In the Incident Command System, the Incident Commander should normally be someone other than the SMC.

In the Incident Command System, the Incident Commander should normally be someone other than the SMC.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only during drills
• D. Only during routine operations

Answer: (B)

In the Incident Command System, the person serving as Incident Commander is the individual who has the authority to direct all incident activities on scene. This role isn’t tied to a single job title; it goes to whoever holds the authority to manage the response, which can vary by incident and jurisdiction. If the SMC is the person with that on-scene authority, they would be the Incident Commander. So it isn’t a fixed rule that the Incident Commander must be someone other than the SMC—the IC should be the person who has the authority to command, wherever that authority resides.

In the Incident Command System, the person serving as Incident Commander is the individual who has the authority to direct all incident activities on scene. This role isn’t tied to a single job title; it goes to whoever holds the authority to manage the response, which can vary by incident and jurisdiction. If the SMC is the person with that on-scene authority, they would be the Incident Commander. So it isn’t a fixed rule that the Incident Commander must be someone other than the SMC—the IC should be the person who has the authority to command, wherever that authority resides.