The mass shooting incident in a nightclub in Orlando Florida is believed to be the worst mass shooting in U.S history. The Pulse Night Club shooting in Orlando resulted in the death of fifty people. The occurrence is described as a terrorist attack and it will be treated as a response scenario where Incidence Command System (ICS) have been utilized. The situation involved a multi-agency team and co-ordination structured in a jurisdictional pattern taking into consideration the functional responsibilities of each unit. ICS is designed for single or multiple departments to respond to disasters. A single structural command requires a single individual at the helm of the structure while multiple structural commands may require more than one. Delegation and jurisdictional responsibilities apply more in multiple response structures. The fundamental principle of ICS is the division of responsibilities in four major areas of operations.The Incident Commander is in charge of the operation, planning, logistics, finance/administrative sections of the ICS.
The rapid spread of wildfires in the 1970s ushered the need for an approach that will effectively manage the fires. Emergency managers faced a complex number of issues. This need for a new synergistic approach to emergency resulted in ICS. At that time, most incidences had little, unclear or no specific objectives. Difference agencies involved in the same operation had different terminologies bringing confusion in interpretation and understanding. Structural coordination for planning among agencies was often absent. Also, the number of people reporting to one individual in a command structure was too many leading to a cumbersome communication process. Thus, reliable incident report and incompatibility in information reinforced the need for an effective, seamless communication and response system called ICS.
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The Orlando shooting utilized the Homeland security and emergency response approach. This reaction method applies the ICS structure in critical events such as terror attacks. A collaborative and properly coordinated control and command structure are essential to a complex multi-agency response situation. The Orlando incidence is demonstrative of the significance of utilizing the ICS across different agencies. The chaos and the manner in which ICS was applied to get information about the shooting and subsequent safety of some of the people was a highlight of ICS command and control. The application of some components of the National Incidence Management Systems (NIMS) played a central role in the execution of the response. The Law Enforcement Agencies in Orlando, emergency medical departments, fire departments responded in in a coordinated manner under a multi-agency.
The initial command and control were within the decision making abilities of the first law enforcement officers who arrived on the scene after notification. They initiated self-deployment to gain access to the facility by using the armored vehicle. The call for a back is the first point where the incidence command system is involving more agencies. The fire department waited for their notification instruction and responsibilities within the unfolding incidence management system. The delineation of responsibilities resulted in a unified command and control structure among the law enforcement, fire department, and the emergency medical transport team. The medical facilities close to the nightclub were alerted about the incidence. The OPD SWAT decided on a full call-out. The radio transmission between the law enforcement and the police was coordinated in a manner indicative of a unified command and control system. The arrival of the bomb van and technician was called by the Orlando fire rescue radio transmission.
The roles of each department in the incidence command system geared towards resolving and controlling the situation at the nightclub. In effect, timing, communication, response, and orderliness in the command and control of the activities and information flow determines the efficiency of ICS application. The multijurisdictional involvement in this incidence was effectively managed.
