An Incident Action Plan (IAP) is a plan that tells everyone what to do during an emergency. It helps the team work together in an organized way to control the situation, executed by the leader of the commanding structure. Regardless of the incident’s scale, the IAP remains essential whether managed by the Emergency Response Team (ERT) within the workplace or escalated to the Crisis Management Team with external emergency services involved. It must include several key components to effectively translate the strategic objectives of the Incident Command System (ICS) into practical actions.
1. Incident Objectives
The ultimate aim of carrying out an IAP is to achieve incident objectives that define the overall goals of the responses, such as protecting lives, preventing the incident from getting out of control, or ensuring the workplace operation can resume as soon as possible. Hence, incident objectives are the first important elements in an IAP. Clear incident objectives should be crafted using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) approach.
2. Organization Structure
Similar to an ERT organization chart that displays personnel in charge of executing the ERT Activation Plan, the Crisis Management Team organization chart shows personnel responsible for implementing the IAP, led by the Incident Commander, including:
- Planning
- Operations
- Logistics
- Finance
The roles and responsibilities of the Incident Commander and the Crisis Management Team members should be clearly defined here.
3. Operational Period Goals & Timeline
A large-scale incident can take more than 24 hours to resolve. The IAP should have a timeline broken down into 12-hour or 24-hour shifts with measurable objectives for each shift.
4. Resource Assignments
Resource assignments prevent resource shortages, overlaps, or mismanagement during an emergency as the response operation is being conducted. It covers:
- Resource identification and classification
- Resource tracking and status updates
- Mobilization of various ERT and personnel
- External support
5. Communications Plan
Since multiple teams are mobilized for various tasks with the Incident Commander based in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the communication plan ensures that all responders, agencies, and stakeholders can effectively exchange information, coordinate actions, and respond efficiently during an incident. It covers:
- Chain of command
- Communication methods and equipment
- Message protocol on incident updates, resource requests, emergency reports, and check-ins
- Backup communication plan if other methods fail
6. Safety & Risk Assessment
The main purpose of safety and risk assessment is to identify potential hazards, assess risks, and outline measures to protect responders, victims, and assets during an incident for a safe and controlled emergency response operation. It should cover:
- Hazard identification: What danger it is, who is at risk, potential environmental risks, etc.
- Risk assessment: Severity and likelihood to happen
- Safety control measures: Evacuation procedures, personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, etc.
- Monitoring and continuous assessment.
7. Logistics Plan
The logistic plan ensures that all necessary resources—personnel, equipment, transportation, facilities, and supplies—are available to support incident response operations. It covers:
- Personnel and staffing: Shift management and coordination with external agencies
- Facilities: Incident Command Post, staging areas, first aid stations, evacuation centers, etc.
- Transportation and access management: Vehicles for personnel and equipment transport, traffic control, etc.
- Supply management: Food and drinks for responders working around the clock, equipment used in responses like first aid kits, fire hose reels, etc.
- Power resources: Generators, backup batteries, etc.
8. Incident Map & Site Plan
The incident map and site plan help with the visualization of the affected areas, staging locations, and response zones for the incident so respective teams know where they should go and other workplace staff is warned to keep out of the vicinity.
9. Handover Plan
If the incident escalates further and the involvement of external emergency services such as the Bomba, medical professionals, and the police force is needed, a handover plan is needed. To ensure a smooth process and no confusion in the command structure, the handover plan should include the following information:
- Incident Summary: What happened, when, and where? (e.g., fire outbreak in Warehouse A at 10:15 AM).
- Actions Taken: What has the internal team done so far? (e.g., fire suppression, evacuation, first aid).
- Current Situation: Status of the incident (e.g., fire contained, chemical spill spreading).
- Hazards & Risks: Any remaining threats? (e.g., gas leaks, structural collapse).
- Casualty Information: Number of injured, their condition, and first aid given.
- Resources Deployed: Equipment used, remaining resources, and needed assistance.
- Command Structure: Who is in charge now, and who will liaise with emergency services?
10. Demobilization Plan
Once the incident is under control or resolved, the demobilization plan ensures that personnel, equipment, and resources can be safely and efficiently withdrawn to transition the workplace back to normal operations. It should cover:
- Priority of which teams, equipment, and agencies to be released first
- Resource tracking
- Debriefings for responders
- Post-incident documentation and reporting
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An IAP can be extensive depending on the potential incidents that can happen in your workplace. While it is common practice for emergency services to craft an IAP on the go based on the information available and their experience, you should pre-plan the workplace IAP to tailor it to your specific industries and familiarize yourself with managing the potential incidents.
