Incident Command System acceptance and utilization in Ohio

¶ … Command System (ICS)

Acceptance and Utilization of the Incident Command System in first response and allied disciplines: An Ohio Study

United States integrated common and uniform command structures for the application by the nation's first responder organizations and generally accepted disciplines in assisting first responders in the case of major disasters or incident. This was in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. This led to the issuance of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) applied by the United States Department of Homeland Security in 2004. The main objective of this research article was to examine a single component of the NIMS (Incident Command System) with the aim of measuring its acceptance and utilization by the first responder organizations and selected allied disciplines in the case of Ohio (Decker, 2011). The research was significant because of the tendency by the federal government to reduce budgets in relation to laudable policies and programs.

In order to achieve this objective or purpose of the study, the researcher focused on the distribution or administration of surveys to 728 organizations within the context of the state of Ohio. The organizations that participated in the research exercise include emergency management, bomb squad, emergency medical services, hazardous material teams, public health, and public works. Researcher integrated the concept of random sampling in the selection of the participants from the membership rosters acquired from various agencies in the state of Ohio (Decker, 2011).

The research managed to complete about 411 surveys out of the administered 728 thus making a response of approximately 56.4%. The highest rate of participants came from public health organizations while bomb squad registered the lowest participation rate. According to the survey results, about 91% of the participants believed that basic ICS training is beneficial to all personnel within their organizations. The data demonstrates that majority of the disciplines under investigation have accepted ICS as a useful incident management tool thus the need to embrace its principles. The research recommends inclusion of a concerted effort with the aim of addressing the issues of acceptance and utilization of the Incident Command System (Decker, 2011). This is supposed to be in a direct manner in order to integrate law enforcement profession and the public works community in relation to the state of Ohio.

Meaning or implication

This research has critical implications and influences in relation to the bigger picture. The introduction o the nationwide strategy with the aim of promoting the Incident Command System as a common incident management system has been critical in enhancing the ability of the federal government to management incidents. Despite this aspect, the research has been essential in evaluating issues in relation to the acceptance and usage in order to yield mixed results among first responders as well as allied disciplines in the state of Ohio. The research will enhance the ability of relevant disciplines to accept and utilize ICS in the management of incidents. For instance, the emergence of the public health and fire service organizations in engaging most strongly in the acceptance of ICS will play a vital role in improving the chances of accepting and utilizing the ICS. This is an indication that the research has crucial influence on the bigger picture in relation to acceptance and utilization of ICS by various disciplines (Decker, 2011).

How the author could expand on the topic

The author could expand on the topic through various ways in relation to integration of the ICS in relevant disciplines. One of the ways of expanding the topic is through inclusion of challenges of the ICS towards the achievement of the goals and objectives in handling incidents. The research should also increase the scope to accommodate areas outside the state of Ohio. For instance, the research should address the issues across the United States rather than focusing on the elements and discipline in the case of the state of Ohio.

Reference

Decker, R.J. (2011). Acceptance and utilization of the Incident Command System in first

response and allied disciplines: An Ohio study. Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, 5(3), 224-230.