PRINCIPLES
 

Co-locate
Co-locate with commanders as soon as practicably possible at a single, safe and easily identified location near to the scene.

What should happen

Responders should identify and meet with who is in charge from each of the other services. Identification of lead officers is made easier by the use of incident commander tabards or equivalent uniform marking. Radio interoperability talk groups should be established and used to aid communication, whether or not commanders physically co-locate.

What can go wrong?

Commanders arriving at the scene can take too long to make contact with commanders from the other agencies, or don’t make contact at all.

This leads to poor information sharing, lack of communication and no joint understanding of the unfolding emergency.

Communication
Communicate clearly using plain English

What should happen

Commanders need to ensure what they are sharing is understood by all. They should use commonly agreed language, terminology and map symbols (see Map Symbols). They should avoid ambiguity by providing factual information rather than subjective statements such as 'likely , possible, or probable'.

Using the common model for passing incident information between services and their control rooms (METHANE), commanders can ensure all services have the same information about the incident.

What can go wrong...

Without commanders being able to liaise with their peers and share what they know about the incident - what risks or hazards they may have identified, they cannot co-ordinate resources and formulate an appropriate response plan.

Misunderstood concepts and terminology are frequent stumbling blocks. Use of service specific jargon, acronyms and abbreviations can cause confusion and delay.

Co-ordinate
Co-ordinate by agreeing the lead service. Identify priorities, resources and capabilities for an effective response, including the timing of further meetings.

What should happen

By meeting / talking both initially and at regular intervals, commanders can ensure they have the most up to date information to formulate a response plan and to regularly review it for effectiveness. The most appropriate resources can then be deployed to ensure the most effective multi-agency response. Commanders should use the Joint Decision Model to help develop a working strategy leading to an effective response plan.

What can go wrong

If commanders do not share information and co-ordinate their efforts, there is an increased potential for misunderstandings about the response and resources required. The response is likely to be disjointed. There is the potential for a duplication of effort and for the activities of one agency to inadvertently impede the activities of another. There may be delays in responding to casualties or to bringing the emergency under control.

Joint Understanding Of Risk
Jointly understand risk by sharing information about the likelihood and potential impact of threats and hazards to consider and agree control measures.

What should happen

Results from either individual or joint dynamic risk assessments are shared with all commanders so that all risks, threats and hazards can be fully considered, and the implications understood by all. With a shared understanding, priorities can be agreed and control measures put in place as part of a jointly agreed, working strategy. This will lead to an integrated multi-agency operational response plan.

All information and joint decisions made should be recorded in a joint decision log.

What can go wrong

Commanders may not be aware of the different risks and hazards facing each agency at the emergency which could lead to staff inadvertently being placed at risk whilst carrying out their duties.

Servcies individually assess risks but do not share this information with peers and they do not consider the risks facing their peers. This may lead to staff from one service being prevented from carrying out their duties if another agency perceives the risk to be too great. This disjointed approach could lead to delay in the response, casualties not being treated appropriately, or staff being harmed.

Shared Situational Awareness
Shared Situational Awareness established by using M/ETHANE and the Joint Doctrine Model.

What should happen

Commanders will have worked together to formulate the most effective response plan possible using all information known about the unfolding emergency. This will include threats, hazards, relevant powers, policies, capabilities and procedures as well as the resources available from all agencies.

What can go wrong

Without sharing all that is known about an incident across all agencies an un-coordinated approach to response is likely. There is the potential for inappropriate and duplicate resources and capabilities to be deployed which could result in delays to rescuing and treating casualties and inadvertently putting staff at risk.

If the principles are applied successfully, the result should be a jointly agreed working strategy where all parties understand what is going to happen when and by who.

In developing a working strategy, commanders should consider the following: