An incident response team ( IRT ) or emergency response team ( ERT ) is a group of people who prepare for and respond to an emergency , such as a natural disaster or an interruption of business operations. Incident response teams are common in public service organizations as well as in other organizations, either military or specialty. This team is generally composed of specific members designated before an incident occurs, although under certain circumstances the team may be an ad hoc group of willing volunteers.
7-397: Incident response team members ideally are trained and prepared to fulfill the roles required by the specific situation (for example, to serve as incident commander in the event of a large-scale public emergency). As the size of an incident grows, and as more resources are drawn into the event, the command of the situation may shift through several phases. In a small-scale event, usually only
14-422: A clearly defined chain of command . Examples include: Other teams that can be formed for response are ad hoc or volunteer groups. Many of these groups are created under the notion that the true first respondents are the civilians at the incident. Due to this these teams are generally made up of individuals that have jobs unrelated to the situation, but respond due to their proximity, or personal attachment, to
21-407: A protocol or set of actions to perform to mitigate the negative effects of the incident. Incident response teams address two different types of incidents. The first of these types is public. This covers larger incidents that affect a community as a whole, such as, natural disasters ( hurricane , tornado , earthquake , etc.), terrorism , large-scale chemical spills, and epidemics . The other type
28-412: A volunteer or ad hoc team may respond. In events, both large and small, both specific member and ad hoc teams may work jointly in a unified command system . Individual team members can be trained in various aspects of the response, either be it medical assistance/first aid, hazardous material spills, hostage situations, information systems attacks or disaster relief. Ideally the team has already defined
35-525: Is organizational: this would be an incident that happens on a smaller scale and affects mostly just single company or organization. Examples of organizational incidents can include: bomb threats, computer incidents such as theft or accidental exposure of sensitive data, exposure of intellectual property or trade secrets, and product contamination. Predefined roles are typically filled with individuals who are formally trained and on standby at all times, during scheduled hours. These teams are organized by ranks with
42-471: The incident response teams and the overall incident action plan. The role of Incident Commander may be assumed by senior or higher qualified officers upon their arrival or as the situation dictates. Even if subordinate positions are not assigned, the Incident Commander position will always be designated or assumed. The incident commander may, at their own discretion, assign individuals, who may be from
49-400: The sight of the incident. Examples include: Incident commander The Incident Commander is the person responsible for all aspects of an emergency response; including quickly developing incident objectives, managing all incident operations, application of resources as well as responsibility for all persons involved. The Incident Commander sets priorities and defines the organization of
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