On Sunday, June 30, 2013, the emergency response community lost 19 firefighters as they battled the Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona. All of the deceased were members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew. The entire staff of EMSI is deeply saddened by this loss and we offer our thoughts …
The Federal Register of August 31, 2009* delivered the final requirements for vessel and facility spill removal equipment and planning. These long awaited changes included requirements for “trained observation personnel to support oil spill removal operations, commencing upon initial assessment, and capable of coordinating on-scene cleanup operations, including dispersant and …
Several global energy companies with operations around the world have begun implementing a Position Qualification Standard (PQS) which establishes standardized training and competency-based evaluation of Incident Command System (ICS) positions. The new standard establishes competencies that must be demonstrated on incidents, events or exercises before an individual can be deemed …
The Chevron Corporation has begun implementing a Position Qualification Standard (PQS) which establishes standardized training and competency based evaluation of Incident Command System (ICS) positions. The standard establishes competencies that must be demonstrated on incidents, events or exercises before an individual can be deemed qualified. Each of these competencies and …
EMSI and Sam Sacco, of Strategy & Communications, have teamed up to create a training program that combines both the operations and media elements of a Day 1 response. The program, called ICS-201/ Media Response Workshop, provides interactive training that offers participants the opportunity to hone both the ICS and …
Hello to all of our colleagues and friends who have contributed to both Pat’s and my professional careers. You may have noticed that we are not as active in EMSI as in the past. Pat and I have decided to focus our future efforts in another direction. I have personally …
Incidents using the Incident Command System require a set of objectives, a strategy or strategies to accomplish these objectives and a series of tactical work assignments directing resources to accomplish these strategies. It is well understood that the Incident Commander or Unified Command creates and establishes Incident Objectives. It is …
The Incident Commander (IC) has overall authority and responsibility for managing all operations at the incident site. This individual(s) is/are responsible for all incident activities including the development of the objectives and strategies and the ordering and release of resources; therefore, it is essential that the selection of Incident Command …
EMSI recently had the pleasure of presenting an ICS-341, Incident Response Planning course, for USCG Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach at Fort McArthur. Seventeen members of USCG active duty and auxiliary attended the course taught September 20-24, 2010. This course teaches skills needed to implement the Incident Command System planning process …
One of the most positive developments in emergency response in recent years has been the national use of NIMS ICS. ICS has gained acceptance in public safety, private sector, and non-emergency event planning and has been applied to incidents and events ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the Olympic Games, to …
