The Safety Officer (SOFR) serves as the Incident Management Team’s authority on incident safety, identifying hazards, assessing risk, and implementing measures to protect responders, the public, and incident facilities. As a member of the Command Staff, the Safety Officer promotes a culture of safety and supports safe operations throughout the incident lifecycle.
Course Overview
ICS-404 prepares emergency management and response personnel for the role of Safety Officer (SOFR) on an Incident Management Team. The course builds on ICS fundamentals and focuses on the SOFR’s duties and responsibilities, including incident safety operations, hazard mitigation, and coordination with Command Staff and section leaders.
Who this course is for?
- Personnel assigned or preparing to serve as Safety Officer
- Assistant Safety Officers
- IMT members seeking deeper understanding of incident safety operations
- Public or private sector responders working within ICS environments
Course objectives
- Explain OSHA regulations and NFPA standards as they apply to incident safety operations.
- Describe the role and responsibilities of the Safety Officer in promoting a culture of safety during an incident.
- Identify critical information the Safety Officer must gather at the start of an incident and sources for obtaining it.
- Differentiate between hazards and safety risks in incident environments.
- Apply techniques for prioritizing hazards and implementing mitigation and accident prevention measures.
- Develop an ICS Form 215A (Incident Action Plan Safety Analysis) based on a given scenario.
- Create an ICS Form 208 HM (Site Safety and Control Plan).
- Demonstrate methods for communicating safety risks and mitigations through safety plans, messages, briefings, and Assistant Safety Officers.
- Explain how the Safety Officer collaborates with the Logistics Section to ensure personnel needs are safely met.
- Identify common unsafe actions, operations, and conditions during incident response.
- Describe the Safety Officer’s responsibilities for managing accidents and special situations during an incident.
- Outline the Safety Officer’s role in demobilizing the Safety Unit and completing closeout activities.
Delivery format
Activities may include instructor-led, in-person training supported by realistic scenario-based learning, group discussion and facilitated instruction, hazard assessment exercises, development of safety plans and ICS forms, problem-solving activities, and asynchronous learning components.
Duration
Four days (29 hours)
Recommended Pre-requisite:
Please check with your organization or Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to determine whether EMSI recommended pre-requisite completion is required.
Successful completion of ICS-300
Comparable Courses
- FEMA E/L0954
- NWCG S-404
- USCG ICS-404
Next Steps
Open Enrollments options on IMT Gear
Request Contact for Course information and/or Delivery Estimate