COMMAND & GENERAL STAFF MEETING

Overview: The Command & General Staff Meeting (oftentimes referred to as the Strategy Meeting) provides an opportunity for Unified Command officials to meet with the core response organization to discuss the current situation, review incident objectives, set priorities, identify limitations and constraints, address organizational issues, clarify staff roles and responsibilities, and outline expectations. The information discussed in this meeting will set into motion the development of the Incident Action Plan (IAP).

Schedule: The Command & General Staff Meeting is typically scheduled during the mid-morning hours (in a 24-hour operational period), between the Unified Command Objectives Meeting and Tactics Meeting.

Attendees: Attendees for the Command & General Staff Meeting potentially include the following:

Federal OSC.
State OSC.
Local OSC.
Responsible Party IC (RPIC).
Safety Officer (SOFR).
Public Information Officer (PIO).
Liaison Officer (LNO).
Operations Section Chief (OSC).
Planning Section Chief (PSC).
Situation Unit Leader (SITL).
Documentation Unit Leader (DOCL).
Logistics Section Chief (LSC).
Finance Section Chief (FSC).

Facilitator: Planning Section Chief (PSC).

Duration: Approximately 30 minutes.

Room Layout: The recommended room layout and seating arrangement for the Command & General Staff Meeting is illustrated below:

RECOMMENDED AGENDA

1. Planning Section Chief (PSC): Bring the meeting to order, by stating “Good morning/afternoon. It’s [time and date] and I’d like to call the Command & General Staff Meeting to order.”

2. Planning Section Chief (PSC): Conduct roll call for the various ICS positions/functions listed below:

Roll Call

Incident Commander (RPIC).
Federal OSC.
State OSC.
Local OSC.
Safety Officer (SOFR).
Public Information Officer (PIO).
Operations Section Chief (OSC).
Planning Section Chief (PSC).
Situation Unit Leader (SITL).
Documentation Unit Leader (DOCL).
Logistics Section Chief (LSC).
Finance Section Chief (FSC).

3. Planning Section Chief (PSC): Announce ground rules, as follows:

Example Ground Rules

Silence all electronic devices.
Respect the meeting agenda.
Be mindful of time.
Presenters front and center.
Limit interruptions and side conversations.
Table discussions unrelated to the meeting.

4. Planning Section Chief (PSC): Briefly review the agenda, noting the purpose of the meeting is to provide an opportunity for Unified Command (UC) officials to meet with the core response organization to discuss the current situation, review incident objectives, set priorities, identify limitations and constraints, address organizational issues, clarify staff roles and responsibilities, and outline expectations.

Agenda Overview

Review incident objectives.
Note timeframe for the next operational period.
Identify required components of the Incident Action Plan (IAP).
Outline resource ordering procedures.
Discuss process for the coordination and release of sensitive information (both internal and external).
Update ICS Organization Chart (ICS-207) and Meeting Schedule (ICS-230).
Identify operational and security issues.
Assign tasks and action items to members of the Incident Management Team (IMT).

5. Planning Section Chief (PSC): Confirm the Documentation Unit is taking meeting minutes and tracking action items that could potentially arise during the meeting, using Meeting Summary (ICS-231) and Open Action Tracker (ICS-233), respectively.

6. Situation Unit Leader (SITL): Provide a brief (less than 3-minute) synopsis of the current and projected incident situation. Highlight recent progress and accomplishments. Review the weather forecast. Use the Situation Map and Incident Status Summary (ICS-209) as references.

7. Safety Officer (SOFR): Issue a quick safety briefing. Highlight Command’s focus on responder/public safety. Address procedures in response to any accidents/injuries.

8. Unified Command (UC): Review incident objectives for the upcoming operational period, as reflected on ICS-202.

9. Unified Command (UC): Outline priorities, limitations, and constraints, along with key decisions and procedures, as recorded on Command Direction (ICS-202a).

10. Unified Command (UC): Communicate critical information requirements (CIRs), information flow, and time-critical expectations (referring to ICS-202b).

11. Unified Command (UC): Assign functional tasks to members of the Command & General Staff. Review any open action items, by referencing ICS-233.

12. Unified Command (UC): Appoint individuals to prepare various elements of the Incident Action Plan (IAP).

13. Unified Command (UC): Illustrate any staffing changes to the ICS organizational structure, using ICS-207. Address both daytime and nighttime shifts.

14. Unified Command (UC): Announce the start time and duration of the next operational period, along with work shift hours.

15. Unified Command (UC): Review the finalized Meeting Schedule (ICS-230). Clarify attendance requirements.

16. Planning Section Chief (PSC): Facilitate an open discussion to clarify priorities, objectives, assignments, specific job responsibilities, issues, concerns, and open actions/tasks.

17. Unified Command (UC): Present closing remarks. Offer words of encouragement, recognize sacrifices and contributions, and emphasize safety and teamwork.

18. Planning Section Chief (PSC): Adjourn meeting.

FEMA TRAINING VIDEO

The YouTube video above, produced by FEMA, depicts a simulated Command & General Staff Meeting.