Increasing competency in incident command system principles by conditioning training and exercises tied to FEMA funding

Abstract

The federal government mandates the Incident Command System (ICS) as a standardized approach to command, control, and coordination related to the emergency response to a significant incident. During this paper’s research process, it was discovered from after-action reports that not all law enforcement agencies are utilizing ICS or incorrectly implementing ICS. Through a literature review, the author discovered why law enforcement agencies are missing the mark, and the author investigates solutions through the lens of resource dependency theory and institutional theory. This author recommends including mandatory training and exercises as a condition of receiving Federal Emergency Management grant funds. Additionally, the recommendation requires disseminating after-action reports nationwide for all major incidents to provide lessons learned and best practices related to applying ICS principles.