Tactics, command, leadership

such as floods or festivals. Traffic accidents can also be seasonal.
In cases where several response operations are implemented, the-
se are executed by separate operational command entities. Ope-
rational command is responsible for the direction of its response
operation (goal of the operation) as well as the allocation of tasks to
the organizational elements that are attached to the operation in
different ways. This work includes coordinating the tasks carried
out by the organisational elements at the incident site. These ele-
ments have to be continually adapted to match and meet the need
for assistance and operational command is authorized to carry
out this adaptation. Consequently it must continually throughout
a response operation follow up and check that the goal of the ope-
ration is being achieved. If the situation calls for it, the goal can
be revised at any point.
As the fire chief has ultimate responsibility for operations, he
or she must be in a position to affect the outcome of the operation
with respect to the assistance need with out formally changing the
command structure. At the same time the incident commander
must be allowed sufficient space to form the operation. The inci-
dent commander forms the concrete goals. The fire chief should
avoid getting involved in too much detail.
The incident commander, then, normally forms the operation
in the basis of the aim of the operation that is given by the fire
chief for that particular situation. There is permanent but not too
specific legislation guiding the aim of the operation in terms of
the rescue of people, property and the environment. The incident
commander forms the operation on the basis of these guidelines
and the availability of resources. It is often the case that the aim
of the operation needs to be revised when the operation fails to
gain control of the situation relatively quickly, and the allocation
of resources leads to a prolonged reduction in preparedness. A
revision to the aim of the operation, in order to ensure that the
complete assistance need is met, can also be the result of a com-
mand visit.
One must be aware of the different grounds for evaluation and
situation specific prioritisation. Certain general criteria that a pro-
spective incident commander can apply and which the response
operation should be based on are established through taking up
such grounds in advance.
With the help of common grounds for evaluation, then, a
common perspective of the various roles prevalent to response