ABSTRACT

An incident, whether a terrorist attack, a chemical release from a ‚xed industrial facility or a highway accident involving hazardous chemicals, typically begins and ends locally. Such incidents are managed on a daily basis at the lowest possible geographical, organizational, and jurisdictional levels. Many incidents occur, however, where successful management and response operations depend on the involvement of many jurisdictions, levels of government, agencies, and/or emergency responder types. Incident response in these situations requires ef‚cient coordination across this broad spectrum of organizations and activities.