achieve the overall goals and objectives contained within the overall strategy while providing all the necessary information about the status of response. IAPs require constant revision because of the dynamic nature of incidents that occur in different incident sites. Below is an Incident Action Plan based on three job hazards: changing a flat tire, painting the sealing and working with a staple gun.
INCIDENT ACTION PLAN
It is not a foreign thing to find that even the most qualified, effective and experienced Incident commanders (ICs) making mistakes (May, 1998). These mistakes are usually tragic and always continue to cause tragedies if ICs do not learn from them. Some of the common mistakes made by incident commanders would include:
Failing to plan- The failing to plan for the worst case scenario is one mistake that most incident commanders commit. It is always advisable for ICs to always think about the potential of an emergency at the site on his/her jurisdiction. Incidents may occur at a time when they are least expected and without any concrete plans, they may lead to tragedies. It is hence a requirement that ICs plan for any eventualities and analyze the potential for a hazardous situation. An emergency would be easier to handle if it has been planned for and has been practiced severally on drills or paper.
The failure of IC’s taking charge of an incident- An incident commander must be the leader and commander that a team must be comfortable following. Weakness in leadership always leads to a poor performance and generates confusion which in turn would lead to undesirable outcomes. A stronger and decisive incident commander would instill confidence in the team he/she is leading.
Failure by the ICs to understand the nature of the incident- An Incident commander must understand fully the nature of the incident at hand. It is one thing to know the incident that has happened and another to know the underlying causes to the incident. An IC must always understand what the causes to the incident are and how they can be avoided in future.
Failure to anticipate any changes – A very good and effective incident commander would always formulate a plan of action and implement it as it was anticipated in the plan. Incident commanders should also figure out alternative plans to the original plans during their implementation tailoring them to the changes being observed. A good incident planner should always be ahead of time anticipating the changes to take place during an incident. It always pays off to seek other alternative strategies even if the original plan seems to be paying off.
The failure by incident commanders to base decisions on fact rather than emotions- when emergencies happen, they always trigger quick responses and emotions. Most of the times the decisions being arrived at are usually illogical and not well thought through. An IC must be the one thinking clearly and avoid being caught up by the heat of the moment. He/she must ensure that there is order and take time to assess the situation and come up with the best decision based on facts.
Failing to set up effective communications - Communication play a vital role when it comes to ensuring the safety of team members and also dealing with incidents or emergency situations. It is the duty of an incident commander to ensure that all radio communications are working. Poor communication may lead to workers not understanding the goals being communicated and may also lead to slow or delayed response with regard to an emergency situation.
The failure of incident commanders to accept blame and learn from their mistakes – Most incident commanders keep on making mistakes that were previously committed leading to failure of dealing with an incident. The best incident commanders would look at previous incidents and look at what was done wrong and avoid them, and also come up with better methods and strategies of dealing with an emergency situation (Reese, 2012). Good incident commanders also learn from the mistakes they committed before.
References
Coastal Training Technologies Corp. (2001). Emergency action plan: Crisis under control. Virginia Beach, VA: Coastal Training Technologies.
Erickson, P. A. (1999). Emergency response planning for corporate and municipal managers. San Diego: Academic Press.
May, T., & East Lake. Fire & Rescue. (1998). Brooker Creek Preserve incident action plan. Emmitsburg, MD: National Fire Academy.
Molino, L. N. (2006). Emergency incident management systems: Fundamentals and applications. Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley & Sons.
Reese, C. D. (2012). Accident/incident prevention techniques. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis.
United States. (2012). FEMA incident action planning guide. Washington, D. C.: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
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