What responsibility does the Incident Commander hold?

The Incident Commander plays a pivotal role in managing an incident response by directing all incident operations and allocating resources effectively. This responsibility encompasses making critical decisions about the overall strategy and tactics employed during an incident. The Incident Commander ensures that all response efforts are coordinated and aligned with the established objectives, facilitating seamless communication among various teams and stakeholders involved.

By holding this central role, the Incident Commander is tasked with prioritizing tasks, delegating responsibilities to functional units, and adapting to the evolving nature of the incident, which may require quick and decisive changes in operational strategy. This level of oversight is essential for ensuring that resources—be they personnel, equipment, or information—are used optimally to mitigate the incident's impact.

The other options focus on important aspects of incident management but do not capture the primary responsibility of the Incident Commander. The budget oversight, public relations management, and technical support are typically handled by other designated roles or units within the incident response structure, highlighting the specialized nature of the Incident Command System.