Who is ultimately responsible for the management of an incident?

The Incident Commander is ultimately responsible for the management of an incident. This individual has the authority to make critical decisions and set the direction of operations during an incident. The Incident Commander leads the response by establishing objectives, strategies, and overall priorities, ensuring that all necessary resources are effectively coordinated.

The Incident Commander serves as the central point of decision-making and accountability, maintaining situational awareness and coordinating efforts among various response teams and agencies. Their leadership is vital to the successful handling of incidents, as they integrate and prioritize the tasks of different sections.

Other roles, such as the Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, and Public Information Officer, play crucial supporting roles in the incident management structure, but they operate under the guidance of the Incident Commander. Their responsibilities revolve around executing plans and providing important information, but it is the Incident Commander who holds ultimate responsibility for the incident's management.