INITIAL UNIFIED COMMAND MEETING
Overview: The Initial Unified Command Meeting provides Unified Command officials with an opportunity to discuss and concur on important issues and formulate key decisions prior to joint incident action planning. This meeting typically sets the tone for the overall response.
Schedule: The Initial Unified Command Meeting is scheduled as agency representatives integrate into the Unified Command response organization, typically upon conclusion of the Incident Briefing.
Attendees: Attendees for the Initial Unified Command Meeting potentially include the following:
Federal OSC.
State OSC.
Local OSC.
Responsible Party IC.
Planning Section Chief (PSC).
Documentation Unit Leader (DOCL).
Facilitator: Planning Section Chief (PSC).
Duration: Approximately 60 minutes.
Room Layout: The preferred room layout and seating arrangement for the Initial Unified Command 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 Initial Unified Command Meeting to order.”
2. Planning Section Chief (PSC): Conduct roll call for the various ICS positions/functions listed below:
- Incident Commander (RPIC).
- Federal OSC.
- State OSC.
- Local OSC.
- Planning Section Chief (PSC).
- Documentation Unit Leader (DOCL).
3. Planning Section Chief (PSC): Announce ground rules, as follows:
- 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 Unified Command (UC) officials with an opportunity to discuss and concur on important issues and formulate key decisions prior to joint incident action planning.
- Name of the incident.
- Timeframe for the next operational period.
- Location of the Incident Command Post (ICP) and supporting facilities.
- Incident objectives and priorities.
- Staffing for both the current and next operational period.
- Meeting schedule for the current operational period.
- Key action items to address and by whom.
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. Planning Section Chief (PSC): Validate makeup of the newly formed Unified Command (UC), which may include representatives from leading federal, state, and local agencies, together with the Responsible Party (RP).
7. Unified Command (UC): Confirm representatives in attendance have the proper Delegation of Authority from their respective agencies/organizations.
8. Unified Command (UC): Clarify Unified Command (UC) roles and responsibilities. Discuss means of supporting the incident. Identify jurisdictional boundaries and focus.
9. Unified Command (UC): Review/fine-tune incident objectives, specifically designed to providefocus to the response organization.
Incident Management
- Manage a coordinated inter-agency response effort that reflects composition of the Unified Command.
- Establish an Incident Management Team (IMT) capable of meeting the initial and long-term challenges required for incident mitigation.
- Inform the public, stakeholders,, and news media of response activities.
- Implement a coordinated response with law enforcement and other responding agencies.
- Evaluate planned actions to determine potential impacts on social, political, and economic entities.
- Establish a Volunteer Management Program.
- Adhere to appropriate financial accounting practices.
- Establish resource request and ordering procedures.
- Establish an incident documentation system.
- Establish an information transfer process to facilitate communications with stakeholders and organizations.
Oil Spill
- Initiate actions to stop/control the release and minimize the total spill volume.
- Implement measures to isolate, contain, and stabilize the incident.
- Examine the fate, effects, and trajectories of oil/hazardous substances.
- Identify sensitive areas.
- Conduct pre-impact shoreline debris removal.
- Contain, treat, and recover spilled materials.
- Conduct shoreline assessments and initiate cleanup actions.
Safety
- Maximize the protection of public health and welfare.
- Provide for the safety and security of responders.
- Conduct an operational risk assessment; ensure controls are in place to protect responders and the public.
Security
- Implement security awareness measures.
- Evaluate changes in incident effects and response conditions.
- Establish an Incident Security Plan, incorporating security badges.
- Implement scene integrity and evidence preservation measures.
- Investigate the cause of the incident.
- Establish and continue enforcement of safety and security zones.
- Implement airspace closure and monitoring.
Environmental
- Identify and protect environmentally sensitive areas, including wetlands.
- Identify threatened/endangered species; prepare to rescue and rehabilitate injured wildlife.
- Investigate the potential for alternative response technologies, e.g.,, in-situ burning, bioremediation, etc., in support of response efforts.
Firefighting
- Commence firefighting operations to contain, extinguish, and overhaul fire.
- Coordinate and support firefighting activities.
Crisis Management
- Maintain business survival.
- Minimize response costs.
- Maintain public image.
- Minimize local economic and tourism impacts.
- Minimize third-party claims.
