Incident response team

An incident response team or emergency response team (ERT) is a group of people who prepare for and respond to any emergency incident, such as a natural disaster or an interruption of business operations. Incident response teams are common in corporations as well as in public service organizations. This team is generally composed of specific members designated before an incident occurs, although under certain circumstances the team may be an ad hoc group of willing volunteers.

Incident response team members ideally are trained and prepared to fulfill the roles required by the specific situation (for example, to serve as incident commander in the event of a large-scale public emergency). As the size of an incident grows, and as more resources are drawn into the event, the command of the situation may shift through several phases. In a small-scale event, usually only a volunteer or Ad hoc Team may respond. In small but growing, and large events, both specific member and ad hoc teams may work jointly in a unified command system. Individual team members can be trained in various aspects of the response, be it Medical Assistance/First Aid, hazardous materials spills, hostage situations, information systems attacks or disaster relief. Ideally the team has already defined a protocol or set of actions to perform to mitigate the negative effects of the incident.

Examples of incidents

Public contingencies often addressed by incident response teams include:

In the context of a single company or organization, incident response teams also may prepare for:

Specific member teams

Predefined roles are typically filled with individuals who are formally trained and on standby at all times, during scheduled hours. These teams are organized by ranks with a clearly defined chain of command. Examples include:

Volunteer and ad hoc teams

Ad hoc teams respond to an incident in a similar fashion as do Volunteer FireFighters. Individuals on such a team usually have an unrelated job. Often the first responder on the scene will assume the role of Incident Commander.

Examples of individuals in a manufacturing scenario who might join an ad hoc incident response team include:

Examples from community settings include:

References

    See also

    External links

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