ABSTRACT
This final chapter summarises the central themes emerging from the previous cases and research summaries. Our contributors have addressed, either directly or indirectly, the essence of incident command and how the component skills can be developed and maintained. We review our authors' opinions on four key issues in an effort to establish a consensual position on the current role and anticipated challenges for the incident commanders of the 21st Century. Our selected themes are:
The Essence of Command
- Leadership and Team Management
- Stress Management
- Situation (Risk) Assessment
- Decision Making
Developing Commanders
- Selection
- Training
- Competence Assessment
The Command Organisation
- Incident Command Systems, Tiers of Command
- Communication
Political, Media and Legal Considerations.
The final section concludes with an examination of future directions and a list of outstanding questions.