- Minimize natural resource damage assessments.
- Re-establish commercial operation as soon as possible.
- Minimize prospects of criminal prosecution.
- Meet certain reasonable stakeholder expectations (public, agency, interest group, and political).
- Consider insurance limitations.
10. Unified Command (UC): Establish/document potential limitations and constraints, using ICS-202a.
- Adverse weather.
- Challenging terrain/geography.
- Limited specialized resources.
- Staffing shortfalls.
- Crew rest requirements.
- Conflicting jurisdictional oversight.
- Delegation of authority.
- Inter-agency communications.
- Costs.
- News media coverage.
- Public confidence/perception.
- Political influences.
- Affected population.
- Adverse environmental/economic impacts.
- Community evacuations.
- Security.
- Evidence preservation.
- Exclusion zones.
- Oil composition.
- PPE requirements.
- Availability of waste receiving areas.
- Command & General Staff composition.
11. Unified Command (UC): Agree on response priorities. Document on Command Direction (ICS-202a).
- Responder safety.
- Public health.
- Air monitoring.
- Incident stabilization.
- Source control.
- Environmental/property protection.
- Wildlife rescue/rehabilitation.
- Security.
- Transportation infrastructure.
- Maritime commerce restoration.
- Medical support.
- Stakeholder outreach.
- Media relations.
- Communications.
- Information management.
- Situational awareness.
- Incident investigation.
- Evidence collection.
12. Unified Command (UC): Determine specific informational thresholds for which Command requires immediate notification. Use ICS-202b for documentation purposes.
- Injuries and/or fatalities.
- Personnel accountability.
- Waterway/port closures.
- Damage to infrastructure or company facilities.
- Equipment malfunctions.
- Total volume of the spill or rate of discharge.
- Resources status.
- Operational asset tracking.
- Environmental impacts.
- Resources at risk.
- Oiled wildlife.
- Cultural/historical impacts.
- News media interests/concerns.
- Social media trends.
- Political interests/concerns.
- Stakeholder concerns.
13. Unified Command (UC): Outline a basic ICS organizational structure, using Incident Organization Chart (ICS-207) as a guide.
14. Unified Command (UC): Consider Command Staff assignments. Designate the lead organization/agency for the Safety Officer (SOFR), Public Information Officer (PIO), and Liaison Officer (LOFR).
15. Unified Command (UC): Nominate the best-qualified Operations Section Chief (OSC) and Deputy, based on makeup of the Unified Command (UC).
16. Unified Command (UC): Agree on key General Staff personnel assignments in the Planning, Logistics, and Finance Sections. Assign Section Chiefs, Deputies, Unit Leaders, and Technical Specialists (THSPs), as needed.
17. Unified Command (UC): Discuss the integration of assisting/cooperating agencies and organizations into the ICS organization.
18. Unified Command (UC): Compose a list of potential stakeholders, e.g., elected officials, emergency managers, scientific researchers, environmental organizations, special interest groups, community residents, local businesses, landowners, etc., which may be affected by the incident.
19. Unified Command (UC): Suggest (and agree on) a “formal name” for the incident.
20. Unified Command (UC): Determine the length of the operational period (start/end times) and work shift hours. Draft a Meeting Schedule (ICS-230).
21. Unified Command (UC): Propose locations for the Incident Command Post (ICP) and other critical support facilities, e.g., Staging Areas.
22. Unified Command (UC): Set policies for interacting with the news media and disseminating incident-related information (both internally and externally). Assess the need to establish a Joint Information Center (JIC). Designate a sole individual to serve as spokesperson for the Unified Command (UC), hence commit to speak with “one voice” through the JIC, if established.
23. Unified Command (UC): Acknowledge sensitive information, intelligence, and operational security matters.
24. Unified Command (UC): Discuss resource ordering, cost accounting, and cost-sharing procedures.
25. Unified Command (UC): Summarize and document key decisions. Determine key action items and functional tasks to be assigned to members of the Command & General Staff, using Open Action Tracker (ICS-233) for recording purposes.
26. Planning Section Chief (PSC): Adjourn meeting.
FEMA TRAINING VIDEO
The YouTube video above, produced by FEMA, depicts a simulated Initial Unified Command Meeting. The relevant content begins at the 1:00 mark.
