P4 explain how an individual can exercise command and control
As a uniformed public service employee you have been asked to run a major incident training programme
Explain how an individual can exercise command and control and why the following are essential.
Who is responsible for assuming command of an incident and how would they do it?
The person who is responsible for assuming command of an incident depends on what incident it is, if it a fire in a warehouse then the fire service would take command as this is what the specialise in this kind of incident, the person in the fire service with the highest rank at the scene would take charge and be in command. they would do this by finding out all the information they can about the incident also by working out a plan of action, they would then give people roles and tasks that they are to complete
How would the following services command an incident?
Police
The police service are normally first on scene this is good if they are to take charge of an incident as they would have been able to find out a bit of information about what happened and why, the police service like any other would get as much information as possible to find out what happened who was involved and why it happened this would help them piece together what happened and in what order they would out a plan of action in play by giving out roles so that they can get as much information as possible about the incident they would do this by getting police officers to; go door to door to see if anyone heard or seen anything that was not usual, they would get people to watch CCTV footage to see who was there or near the incident at the time also if they could watch the incident so they could have video footage as proof if it was an accident or on purpose making it a crime, when they get all the information possible if it a crime then they would go arrest the person responsible, if not just write up a repot about what happened either way a report explaining the crime would be written up so that the higher up know about the incident also so they could go back and read the report in case something similar ever happened again involving some of the same people.
Fire
The fire service would do different things depending on the incident that they are in charge of e.g. if they were putting out a fire they would find out if there was anyone still in the building and if the building was safe to go into then depending on the answer of those depends if they go in the building or not if there is someone in the building, but building not safe to enter they will probably still go in to try and save life of person in the building. If they were at a car a RTC they not as much information needed as they would just have to cut the people out of the vehicle this not as bad as a burning building, but at the moment in time the fire service are getting called out for car accidents more that buildings or places on fire.
Ambulance
The ambulance service would get to the scene while trying to get information about the incident if the ambulance service is taking command then I would think that the other services would not need to be there and in most cases they are not called out if this is the case, the paramedic first responders would get to the scene first to check out the incident closely followed by an ambulance if the paramedic first responder gets there and feels that an ambulance is not needed then they can call off the ambulance and deal with situation themselves but if not called made the ambulance arrives to give better treatment while on the way to the closest hospital from there the patient will get treatment in hospital and sent on their way once they are better.
Explain the 3 levels of command
Strategic
Strategic command is involved in making plans or strategies in the order to decide on the best way to achieve an organizations objective. For the public services this could be plans and strategies for thing such as war, combating terrorism, reducing crime or dealing with a major incident. In the public service strategic command usually involves several chiefs/commanders of different uniformed services as some plans can affect more than one service e.g. war in Iraq and Afghanistan as it war which involves all the armed services so the Navy, Army, and RAF. Strategic command is also known as Gold command this is normally based a very big distance from the incident e.g. for the armed services strategic/gold command would normally be located at Whitehall in London.
Tactical
Tactical command also known as silver command is involved in implementing the plan (putting plan into action), there may be several tactical/silver commanders when more than one service is involved, they are responsible for making sure that their service knows the strategy and how to put them into operation. Tactical/silver command is not hands on their involvement is more of coordinating role in a conflict situation it is important that they remain detached, they are normally located just a little bit away from the front line.
Operational
In a conflict situation this would be classed as the front line where operational/bronze command would deploy and control the resources of their respective services. Operational/bronze command does all the hands on stuff there are the people who do all the stuff so if a plan is made they are the people/troops that get moved around and carry the tasks out so that the incident can be solved in the best way possible.
When in command planning is essential explain the following mnemonic:
SMART
Specific
Objectives must be specific and clearly set out. Objectives that are unclear are hard to follow and could be ambiguous. For a bad example, have an area totally cordoned off.
A good example cordon off an area of about 400-500 meters around the crime scene.
Measurable
Objectives are to be measurable so that you can gauge the progress of your plan and see how far you have gone towards achieving your goal. It you cannot measure progress you can’t tell if you are still on the right track.
Achievable
Objectives must be achievable or there would be no point in setting them as goals. When something is achievable it means it is capable of being completed. This could motivate someone to work harder. If however it is impossible it could be bad for morale and motivation so people won’t even try to accomplish the task.
Realistic
Objectives must be realistic which means you must be reasonable about what you want to achieve. If you set your aim to high it might not be realistic. You and your team may feel like failures if you objective is out of reach.
Time-related
Objectives must be achievable over a certain period of time. Success can’t be measured if there is no time limit on your objective. Your time limit must be realistic though so it can be completed in the time you have set.
Briefing is essential when in command, Explain what a briefing is
A briefing is an instruction given for a task or operation, briefings in the uniformed public service is very important because a pilot on a bombing run needs precise grid reference so that he only hits the enemy positions and not men on the same side as him
Explain the following mnemonic:
SMEAC
Situation
Explain the problem/situation that has happened e.g. hostage situation who involved where, how etc.
Mission
What is going to happen to solve the situation, giving out roles and task for people to do.
Execution
How will the task be carried out time and a reminder of roles might be talked about so everyone knows what to do and if so how long they have to do it.
Any questions
In this stage it is where the service can ask questions so that they a clear view of what to do any anything they are not allowed to do so that they do the task well and while causing the least amount of trouble as possible, this helps the people in the service feel confident so that they have a clear understanding of the task and the roles that they must do.
Check understanding
This is where the person giving the mission briefing ask what people are doing so that he knows that they are sure on what to do this is a good way to check if people are certain on what they need to do to complete task asked of them.
Effective control
Why is it important to give and receive orders directly?
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What is monitoring teams effectively?
Why is it important to maintain a physical position of control?
Why is it important to issue clear orders and command?
Why is it important to maintain a strong command presence?
Why is it important to Influence the tempo?
Why is it important to Delegate?
What are functional command methods?
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andryk