Emergency services face enormous operational challenges when managing emergency situations, whether dealing with a minor incident or a catastrophic disaster. Many of the difficulties do not arise from the actual accident, but instead arise from the formation of a rescue team made up of several agencies and people. For the benefit of all participants, it is imperative that a unified command structure exists to effectively coordinate and supervise the tasks that need to be accomplished. The need for a unified command was seen from the difficulties faced in incidents, leading to the development of the Incident Command System which was designed to be used in a range of conditions, to bring all individuals onto common ground. FEMA (n.d.) stated, “The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized, on-scene approach to managing all-hazard incidents…” The ICS facility is designed to increase in size and build under the Incident Commander as needed. As more resources are needed and come in, ICS allows for a relatively smooth transition. It allows the expansion of the system internally. At the top of the organization is the command staff led by the incident commander who has overall responsibility for all incident-related functions. There are other positions that can be added to the command staff as needed. A public information officer would be added when there is a need for a representative to address the public and media. The safety manager is responsible for the safety aspects of the incident and has full authority to stop all operations. The liaison officer is the contact person for other government agencies for the incident commander. The command staff can continue to... middle of paper... has the ability to assume command, set up a command post, order additional resources, and lead large numbers of responders with the use of the command system accidents. This system allows a variety of agencies to come together to achieve a common goal. The incident command system allows for easy transitions between incident commanders and notification of such changes to all personnel. It unites all associates to achieve the desired goals at hand. Works Cited FEMA. (2008). Appendix B: Incident Command System. Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/NIMS_AppendixB.pdfFEMA. (n.d.). Incident command system. Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/IncidentCommandSystem.shtm#item3.Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d.). Information on ICS/UC and NRS. Retrieved from http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/ics/about.html