The Incident Command System is a standardized management tooldesigned to allow its users to adopt an integrated organizationalstructure flexible enough to meet the demands of small or largeemergency or non-emergency situations. But the Incident CommandSystem has been at times criticized for ignoring the importance ofinter-organizational relationships, the spontaneous nature ofresponse, the role of unorganized volunteers, and the potential forconflict between organizations. Often the challenge can bereconstituting command and control after an improvised incidentresponse. To better coordinate, a unified command often utilizesWeb-accessible resources to assist in the setup and operation of anEmergency Operation Center during a response. Can you describe adisaster management challenge that could have been better addressedby using ICS, what were the lessons learned? And/or was there anincident that demonstrated an ICS Unified Command was effective inminimizing communication conflict between responding agencies amida disaster that led to greater resiliency in whole communitysustainment?
