Command and control structures are essential to effectively
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 6:27 am
Too often, organizations only consider the first or second level response at the site level. Many organizations do not enact any business continuity arrangements as soon as possible. Instead of planning their recovery from the outset, they wait until the incident is over, dealing with each phase of the incident sequentially. This results in a long recovery and the tail end of the incident dragging on much longer than it should. This approach only increases the financial, reputational and operational impacts of the incident. If the strategic crisis management team is not activated, the organization and its executive team can be vulnerable. They can be caught off guard if the incident escalates suddenly or if they are not prepared for media inquiries about an incident they are unaware of.
So how do we address this? How do we ensure a holistic, coordinated response to a security incident?
Activation: Activation protocols are essential to ensure that the response to moj database a security incident is rapid and that all layers of the response are activated. Many organizations rely on manual call cascades for activation, where a switchboard will call all those required to respond. However, this can take a significant amount of time, significantly slowing the speed of response, which will increase the impact of the incident later. Other options include more informal cascades, such as WhatsApp or mass SMS, to activate teams. However, this approach is difficult to monitor and there is no confirmation that the person is responding.
Mass notification tools are particularly effective in ensuring that all levels of the response are activated as soon as necessary and in providing access to all the information needed to implement their element of the response. Mass notification tools also allow for customized notification. For example, in a smaller-scale incident, we may decide to send a notification to the crisis management team as an information only – no response is required at this point. This information ensures that the crisis management team is aware of any media inquiries, and ensures that they are prepared to respond if the incident escalates. Contact CHEMTREC to learn more about our mass notification services.
Command and Control: coordinating an incident. FEMA’s Incident Command System (ICS) provides an excellent model for building an organization’s crisis, emergency, and incident management response. This is the model that CHEMTREC Crisis Solutions implements when developing plans for clients. The system is flexible and scalable to the needs of the incident, providing clear linkages between the various plans and levels of command. It works for all incidents, regardless of size, scope, or cause, and should be implemented to coordinate an effective response to any incident that is not business as usual. Think of your operations leader as the primary conduit between the various command teams. Ensure that your business continuity and recovery planning leaders have clear feeds from the Incident Commander through the planning department or as a direct report.
It is essential to have an effective command and control structure in place with clear lines of communication between responders. In a small response of three people, the lines of communication are simple and there may be no need for a structure other than a designated leader who can make any final decisions. However, as the incident and its response team grow, it is essential to have clear lines of communication. See the diagram below for an example. If the response team grows from 3 to 14 personnel, we suddenly grow from 3 to 91 different lines of communication, which is unmanageable. This scenario requires a clear command and control structure, with sequential lines of communication, and between 3 and 5 direct reporting lines for each person. This ensures a joined-up approach.
So how do we address this? How do we ensure a holistic, coordinated response to a security incident?
Activation: Activation protocols are essential to ensure that the response to moj database a security incident is rapid and that all layers of the response are activated. Many organizations rely on manual call cascades for activation, where a switchboard will call all those required to respond. However, this can take a significant amount of time, significantly slowing the speed of response, which will increase the impact of the incident later. Other options include more informal cascades, such as WhatsApp or mass SMS, to activate teams. However, this approach is difficult to monitor and there is no confirmation that the person is responding.
Mass notification tools are particularly effective in ensuring that all levels of the response are activated as soon as necessary and in providing access to all the information needed to implement their element of the response. Mass notification tools also allow for customized notification. For example, in a smaller-scale incident, we may decide to send a notification to the crisis management team as an information only – no response is required at this point. This information ensures that the crisis management team is aware of any media inquiries, and ensures that they are prepared to respond if the incident escalates. Contact CHEMTREC to learn more about our mass notification services.
Command and Control: coordinating an incident. FEMA’s Incident Command System (ICS) provides an excellent model for building an organization’s crisis, emergency, and incident management response. This is the model that CHEMTREC Crisis Solutions implements when developing plans for clients. The system is flexible and scalable to the needs of the incident, providing clear linkages between the various plans and levels of command. It works for all incidents, regardless of size, scope, or cause, and should be implemented to coordinate an effective response to any incident that is not business as usual. Think of your operations leader as the primary conduit between the various command teams. Ensure that your business continuity and recovery planning leaders have clear feeds from the Incident Commander through the planning department or as a direct report.
It is essential to have an effective command and control structure in place with clear lines of communication between responders. In a small response of three people, the lines of communication are simple and there may be no need for a structure other than a designated leader who can make any final decisions. However, as the incident and its response team grow, it is essential to have clear lines of communication. See the diagram below for an example. If the response team grows from 3 to 14 personnel, we suddenly grow from 3 to 91 different lines of communication, which is unmanageable. This scenario requires a clear command and control structure, with sequential lines of communication, and between 3 and 5 direct reporting lines for each person. This ensures a joined-up approach.