Building an ICS Go Kit

Any experienced and prepared incident responder maintains a comprehensive Go Kit in order to respond quickly and effectively to an emergency. You may want to assemble a “Go Kit” if you think you will be deployed to incidents that will last for more than a day.  Even if you aren’t exactly sure when or how you will be deployed, there are some items that you should assemble in advance.  Preparing a Go Kit in advance will help ensure that you have everything that you will need and will reduce the amount of time between deployment and check-in.

To build a Go Kit, responders should obtain and assemble information and materials necessary to self-support during the first 24-hours (go-kit), as many items may not be on scene yet during the early stages of a response. A Go-Kit is critical for all deployed positions to ensure that they have the necessary tools and resources available for utilization upon arrival at an incident.

Incident response Go Kits come in all shapes and sizes and are usually customized by the individual response professional.  The below checklists outline some of the essential components of a go-kit for select ICS Command & General Staff positions with products available through IMT Gear. This list is in no way comprehensive, but provides a solid start to building your Go Kit.

Incident Commander

Safety Officer

Operations Section Chief

Planning Section Chief

Need help building a Go Kit for your organization or want more information on a kit for a position not included here?  Contact an IMT Gear specialist for assistance. Our IMT Gear team understands your needs and is dedicated to serving you.

EMSI is a service-disabled veteran owned, minority business enterprise (MBE) that supports a broad range of clients. To learn more about EMSI and how we can help your organization’s response preparedness, please visit www.emsics.com.