What is the Australasian Inter-service Incident Management SystemTM
The Australian Inter-service Incident Management SystemTM (AIIMS) is an Incident Management System that enables the seamless integration of activities and resources from multiple agencies for the resolution of any emergency situation. It operates effectively for any type of incident, imminent or actual, natural, industrial or civil, and many other situations in which emergency management organisations are involved.
Introduction of AIIMS in Australia
AIIMS was developed in Australia during the mid 1980s, by modifying the principles of the United States’ National Inter-agency Incident Management System for use in the Australasian context. There have been three revisions to AIIMS since its first introduction to Australia. The first edition was published in December 1989 and the second edition in 1994. By the time the AIIMS 3rd Edition was released in May 2005, the AFAC Council, comprising representation from all of the fire and land management agencies, the Australian Council for State Emergency Services and Emergency Management Australia, had agreed in April 2004 to the adoption of AIIMS as the incident management system to be used for all emergencies.
A further revision of the AIIMS 3rd Edition in 2011 embedded themes that arose from a number of public inquiries into the management of emergency incidents. Most significantly a Public Information Function was added to emphasise the importance in any incident of communicating with affected communities and stakeholders.
The evolution of AIIMS reflects the commitment the industry has to the maintenance of AIIMS to ensure it reflects the dynamic and challenging environments within which the fire, the emergency services and other public safety government and non government organisations operate.
AIIMS provides a common management framework for organisations working in emergency management roles. Organisations that adopt AIIMS as their management framework for incident control invariably need to develop more detailed procedures to ensure that AIIMS can be integrated into their operational environment and that they are complying with relevant legislation.
Principles of AIIMS
AIIMS is based on three key principles:
- Management by objectives
- Functional management
- Span of control.
Management by Objectives
To ensure all incident personnel are working towards one set of objectives the Incident Controller, in consultation with the Incident Management Team, determines the desired outcomes of the incident. These are communicated to all involved. At any point in time, an incident can have only one set of objectives and one Incident Action Plan for achieving objectives.
Functional Management
The control system of AIIMS is based on a structure of delegation with five functional areas: Control, Planning, Public Information, Operations and Logistics. This guarantees that all vital management and information functions are performed.
| Control | The management of all activities necessary for the resolution of an incident. |
| Planning | The collection and analysis of information and the development of plans for the resolution of an incident. |
| Public Information | Provision of warnings, information and advice to the public and liaison with the media and affected communities. |
| Operations | The tasking and application of resources to achieve resolution of an incident. |
| Logistics | The acquisition and provision of human and physical resources, facilities, services and materials to support achievement of incident objectives. |
For every incident, an Incident Controller is appointed who is ultimately responsible and accountable for all of the five functions. Depending on the size and complexity of an incident, the Incident Controller may elect to delegate one or more of the functions of planning, public information, operations and logistics.
Functional management dictates that there can only be one Incident Controller managing an incident at any one time. Delegation of the functions results in an Incident Management Team of up to five people and enables span of control to be maintained.
Span of Control
Span of control is a concept that relates to the number of groups or individuals that can be successfully supervised by one person. During emergency incidents, the environment in which supervision is required can rapidly change and become dangerous if not managed effectively. Up to five reporting groups or individuals is considered to be desirable, as this maintains a supervisor’s ability to effectively task, monitor and evaluate performance.
Where span of control is exceeded, the supervising officer should consider delegating responsibility to others. Conversely, where the span of control is lower or the tasks are fewer (for example in a de-escalating incident), the supervisor may reassume responsibility or reorganise delegation to contract the structure to fit the tasks required.
AIIMS as a Building Block
AIIMS is a building block necessary in the establishment of effective protocols for liaison and coordination across agencies with different jurisdictional roles during pre-planning, preparedness, response and recovery stages of an incident.
Through improved understanding, a common language, and a consistent approach to emergency management, AIIMS enables the better formulation of emergency management arrangements at the state and national levels.
Interoperability
To ensure the seamless interoperability of agencies working together, all procedures and arrangements must be consistent with the AIIMS principles and framework. Organisations wishing to adopt AIIMS must ensure that the arrangements necessary to support the implementation of AIIMS are in place. These arrangements may include the development of:
- Detailed internal procedures for integrating AIIMS into the operational environment;
- Specific standing orders and standard operational procedures necessary to carry out responsibilities, facilitate achievement of objectives and define routine operational arrangements and authorities and limitations;
- Memoranda of understanding between agencies that will routinely work together;
- Agreed protocols for dealing with key strategic issues affecting all members within a sector.
