What is a primary role of the incident commander?

A primary role of the incident commander is to direct all resources on the scene of an emergency incident. This responsibility involves a comprehensive assessment of the situation, including identifying hazards, allocating personnel and equipment, and establishing operational priorities to ensure an effective response. The incident commander is crucial in coordinating efforts among various agencies and units involved, ensuring that resources are used efficiently and safely to mitigate the situation.

While managing budget and finance aspects, monitoring public relations, and training new personnel are all important aspects of broader fire service operations, they are typically not the immediate responsibilities of the incident commander during an active incident. The focus of the incident commander is to oversee operations and resource management directly related to the emergency at hand, making the ability to direct all resources on scene essential for effective incident management.