Emergency Who is in charge. and of what

A storage tank has failed, releasing a substance that poses a threat to a plant's nearby residents. A fire in a facility requires a response from the local fire department. A major incident at a plant demands involvement not only from the community and neighboring facilities, but also from regulatory officials. All of these scenarios demand quick and effective responses, and someone has to manage and coordinate responding organizations' and individuals' potentially competing and conflicting objectives. For years, those responsible for responding to emergency incidents have recognized the importance of defining people in charge. Designating a single incident manager helps, but in a significant incident the challenge lies in providing a comprehensive, inclusive response-management organization structure. This can be a daunting task. Fortunately, recent regulations ranging from OSHA 1910.120 to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 have advocated - or required - the Incident Command System (ICS) as the best approach for defining emergency management positions.