Name: Ben Jones
P4 explain how an individual can exercise command and control
As a uniformed public service employee you have been asked to run a major incident training programme
Explain how an individual can exercise command and control and why the following are essential.
Who is responsible for assuming command of an incident and how would they do it?
The person who is responsible for assuming command of an incident depends on what incident it is, if it a fire in a warehouse then the fire service would take command as this is what the specialise in this kind of incident, the person in the fire service with the highest rank at the scene would take charge and be in command. They would do this by finding out all the information they can about the incident also by working out a plan of action, they would then give people roles and tasks that they are to complete
How would the following services command an incident?
Police
The police service are normally first on scene this is good if they are to take charge of an incident as they would have been able to find out a bit of information about what happened and why, the police service like any other would get as much information as possible to find out what happened who was involved and why it happened this would help them piece together what happened and in what order they would out a plan of action in play by giving out roles so that they can get as much information as possible about the incident they would do this by getting police officers to; go door to door to see if anyone heard or seen anything that was not usual, they would get people to watch CCTV footage to see who was there or near the incident at the time also if they could watch the incident so they could have video footage as proof if it was an accident or on purpose making it a crime, when they get all the information possible if it a crime then they would go arrest the person responsible, if not just write up a repot about what happened either way a report explaining the crime would be written up so that the higher up know about the incident also so they could go back and read the report in case something similar ever happened again involving some of the same people.
Fire
The fire service would do different things depending on the incident that they are in charge of e.g. if they were putting out a fire they would find out if there was anyone still in the building and if the building was safe to go into then depending on the answer of those depends if they go in the building or not if there is someone in the building, but building not safe to enter they will probably still go in to try and save life of person in the building. If they were at a car a RTC they not as much information needed as they would just have to cut the people out of the vehicle this not as bad as a burning building, but at the moment in time the fire service are getting called out for car accidents more that buildings or places on fire.
Ambulance
The ambulance service would get to the scene while trying to get information about the incident if the ambulance service is taking command then I would think that the other services would not need to be there and in most cases they are not called out if this is the case, the paramedic first responders would get to the scene first to check out the incident closely followed by an ambulance if the paramedic first responder gets there and feels that an ambulance is not needed then they can call off the ambulance and deal with situation themselves but if not called made the ambulance arrives to give better treatment while on the way to the closest hospital from there the patient will get treatment in hospital and sent on their way once they are better.
Explain the 3 levels of command
Strategic
Strategic command is involved in making plans or strategies in the order to decide on the best way to achieve an organizations objective. For the public services this could be plans and strategies for thing such as war, combating terrorism, reducing crime or dealing with a major incident. In the public service strategic command usually involves several chiefs/commanders of different uniformed services as some plans can affect more than one service e.g. war in Iraq and Afghanistan as it war which involves all the armed services so the Navy, Army, and RAF. Strategic command is also known as Gold command this is normally based a very big distance from the incident e.g. for the armed services strategic/gold command would normally be located at Whitehall in London.
Tactical
Tactical command also known as silver command is involved in implementing the plan (putting plan into action), there may be several tactical/silver commanders when more than one service is involved, they are responsible for making sure that their service knows the strategy and how to put them into operation. Tactical/silver command is not hands on their involvement is more of coordinating role in a conflict situation it is important that they remain detached, they are normally located just a little bit away from the front line.
Operational
In a conflict situation this would be classed as the front line where operational/bronze command would deploy and control the resources of their respective services. Operational/bronze command does all the hands on stuff there are the people who do all the stuff so if a plan is made they are the people/troops that get moved around and carry the tasks out so that the incident can be solved in the best way possible.
When in command planning is essential explain the following mnemonic:
SMART
Specific
Objectives must be specific and clearly set out. Objectives that are unclear are hard to follow and could be ambiguous. For a bad example, have an area totally cordoned off.
A good example cordon off an area of about 400-500 meters around the crime scene.
Measurable
Objectives are to be measurable so that you can gauge the progress of your plan and see how far you have gone towards achieving your goal. It you cannot measure progress you can’t tell if you are still on the right track.
Achievable
Objectives must be achievable or there would be no point in setting them as goals. When something is achievable it means it is capable of being completed. This could motivate someone to work harder. If however it is impossible it could be bad for morale and motivation so people won’t even try to accomplish the task.
Realistic
Objectives must be realistic which means you must be reasonable about what you want to achieve. If you set your aim to high it might not be realistic. You and your team may feel like failures if you objective is out of reach.
Time-related
Objectives must be achievable over a certain period of time. Success can’t be measured if there is no time limit on your objective. Your time limit must be realistic though so it can be completed in the time you have set.
Briefing is essential when in command, Explain what a briefing is
A briefing is an instruction given for a task or operation, briefings in the uniformed public service is very important because a pilot on a bombing run needs precise grid reference so that he only hits the enemy positions and not men on the same side as him
Explain the following mnemonic:
SMEAC
Situation
Explain the problem/situation that has happened e.g. hostage situation who involved where, how etc.
