4-5) HazMat Incident Commander

On-Scene Incident Commander Level Training

The incident commander is the individual who, at any one time, is responsible for and in control of the response effort. Any emergency responder expected to perform as an incident commander should be trained to fulfill the obligations of the position including the following:

• Ability to analyze a hazardous substance incident to determine the magnitude of the response problem.
• Ability to plan and implement an appropriate response plan within the capabilities of available personnel and equipment.
• Ability to implement a response to favorably change the outcome of the incident in a manner consistent with the local emergency response plan and the organizations standard operating procedures.
• Ability to evaluate the progress of the emergency response to ensure that the response objectives are being met safely, effectively, and efficiently.
• Ability to adjust the response plan to the conditions of the response and to notify higher levels of response when required by the changes to the response plan.