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ARC (back to top)
American Red Cross

Area Command (Unified Area Command)
An organization established (1) to oversee the management of multiple incidents that are each being handled by an ICS organization, or (2) to oversee the management of large or multiple incidents to which several Incident Management Teams have been assigned. Area Command has the responsibility to set overall strategy and priorities, allocate critical resources according to priorities, ensure that incidents are properly managed, and ensure that objectives are met and strategies followed. Area Command becomes Unified Area Command when incidents are multijurisdictional. Area Command may be established at an emergency operations center facility or at some location other than an incident command post. 

Assisting Agency
An agency or organization providing personnel, services, or other resources to the agency with direct responsibility for incident management. 

Bioterrorism (back to top)
The intentional use of microorganisms, or toxins, derived from living organisms, to produce death or disease in humans, animals, or plants. 

CD (back to top)
Communicable Disease

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
A branch of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC manages Washington's Cooperative Agreement for Public Health Preparedness and Response for Bioterrorism.

Chain of Command
A series of management positions in order of authority.

Command Post
See Incident Command Post.

Coordination
The process of systematically analyzing a situation, developing relevant information, and informing appropriate command authority of viable alternatives for selection of the most effective combination of available resources to meet specific objectives. The coordination process (which can be either intra- or interagency) does not involve dispatch actions. However, personnel responsible for coordination may perform command or dispatch functions within the limits established by specific agency delegations, procedures, legal authority, etc. 

Delegation of Authority (back to top)
A statement provided to the Incident Commander by the Agency Executive delegating authority and assigning responsibility. The Delegation of Authority can include objectives, priorities, expectations, constraints, and other considerations or guidelines as needed. Many agencies require written Delegation of Authority to be given to Incident Commanders prior to their assuming command on larger incidents.

Department of Homeland Security
In 2002, 22 federal agencies were consolidated into the new Department of Homeland Security to help protect the nation from terrorist threats, assist in natural disaster relief, and provide citizenship services.

Disaster
A large emergency event that is beyond the community’s ability to address within its own and mutual aid resources. 

Emergency (back to top)
Absent a Presidential declared emergency, any incident(s), human-caused or natural, that requires responsive action to protect life or property. Under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, an emergency means any occasion or instance for which, in the determination of the President, Federal assistance is needed to supplement State and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States.


Emergency Management
A systematic program of activities that governments and their partners undertake before, during and after a disaster to save lives, prevent injury, and to protect property and the natural environment. Emergency management activities include:

• Mitigation–eliminating hazards or reducing their potential impact
• Preparedness–planning, training, and exercising for disastrous events
• Response–taking action when a disaster occurs to save lives, prevent injuries, and prevent or limit property damage
• Recovery–Restoring normalcy after the disaster; These activities are not the sole responsibility of the designated emergency management agency. Virtually all agencies have a role, but most particularly law enforcement, fire services, public works, and public health.

EMS
Emergency medical services

Emergency Management Coordinator/Director
The individual within each political subdivision that has coordination responsibility for jurisdictional emergency management.

Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs)
The physical location at which the coordination of information and resources to support domestic incident management activities normally takes place. An EOC may be a temporary facility or may be located in a more central or permanently established facility, perhaps at a higher level of organization within a jurisdiction. EOCs may be organized by major functional disciplines (e.g., fire, law enforcement, and medical services), by jurisdiction (e.g., Federal, State, regional, county, city, tribal), or some combination thereof.

Event
A planned, non-emergency activity. ICS can be used as the management system for a wide range of events, e.g., parades, concerts, or sporting events.

FDA (back to top)
Food and Drug Administration 

FEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency

First Responders
Local fire, law enforcement, HazMat, emergency medical services, and hospital emergency room personnel. 

HAZMAT (back to top)
Hazardous materials

HHS
US Department of Health and Human Services

Helispot
Any designated location where a helicopter can safely take off and land. Some helispots may be used for loading of supplies, equipment, or personnel. 

Incident (back to top)
An occurrence or event, natural or human-caused, that requires an emergency response to protect life or property. Incidents can, for example, include major disasters, emergencies, terrorist attacks, terrorist threats, wild land and urban fires, floods, hazardous materials spills, nuclear accidents, aircraft accidents, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical storms, war-related disasters, public health and medical emergencies, and other occurrences requiring an emergency response.

