The exercise that Indianapolis Airport Authority performed in 2016 followed the National Incident Management System (NIMS) standards. It means that the involved personnel was engaged according to the incident command organizational structure. All people at an airport are assigned a specific role in incident management (Indianapolis International Airport, 2016). The most senior executive assumes the role of an Incident Commander. This person “develops the incident objectives on which subsequent incident action planning will be based” (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2008).
As the Incident Commander cannot overview all areas simultaneously, they delegate some of their responsibilities. For instance, the incident command organizational structure has the position of a safety officer, yet in the Indianapolis International Airport’s exercise, this position is assigned to a staging officer. They both execute the same functions, which include deciding what equipment is used when it is deployed when the incident team should withdraw, and other tactical decisions. A safety officer controls the Emergency Operating Centre (EOC), where dispatchers inform personnel over the radio where they will be deployed.
The Indianapolis International Airport’s exercise did not have a Public Information Officer as per NIMS instructions. Yet, the same role was executed by the EOC Manager. This person-directed their subordinates to talk with passengers and family members of passengers that are missed in action. Aside from giving them information about what happened, the EOC staff relocates people to a safe area. Media communication is also handled by the EOC Manager, who reports on the transpired incident. Finally, there is the personnel that is dispatched to manage the incident itself. This category includes firefighters, paramedics, and engineers, who stabilize the damaged aircraft to make the investigation possible. Combined with the officer and the commander, these people represent the incident command organizational structure in The Indianapolis International Airport’s exercise.
References
Indianapolis International Airport. (2016). Indy Airport Live Disaster Exercise | 2016 APEX. Web.
Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2008). National incident management system. Web.