Who has overall responsibility for managing the on-scene incident?

The Incident Commander holds the overall responsibility for managing the on-scene incident. This individual is tasked with making strategic decisions, coordinating resources, and ensuring that all incident objectives are met effectively and efficiently. The Incident Commander serves as the primary point of contact for all communications during an incident and is ultimately accountable for the safety and operational success of the entire response effort.

The roles of the other positions, while crucial for the functioning of the Incident Command System, focus on specific areas of the response. The Operations Section Chief is responsible for overseeing the tactical operations to achieve the incident objectives but does so under the guidance of the Incident Commander. The Planning Section Chief manages the planning process and develops incident action plans, while the Logistics Section Chief is focused on ensuring resources, personnel, and equipment are available and functional for the response. These positions support the Commander but do not carry the overarching responsibility of incident management like the Incident Commander does.