Incident Commander (IC)
The individual responsible for all incident activities, including the development of strategies and tactics and the ordering and the release of resources. The IC has overall authority and responsibility for conducting incident operations and is responsible for the management of all incident operations at the incident site.

Incident Command Post (ICP)
The field location at which the primary tactical-level, on-scene incident command functions are performed. The ICP may be collocated with the incident base or other incident facilities and is normally identified by a green rotating or flashing light.

Incident Command System (ICS)
A standardized on-scene emergency management construct specifically designed to provide for the adoption of an integrated organizational structure that reflects the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents, without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries. ICS is the combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure, designed to aid in the management of resources during incidents. It is used for all kinds of emergencies and is applicable to small as well as large and complex incidents. ICS is used by various jurisdictions and functional agencies, both public and private, to organize field-level incident management operations.

Incident of National Significance
Based on criteria established in HSPD-5 (paragraph 4), an actual or potential high-impact event that requires a coordinated and effective response by and appropriate combination of Federal, State, local, tribal, nongovernmental, and/or private-sector entities in order to save lives and minimize damage, and provide the basis for long-term community recovery and mitigation activities. (Source: National Response Plan) 

Joint Information Center (JIC) (back to top)
A facility established to coordinate all incident-related public information activities. It is the central point of contact for all news media at the scene of the incident. Public information officials from all participating agencies should collocate at the JIC. 

Landing Zone (back to top)
See Helispot. 

Major Disaster (back to top)
As defined under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122), a major disaster is any natural catastrophe (including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought), or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under this Act to supplement the efforts and available resources of States, tribes, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby.

Mitigation
The activities designed to reduce or eliminate risks to persons or property or to lessen the actual or potential effects or consequences of an incident. Mitigation measures may be implemented prior to, during, or after an incident. Mitigation measures are often informed by lessons learned from prior incidents. Mitigation involves ongoing actions to reduce exposure to, probability of, or potential loss from hazards. Measures may include zoning and building codes, floodplain buyouts, and analysis of hazard- related data to determine where it is safe to build or locate temporary facilities. Mitigation can include efforts to educate governments, businesses, and the public on measures they can take to reduce loss and injury.

Mobilization
The process and procedures used by all organizations (Federal, State, and local) for activating, assembling, and transporting all resources that have been requested to respond to or support an incident.

Multiagency Coordination Systems (MACs)
Multiagency coordination systems provide the architecture to support coordination for incident prioritization, critical resource allocation, communications systems integration, and information coordination. The components of multiagency coordination systems include facilities, equipment, emergency operation centers (EOCs), specific multiagency coordination entities, personnel, procedures, and communications. These systems assist agencies and organizations to fully integrate the subsystems of the NIMS.

Mutual-Aid Agreement
Written agreement between agencies and/or jurisdictions that they will assist one another on request, by furnishing personnel, equipment, and/or expertise in a specified manner. 

National Incident Management System (NIMS) (back to top)
A system mandated by HSPD-5 that provides a consistent nationwide approach for Federal, State, local, and tribal governments; the private-sector; and nongovernmental organizations to work effectively and efficiently together to prepare for, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity. To provide for interoperability and compatibility among Federal, State, local, and tribal capabilities, the NIMS includes a core set of concepts, principles, and terminology. HSPD-5 identifies these as the ICS; multiagency coordination systems; training; identification and management of resources (including systems for classifying types of resources); qualification and certification; and the collection, tracking, and reporting of incident information and incident resources.

National Response Plan (NRP)
A plan mandated by HSPD-5 that integrates Federal domestic prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery plans into one all-discipline, all-hazards plan. 

Public Information Officer (PIO) (back to top)
A member of the Command Staff responsible for interfacing with the public and media or with other agencies with incident-related information requirements. 

Unified Command (back to top)
An application of ICS used when there is more than one agency with incident jurisdiction or when incidents cross political jurisdictions. Agencies work together through the designated members of the Unified Command, often the senior person from agencies and/or disciplines participating in the Unified Command, to establish a common set of objectives and strategies and a single Incident Action Plan.