Tactics, command, leadership

ever. Such resources have in many cases been developed through
experience and on the basis of practical needs for the solution of
problems and execution of various measures at incident sites.
For the problem solving system to work effectively, comman-
ders and their crews alike must be very familiar with the effects of
the resources that are applied. These are often, but certainly not
always, easy to identify or define. The consequences of shooting
water into a blaze are well known and the extinguishing need can
often be quantified, estimated or judged, either through theoreti-
cal knowledge or practical experience (Särdquist, 2002). The pro-
blem arises when measures are combined and different measures
are applied at different points in time and space. The effects of
some measures or some combinations of measures are not fully
appreciated (Svensson, 2002).
Corresponding problems can be identified at several levels
in the system with varying degrees of resolution. It can, for ex-
ample, be difficult to obtain a fully comprehensive picture of
what happens when two or more ongoing response operations
compete for certain physical resources. It may then be neces-
sary for a higher level of command to step in, prioritise and
distribute the resources between the operations. But it can be
difficult to assess the consequences of this for the individual
operation. Prioritising and distribution of resources between
several ongoing operations can mean that control over the
situation is held in the broad perspective, even though it is
lacking temporarily for the individual operation. Since the
work is aimed at gaining and maintaining control, higher
levels of command must be fully aware of the effects of the deci-
sions they make, for both the individual operation and the system
as a whole.