Development of the Incident Action Plan

The Incident Command System emphasizes orderly and systematic planning and the Incident Action Plan is the central tool for planning during a response to a disaster emergency. The Incident Action Plan is prepared by the Planning Section Chief with input from the appropriate sections and units of the Incident Management Team.

The Incident Action Plan should be written at the outset of the response and revised continually throughout the response. Incidents vary in their kind, complexity, size, and requirements for detailed and written plans. In an initial response for an incident that is readily controlled, a written plan may not be necessary. Larger, more complex incidents will require an Incident Action Plan to coordinate activities. The level of detail required in an Incident Action Plan will vary according to the size and complexity of the response.

The plan, developed for each operational period must be accurate and completely transmit the information generated during the planning process.

Pre-Emergency Planning has worked with various clients to train personnel and provide attendees the opportunity to practice their skills on Incident Action Plan development. Utilizing a simulation scenario, clients “size up” the situation, make assignments and utilize the planning process to achieve and end outcome of a completed Incident Action Plan for a specified operational period. The workshops are customized to meet the needs of the client