A Common Incident Management System
Simon Overland, Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, attended the recent AFAC Council meeting to discuss issues in relation to Command and Control and the potential for Police and Fire and Emergency Management agencies to adopt a common incident management system.
Euan Ferguson, Chief Officer of the SA Country Fire Service, facilitated the session and indicated the importance of this issue to AFAC.
- Systems of Command and Control are part of our core business.
- The system of Command and Control that is currently used by AFAC member agencies is called AIIMS, however there is now a strong need to recognise Police within the system that is used.
The Chief Commissioner indicated that there is no single authoritative body around the world in relation to this, nor is there a national view, and that a common incident management system is just the necessary starting point.
The Chief Commissioner said that the use of language is incredibly important and knowing what each term means is also important, and that there must be a shared understanding of the terminology.
He believes that the way forward is to develop a set of core principles that are agreed by all parties. However he acknowledged that there needed to be flexibility in the way the system is applied, and that flexibility could in fact be one of the core principles. He also indicated that there is a strong need to keep an “all hazards” approach.
AFAC Council members acknowledged that it is an enormous task to move towards such a system, but that it would be highly beneficial and a good investment and would meet the public’s expectations.
Chief Commissioner Overland indicated that he had spoken to the Police Commissioners around the country, and had received positive feedback on the prospect of a common incident management system for fire, police and state emergency services.
It was also acknowledged that in some jurisdictions, Police have already embraced AIIMS and it has been utilised across all areas of the force with joint training arrangements already in place.
Council members felt that this issue of ownership is also critical. Part of the answer is that someone needs to own this system and needs to be the keeper of the system for Australasia. There was further discussion about the importance of doctrine and the need to spend time writing the doctrine first.
Lee Johnson, AFAC President, pointed out that there is an obligation on all CEOs in both police, fire and emergency service sectors, to work on the issue whether their own agency is utilising the system or not.
CEO Naomi Brown stated that AFAC has been successful in owning and driving AIIMS on behalf of the sector, and that ANZPAA is a similar organisation for Police. Simon Overland expressed his support for AFAC and ANZPAA to develop a joint project.
In order to progress this issue, the AFAC Council endorsed engagement with ANZPAA and AFAC CEOs to establish the next steps in this process. It was agreed that the AFAC Committee of Management would provide oversight and guidance as this project moves forward.
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