Incident Command System Ics for First Responders

¶ … 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).

Flaws you found in the article

The author of the article focuses on integration of various elements with the aim of enhancing interaction with the target audiences. Despite this aspect, there are various flaws in the development of the research article. One of the critical flaws of the article is the lack of research limitations. The researcher fails to note the research limitations hindering the achievement of quality frameworks and theories thus the concept of generalization. There is need to integrate research limitations for further research on the same issues as well as incorporation of new ideas towards the achievement of quality results or findings. The research also fails to indicate ethical considerations in the development of the report. This is critical for authenticity, accountability, and integrity of the research as it seeks to address the objectives and research questions. The research does not discuss the findings in a direct manner, but integrates the need for change for acceptance and usage of ICS. This might be confusing to the target audiences thus the need for clarity in the presentation of the report.