Incident Management System (IMS)

An Incident Management System (IMS) is a highly effective tool used to coordinate multi-agency emergency service response during a disaster. 

The system was first developed in the US after wildfires ravaged California in 1973 and was based on existing procedures used by military logistics and aerospace agencies.

In what was coined as ‘the worst wildfire season in 33 years’, multiple state agencies were called in from neighboring districts to assist in containing the situation in southern California.  But their presence further compounded coordination, communication and logistical problems. 

For example, many of the agencies used different radio frequencies signals.  And they often misunderstood each other due to lack of shared common terms. 

The entire process lacked a central command system, leaving each agency to depend on their internal leaders for guidance without knowing what had already been done by others in the field.

IMS was designed to address:

1.      Insufficient or ineffective resource distribution

2.      Poorly defined guidelines for incident response and procedure

3.      Lack of a central command centre

4.      Language barriers between agencies

Since its inception, IMS has evolved and can handle most disaster situations, including hazardous material spills and law enforcement tactical operations.  By establishing a defined chain of command within each event, IMS ensures every agency adheres to a shared common practice, procedure and language defined by the system. 

One significant drawback for IMS is that the system tends to be highly centralised in that it is only shared by agencies within a single geographical region.  And IMS was not designed for mass casualty incidents which require the coordination of agencies beyond the local level. 

Most of these governmental departments do not interact with each other on a regular basis, and communication gaps exist. 

Though IMS has evolved into a sophisticated network of communications able to handle most complex emergency management situations, the devastation of hurricane Katrina in 2005 proved an insurmountable obstacle.  Communication failed and thousands were left homeless with no relief in sight.

Katrina highlighted the necessity for more proactive measures when dealing with disaster scenarios.  For example, addressing the identified issues of failing levee systems could have averted or minimised the resultant disaster. 

And had all local and national agencies been using a homogenous information delivery system, many of the problems they faced after the hurricane would have been avoided entirely. 

IMS is an indispensable tool for most emergency management planning situations.  And the future creation of a global system will help to address many issues which plague existing systems today.