In the world of performance art, top performers are said to have “stage presence," that certain something that distinguishes those who can captivate the attention of an audience from those who put the audience to sleep. Similarly, “command presence” is an important quality for an effective incident commander, in that it inspires confidence in those that work with the commander, while providing the high level of strategic effectiveness.

Command presence includes the incident commander’s confidence, expertise, assertiveness, perceived ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and overall leadership capability. However, there is also something to be said about the physical “presence” of an incident commander and how it affects the function of command in the IMS.

The example most often used to evaluate the proper location of an incident commander is from the first-due unit perspective, where a known victim is in a burning structure, in a location believed to be accessible by the firefighters and within the capability of the unit’s knowledge, skill, ability and available equipment. The strategic goals for the first-arriving company officer include life safety, incident stabilization and property conservation. An initial tactic to support these strategic goals would often be the deployment of a hose line through the unaffected portion of the structure, to affect rescue of one or more the victims. The command mode would be “fast attack” due to the belief on the part of the company officer that the immediate intervention of the crew can increase likelihood of success of the chosen strategic goal and the supporting tactical operation.

This scenario actually creates the best and most effective opportunity to use the “mobile commander." In this example, the company officer is automatically the incident commander, due to the fact of their arrival first on scene, the lack of a higher ranking member on the scene and no formal command post having been established. There is little confusion regarding who is in charge, there is a direct reporting relationship and accountability for resources assigned to the IC and resources are being deployed in support of the ICs strategic goals. This approach also would be compliant with the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.134 (g) 4 or the two-in/two-out rule, given this would be an initial-stage incident, in that no other resources are on scene and there is a confirmed life hazard.

However, given the same scenario and no life hazard, it would be necessary for at least four members to be on scene prior to members making entry. A mobile commander would also create issues regarding accountability and risk assessment. Compliance wise, there would be an issue since the two-in/two-out rule requires that "one of the two individuals located outside the IDLH atmosphere may be assigned to an additional role, such as incident commander in charge of the emergency or safety officer, so long as this individual is able to perform assistance or rescue activities without jeopardizing the safety or health of any firefighter working at the incident.”

A mobile commander could very easily be distracted by the information they collect in the “roving about” the scene, and thus loose their focus on the primary strategic goal, that of the life safety of the known humans inside (the firefighters) as well as the humans being searched for.

In either scenario, a chief officer, regardless of their arrival order is faced with a more complex issue. In addition to rescue operations that either need to be or are being performed by one or more fire companies, there are now also firefighters operating in the hazard zone and thus a need to create an organization structure around the firefighters to both assure their safety and accomplish the strategic goal of protecting civilian lives. As soon as possible after the establishment, assumption or transfer of command, a chief officer should assume a fixed command position outside the hazard zone. The fixed position allows the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of decisions based on at least one constant, that being the point of view from the command post. To provide an organizational structure for this scenario, the IC would designate the first arriving company officer as a “division” or “group” function and assign arriving resources to the division or group or as additional division groups or single resources as the incident action plan dictates.

A chief officer who elects to “go mobile” places the first arriving company in a position to continue to rely on the assessment of external conditions from fire company members who are more accustomed to making interior condition assessments. Also, decisions made from different locations can be based on “old” information if the commander is using information from a location where they are not physically located and they can not physically track the changing conditions in that area. An example is the belief that a full 360 degree view of a structure is necessary at every incident prior to assuming a fixed command position. If a mobile commander makes an assessment of the extent of fire growth and structural involvement on the “C” side when located on the “A” side; the information is typically old by the time it’s used.

The alternative is supporting the tactical decisions made by the first arriving officer and placing appropriate tactical level management components of the IMS in the form of a geographic division to monitor the side of a structure that the incident commander can’t see, as well as points of entry into the hazard zone to provide up to date information.

The concept of mobile command presupposes that the command position is operating primarily at the tactical level of command rather than the strategic; and many times is influenced by the desire of the commander to enter into the hazard zone. Quite to the contrary, the function of command is always strategic; while the depth of tactical involvement depends on the complexity of the incident and the resources available to the incident commander. The strategic goals of life safety, incident stabilization, and preservation of the environment, public or personal property rarely change; though the tactical activities to accomplish the strategies are very unique. It's also more likely that the mobile commander could stray into the hazard zone, threaten their personal safety and create a scenario where no one is paying attention to the point of entry into the hazard zone.

Chief officers are expected to be able to view situations in a big-picture fashion. This type of approach is important not only in administrative situations, but at emergencies as well. If the command function is not in a predictable, consistent position outside the hazard zone to provide oversight to those in the hazard zone, it is likely that the command function will become a part of the problem as opposed to a part of the solution.

I. David Daniels is fire chief of the Fulton County (Ga.) Fire Department, a metro department surrounding the city of Atlanta. He holds a master's degree in human resources management. He is a member of the NFPA’s Fire Service Occupational Safety and Health and the Professional Qualifications for Incident Management Functional Positions committees.