Mission
What is going to happen to solve the situation, giving out roles and task for people to do.
Execution
How will the task be carried out time and a reminder of roles might be talked about so everyone knows what to do and if so how long they have to do it.
Any questions
In this stage it is where the service can ask questions so that they a clear view of what to do any anything they are not allowed to do so that they do the task well and while causing the least amount of trouble as possible, this helps the people in the service feel confident so that they have a clear understanding of the task and the roles that they must do.
Check understanding
This is where the person giving the mission briefing ask what people are doing so that he knows that they are sure on what to do this is a good way to check if people are certain on what they need to do to complete task asked of them.
Effective control
Why is it important to give and receive orders directly?
It is important to receive and give orders directly as noise, stress, hunger and lack of sleep can affect people perception and they may not hear correctly, or the message may not be relayed clearly enough for people to understand, this can lead to ineffective command and control, this is why the best way to give and receive orders is directly so that the people are clear on what they have to do also so that they order can be repeated so they know and understand what to do.
What is monitoring teams effectively?
Monitoring a team means checking that it is fulfilling its function with the objective in mind. However, to monitor effectively they must include checking on the welfare, team spirit and enthusiasm of the team. If the team is completing the task but morale is low it could take longer or it could unsettle the team. The way in which a commander monitors their team is important, if the team thinks they not complete the task properly.
Why is it important to maintain a physical position of control?
It is important to maintain a physical position of control as it allows the commander a direct view of the operation where they can assess and reassess progress and make changes where necessary. It is also good for team morale to know that the leader is there to offer support and guidance where required.
Why is it important to issue clear orders and command?
It is important as so that the people you are giving orders to clearly hear and understand what they are to do so that they know how and when to do their task so that the task could be completed to the highest standard and within the time set as the clearly know what to do in this task.
Why is it important to maintain a strong command presence?
maintaining a strong command presence means to maintain a strong personality the type of personality that benefits a good commander, a good commander speaks with confidence and conviction while looking people in the eye, this gives team members belief and trust in their commander, a commander with a weak presence will loose trust and respect.
Why is it important to Influence the tempo?
The tempo of something is the speed that it is done at this could be slow, moderate, or fast. To do something too quickly could lead to errors. on the other hand, to do something too slowly could also have a negative effect, as well as putting people at risk, a good commander recognizes when the tempo of a task is wrong and skillfully alters it for the good of the team or the general public which is important as the public is what the public services is all about hence the name public service which means a service to the public.
Why is it important to Delegate?
It is important to delegate as this means to pass on a task to another person, this is a good management tool as a commander can motivate a team by delegating tasks to the team or individual members, this gives them a form of responsibility this is important as one person cant do all the tasks that a team is to do as it would put that person under to much pressure and stress for that person to cope with, this is also good as it helps team as it makes the think that the commander trusts them, but the commander must make sure that the team can carry out the task or they will be set up to fail, which will decrease the motivation of the team which could lead to the team falling apart because they failed in a task that they thought that the commander trusted them to carry out and complete.
What are functional command methods?
Functional command methods are practical ways of ensuring commands are carried out. Commands that involve a task, are sometimes easier to breakdown into stage that the team can manage to complete within a set time so they have a higher morale and motivation as they have completed the stages in the time they were given this makes it a lot easier for the team to complete which also makes them have a better thoughts about the commander as he made a hard task easy just by creating stages to split it up so that they didn’t think that they had to do as much.
Explain the following mnemonic:
PICSIE
Plan
This is where a plan is made to make it so that the team know what to do so that they all know what the task is and how to tackle this makes it easier on the team so that they don’t turn up and have to solve/sort out a task without any planning.
Initiate
This is where the plan is put in action the commander will help delegate roles so the team don’t fight over what to do this makes it again easier on the team as they know that the commander trusts them to do what they have been given. When initiating a plan it is important that everyone knows what they are to do it is also why this and the planning faze are so important so that they know what to do and how it should be done.
Control
This is where the commander will keep control of the team during the task so that they don’t go off and do stuff wrong that could endanger more people or themselves this can happen and probably has so the commander/leader of the tea must be there to keep control of the task so the team don’t go do stupid stuff that makes the task more of a problem to solve.
Support
This is where the commander/leader of the team will help the team through the task so that the task can be completed in the time given also to a good standard as if not it will be the leader that gets it if his higher ups do not think that he has done a good enough job. This is good as it motivates the team as they know their leader/commander is there to help them if they get stuck on the task or a certain part of it.
Inform
This is where the command makes sure that the team had all the information for the task if yes great but if not it will be noted down and put into the evaluation of the task this also helps the commander so he knows to help the team get all the information they need before doing a task.
Evaluate
This is where the commander will write up saying what went well and what didn’t so he and the team know what to do to get better the commander will us this to make sure on the next task they are better and don’t make as many mistakes as everybody makes mistakes it is impossible to not make mistakes especially under a lot of pressure. Evaluations of tasks are very beneficial for the team and the commander so they all know what needs improving and what needs to stay the same.