The role and function of the incident commander can be compared plausibly with the pivotal positions of major sports teams. Incident commanders and quarterbacks, pitchers and point guards are similar in that all are leaders of teams and must be not only physically but mentally gifted to be most effective. Another similarity is that great players tend to flourish with the guidance of great coaches. Few would argue that Michael Jordan was the greatest player in the history of the NBA, but he didn’t win a championship until Phil Jackson became his coach. Can the same comparison be made with respect to incident commanders?

The conventional wisdom regarding command and command presence in the fire service suggests that the individual who should be in command also should be the one with the most experience in the role. Though this thinking may have some merit, it’s becoming increasing more difficult to depend strictly on experience as the foundation of command competence. Opportunities for incident-based command training are somewhat self-limiting in that when serious incidents occur, only the most experienced people on scene tend to be put in charge. Those who need the experience to improve their performance rarely get it, thus perpetuating weak command performances into the future. Adding complexity to this environment is the fact that a minor incident can become a major one (and vice-versa) at any point. It’s important, therefore, that the command position be staffed with a level of competence that facilitates appropriate decision-making in dynamic situations. A concept that can help incident commanders improve and maintain their skills is “command coaching.”

Every good coach needs a playbook. Command coaching should always be based on an organization-specific playbook or standard operating procedures. Well-developed and clear SOPs allow performance to be compared to the SOPs, rather than assessed based on the opinions of other responders at an incident. In much the same way that a playbook describes who should run a particular pass route or who should post up in the closing minutes of a basketball game, SOPs should identify when an incident requires additional resources, detail what types of resources are required given specific hazards, and provide procedures to be followed if an incident escalates. Such SOPs would include prescribed dispatch of multiple alarms, automatic responses for staff officers and the standardized activation of department operations centers. Too often these types of critical decisions are left to the discretion of the incident commander as a test of his or her experience.

Command coaches also must understand how incident commanders develop. It’s not that learning by experience is wrong, but it is extremely limiting. If professional athletes only performed in games, they would limit their personal and organizational opportunities to improve. Command coaches therefore should understand the different types of practice sessions. They can have “chalk talks” during which particular scenarios are examined in a non-emergency setting and alternative strategies can be discussed without the pressure of real hazards to responders. Tabletop simulations and computer-generated simulations also are effective methods of command practice. Tabletop simulations can range from those conducted with very basic materials to those that use complex architectural scale models. Computer simulations offer an ever-expanding set of resources, with the only limit being the financial resources available to invest in the systems. Full-scale drills and exercises, of course, can come closest to actual incidents and events in their command coaching benefits.

Knowing how to relate to incident commanders is another important aspect of command coaching. To be effective, the command coach needs to establish relationships that allow those being coached to accept the coach’s feedback. Company officers or chiefs often already have established relationships with the individuals they supervise and can serve as their command coaches if they allow those individuals to take part in opportunities to manage incidents and events on a regular basis.

The command coach also must be sure all feedback is objective. In the sports world, the post-game analysis provides professional athletes an opportunity to critique their follow-through on a fast ball, pass or fade-away shot. In the world of the fire service, command personnel too often evaluate their last performance on the emotion associated with the event rather than through an analysis of how well they met the strategic goals identified in the action plan. The post-incident analysis process is a tool the command coach can use to evaluate performance of the incident commander based on the SOPs, rather than opinions.

Used regularly, command coaching can be an important part of the culture of an organization. It can be an effective process to ensure that “players” are given ample opportunities for feedback and instruction regarding their overall command competence.