Tactics, command, leadership

The aspect of unit capacity then leads on to issues such as the
number of measures that can be executed. In addition it can
sometimes be the case that with a certain amount of equipment,
the speed of progress can be increased by applying two units to
the same task, working together.
In the execution of some tasks it is principally the unit’s origi-
nal equipment that determines the sustainability. It is beneficial
that the provision of extra equipment for the unit can take place
without the unit needing to stop work. This demands that the
material resources can be divided and that delivery is initiated in
good time. To achieve this initiation it is necessary to be able to
identify the problem and conclude upon the requirement at an
early stage. Equipment is sometimes kept in a stores. Distribu-
tion of this then should occur quickly enough for it to reach the
applicable incident site or sites so as to avoid the disruption of
measures that are being executed. In some cases ready compiled,
mobile stores that can be quickly transported to an incident site
thus avoiding the need to plan and acquire the equipment during
the course of the emergency are the best solution. The amount of
equipment required in a mobile stores of this type should, depen-
ding on the degree of damage, increase the sustainability of units
to the extent that special measures can be taken to provide them
with further equipment. To execute such measures the command
organi sation must be configured so that it can predict and carry
out measures over and above those planned for. The configura-
tion must go sufficiently quickly to allow for a prediction and
compiling of equipment before the previously planned for pro-
vision is exhausted and a delay in the execution of measures
results instead. Even if it is not always possible to compile the
necessary information before hand, it is important that the com-
mand organisation is familiar with the capacity situation. This
information is fundamental to being able to initiate the provision
of equipment in time.
Each unit should be defined in advance. It is not normal to
create new units, in terms of definition, at an incident site.
Since it is important that the various parts of the organisation
understand each other, and confusion could occur if the con-
cept of units is changed during the course of an operation, this
should be avoided. On the other hand two units can carry out a
task together, or one unit can carry out several tasks. A degree
of flexibility is also needed as, depending on the risk situation,