ICS: Friend of foe?

I have spent a significant amount of time lately talking about and finding examples of utilizing speed on the fireground. It is my belief (and the belief of many others) that the surest way to increase our survival and the survival of the people we serve is to operate with a high level of tempo. I am not advocating blindly sprinting around and tripping over ourselves. I am talking about the kind of speed which is a product of high quality/fidelity training and a thorough knowledge of fire behavior and building construction.

The point I want to raise for discussion is the way we currently utilize ICS and how it relates to tempo. Why do we use ICS? I believe the easy answer is because it organizes the fireground. Obviously this is an expansive and complicated subject, but organization tends to be the most tangible benefit. ICS provides us with a system which places every person on a scene in a designated role with a designated supervisor. In theory, everyone is accounted for and everything flows smoothly. Does it though?

Before I get cast out as a deviant I am not here to suggest we do away with ICS. I do think we need to take a hard look at two aspects of ICS: how it can slow down operations, and how it behaves when unexpected events occur.

When we learn about ICS we cover the different levels of operations, different ways to group teams of individuals, the responsibilities of different roles, and how to expand the system based on the growth or decline of the incident. Basically we learn how to plug our incidents into ICS to allow us to organize and control a scene. One importanct aspect of ICS is the flow of communication. Too often we see examples of top heavy ICS where communication pours from the upper levels at such a high rate that the lower levels don't have time to push communication back to the top. It is not difficult to find video or audio examples of a scene where an IC spends five minutes giving assignments over the radio without giving anyone time to chime in. The IC would probably argue that the detailed assignments are being given in the name of safety. What happens when a crew on the C side notices signs of impending collapse, but because of the tied up radio channel isn't able to communicate their findings? How safe is the operation at this point?

One of the recurring themes at this years' "Making Yourself Hard to Kill" conference put on by Leadership Under Fire was the difference between implicit and explicit command. The example given above would be an example of explicit command. Explicit command relies almost entirely on the input and instruction from the IC. It is almost as if crews are unable to take action unless directly told to do so by the IC. Some would say this type of command prevents freelancing. While this may be true, the other side effect is a significant reduction in the tempo of fireground operations. Explicit command may exist at varying levels of intensity, but it's existance will always result in slower operations.

Implicit command relies less on direct contact with the IC and more so on the initiative of everyone else on the fireground. Sound scary? The reason implicit command works is because it empowers individuals and units to act accordingly to accomplish the goals of the IC. The last part of that statement is the most important aspect of implicit command. The IC needs to effectively communicate his of her intent to everyone on scene. Well communicated commander's intent, highly proficient firefighters, and an effective use of SOP's/SOG's applied to the model of implicit command will allow a high level of tempo. A truck crew told to search the 2nd floor should know based on conditions, building construction, and the location of other crews how they are going to perform their task. Detailed instructions from the IC will only serve to delay the truck company at this point. Obviously if the IC has a particular piece of information, or needs something specific done this should be communicated. The idea of implicit command is simple in theory but takes a lot to accomplish. I have only scratched the surface, but I want to get the wheels turning.

The other are of concern with ICS is the way it behaves when unexpected events occur. For example, let's look at what happens during a mayday. Mayday's are not common occurances for most of us. Because of this we are not always doing everything we can to prepare for them, especially as it relates to ICS. One way of dealing with a mayday which has gained popularity is switching all radio traffic on the fireground to another channel and leaving the IC, caller of the mayday, and RIT on the original channel. Right, wrong, or indifferent, how well does this work with ICS? Where do the IC, mayday caller, and RIT fit into the ICS diagram? I am not arguing for or against this method of dealing with a mayday, just trying to highlight how a mayday can rock the boat from an ICS standpoint. Mayday's aren't the only event that can shake up an incident. Any number of things can happen to upset the balance of an otherwise well run incident. In these situations is ICS helping or hurting us? Anyone can sit in a classroom "running" an incident, have a mayday thrown at them, and walk through the steps to mitigate that emergency. It's a whole different ball game when it's the real thing.

I am not here to say that I have the answers to all of these questions regarding ICS. Like I said before I'm also not here to say that we need to throw ICS out the door. I do think we need to honestly look at the way we utilize ICS on the fireground and determine if it is allowing us to operate at the tempo we need to be at.Take a look at your own incidents. Are you relying too heavily on explicit command? Do you see an opportunity to move towards implicit command? As you think about these questions I reccommend you pick up a copy of "Warfighting" which covers the USMC's doctrine on warfare. I know that sounds a little intense, but it applies to everything we have talked about regarding tempo and command. With everything we are learning about the fireground these days we need to make sure we continue to look at how we run the fireground. Everything we do on scene should be geared towards maximizing our tempo.