ICS Training (Andre)

One of our goals or plans for this adventure was to try new things as opportunities presented themselves or as we could secure these opportunities. Since we have been in Big Bend, we have come to learn, and this is not surprising, that the park regularly conducts several trainings for park staff. The trainings have ranged from analyzing and cataloguing natural resources, implementing environmental policy, operating chainsaws, airplane security, and many more. It took us awhile to become aware of these trainings as they are not usually directed or intended for volunteers. Once we heard about the trainings however, we asked if we might participate. And they were more than happy to include us!

So, this week we participated in an ICS training course that was offered for park staff. ICS stands for Incident Command System. This is a management/organization system that was developed in the 1970s after several serious and deadly wildfires in the California and then further developed and mandated after 9/11 for all ‘incidents.’ (An incident is any natural or human disaster (flooding, terrorism incident) or significant event that requires complex structures and handling (presidential visit, memorial event) and may involve one or more local, state or national agency.)

The training we participated in (ICS 100 and ICS 200) were basic and intermediate level trainings. There are quite a few additional trainings - ICS 300 through 800 plus role-specific training for roles within the ICS system – public information officer, division leader, incident commander, etc. During ICS 100 and 200 we were introduced into the ICS system, its organizational structure, roles, responsibilities, operational systems, etc.  This training is designed for ‘single resources’ and how they fit within the ICS system. A single resource within the ICS system is the individual person with specified skills – firefighters, police, EMT, finance, logistics, planning, and the like.

Basically how the ICS system operates is that when there is an incident, everything from a car accident, house fire, hurricane, power plant accident, or presidential visit, the person or persons in charge initiate the ICS system and determine the level of incident – Level 1 is the most significant (major hurricane) to a Level 5 (small house fire). The level of incident dictates the amount of staff, resources, and roles are required and dispatched to the incident. Since (hopefully) everyone is trained in ICS, the organization and management for the incident then precedes along the established practices of the ICS system. We are told, and as you might imagine, that how well the system works varies based on the individuals involved, their level of training, and their adherence to the system. But we are also told that when implemented the system has saved lives and helped to efficiently handle many and varied incidents.

How do we fit into this you might ask? We aren’t sure. But, we are now aware of ICS and trained in it. We will look for additional training in our future travels (both ICS and beyond). We were given some contact information by the instructor to inquire about possible trainings and possible roles. We have already anticipated that we will volunteer for agencies such as the Red Cross that would appreciate this background (groups like the Red Cross look for full-time RVers to volunteer at disaster scenes since they are mobile and do not need housing). And, who knows what else.

On a side note, it was really interesting to be in a learning/professional role once again. It has been more than 5 months since we did anything like be in or lead a training, something we did quite often in our previous lives. This experience certainly sparked many memories and conversations about where we have been and where we are going and what awaits us down the road!