Emergency Management and Critical Incidents
Emergency Management and Critical Incidents tests your ability to move from tactical command to multi-agency coordination. Items cover the New Jersey Emergency Management Act, the incident command system, unified command, and critical incident response.
Core rules
- The municipal emergency management coordinator, appointed under the state act, coordinates preparedness and the emergency operations plan; the county office of emergency management coordinates resource requests above the municipal level.
- ICS provides a common organizational structure and terminology; span of control is three to seven, with five as the target.
- Unified command is used when multiple agencies with jurisdiction share authority; each retains its own authority and no agency surrenders command.
- The emergency operations center coordinates policy, resource ordering, and public information; it does not direct tactical operations at the scene.
- After-action review with an improvement plan closes the loop; an after-action report without assigned corrective actions changes nothing.
Worked example
A hurricane causes flooding across two municipalities. Police, fire, EMS, public works, and the county OEM all respond. At the scene, the police captain should not attempt to command fire and EMS operations. The correct structure is a unified command including police, fire, and EMS, each commanding its own resources, with objectives set jointly. Resource requests beyond local capacity go through the county OEM so that state resources are ordered once rather than redundantly. The municipal EOC, if activated, handles sheltering, public messaging, and resource documentation while the unified command manages the scene.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating the EOC as a tactical command post.
- Appointing one incident commander over agencies that retain jurisdiction instead of forming unified command.
- Bypassing the county OEM when requesting state resources.
- Skipping documentation of resource orders and costs, which jeopardizes reimbursement.
- Issuing an after-action report with no assigned corrective actions.