A continual weighing must be conducted between maintaining
preparedness and conducting response operations or taking ac-
tion in the event of impending risks for emergencies. Not even
in smaller municipalities can one ignore the fact that a fire can
occur at the same time as a traffic accident, or that two traffic
accidents can occur at the same time at different geographic loca-
tions. A fire chief must therefore be prepared in various ways to
be able to allocate resources or make informed decisions on how
resources are utilised.
The issue of defining an emergency response operation is also
influenced by whether one, two or even more operations are con-
cerned. This issue is of interest both from an organisational per-
spective and when it comes to the responsibility issue.
The issue of whether it is a matter of one or two response opera-
tions must be defined from case to case. There is normally no right
or wrong; it is instead up to the fire chief to take a position and
make decisions. In taking a position, there are a number of factors
that one should take consideration to: These factors include:
Physical perspective of emergency developments
- Object
- Size, type, natural boundaries, etc.
- Scope
- Amount of damage
- Causeeffect
Resources - Competition for restricting resources, i.e. resources that
restrict what can be implemented or achieved
Organisation/management - Organisational coordination benefits of joint management
- Practical/organisational (maintenance service, transports, etc.)
- Geographic proximity
- Capability to survey operation(s)
- Collaboration with other organisations
The definition of an emergency response operation or operations
should be made based on the alternatives that provide the most/
best benefits based on the factors above. In the event of very large
incidents, within the framework of one and the same response
operation, there can be several affected areas with one or more
incident sites within the respective affected areas.