Incident Management - General

Scope

This Operational Guideline outlines how the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) applies the Incident Control System (ICS).

Fundamental Protocols underpin the actions of all RFS members and must be adhered to at all times. They outline the Principles of being an RFS member and provide guidance on conduct to support the safety and wellbeing of members.

Guiding Principles

• The Australasian Inter-Service Incident Management System (AIIMS) developed and maintained by the Australian and New Zealand National Council for Fire and Emergency Services (AFAC) is the Incident Management System (IMS) utilised by the RFS.
• ICS is to be used at all incidents.
• Only one ICS position, the Incident Controller (IC), is mandatory. Having a specific officer fill any of the other positions is driven by the incidents’ complexity.
• If an ICS position is not delegated, its function is carried by the position which normally supervises it, unless advised otherwise by the IC.
• The total number of officers supervising incident activities should not normally exceed about 25% of the total number of personnel involved. The total number of members of a core Incident Management Team (IMT) should not normally exceed 5% of the total number of personnel involved.
• AIIMS provides the following guidance for incident management:
  • Level 1 – generally characterised by being able to be resolved through the use of local or initial response resources only, with a Crew Leader (CL) in charge, typically the first arriving Officer.
  • Level 2 – may be more complex due to size, resources, risk, or consequence. The IC is typically an appropriately qualified and experienced officer (or a District Officer if control is removed from the field). They are characterised by the need for:
    • Deployment of resources beyond initial response; or
    • Sectorisation of the incident; or
    • The establishment of functional sections due to the levels of complexity; or
    • A combination of the above.
  • Level 3 – characterised by degrees of complexity and consequence that may require the establishment of significant resources and structure for the effective management of the situation. These incidents will usually involve delegation of all functions. The IC, for bush and grass fires, is typically appointed by the Commissioner.

Special Considerations

Nil.

Related Information

• IMP 3.05 Operations Officer
• IMP 3.07 Planning Officer
• IMP 3.08 Logistics Officer
• RFS OPG - Incident Ground Organisation