STRATEGIC GOALS AND TACTICAL
OBJECTIVES
Hazardous Materials Operations Course
Course Overview
• Problem-Solving Process
• Isolation and Scene Control
• Notification
• Protection
• Recovery and Termination
Objectives
• Describe each of the steps of the basic
problem-solving formula
• Discuss isolation and scene control
• Explain the notification process
• Discuss protection of responders, the public,
the environment, and property
• Describe recovery and termination
Problem-Solving Process
● Step 1: STEP 2:
Understand the DEVISE A PLAN
problem
STEP 4: STEP 3: CARRY
OUT THE PLAN
LOOK BACK
Problem-Solving Process
Problem-Solving Process
Four common elements
• Information gathering,
Processing and analysis
• Planning
• Implementation
• Review or evaluation
Step 1: Understand the Problem
• Where is the incident
• Materials involved
• How is material likely to
behave
●Initial • Characteristics of
container
Survey • How much time
• Resources available
• Weather
• Nearby exposures /
infrastructure
• What has already been
done
Review
• What resources are available to help identify the
hazardous material at an incident?
• What are some questions that should be answered
during an initial survey?
Step 1: Understand the Problem
● Six Sides of
Size up and risk assessments
the Incident
● Alpha
● Bravo
● Charlie
● Delta
● Top
● Bottom
Review
• What is the difference between a hazard and a
risk?
• What is situational awareness?
Step 1: Understand the Problem
● Incident Levels
● Level I
● Within the capabilities of a fire and emergency
● services organization
● Level II
● Beyond capabilities of first responders on-scene
● Level III
● Requires resources from local gov’t units and/or
● private industry
● Requires unified command
Step 2: Devise a plan
• Establishing strategic goals
and tactical objectives
• Risk-based response
• Determining modes of
operation
• Developing Incident Action
Plans
Step 2: Devise a Plan
● Elements of an Incident Action Plan
• Hazard statement / current situation
• Incident objectives
Organization
• Organizational
Incident Command
● chart
Search and Rescue Commander /
• Resource plan Search and Rescue Manager
• Safety plan Safety Officer
Liaison Officer
• Communications plan Information Officer
• Medical plan
Operations Chief Planning Chief Logistics Chief Admin Chief
Step 2: Devise a Plan
● Determine mode of operation
• Non-intervention operations
● Responders take no direct action
• Defensive operations
● Responders seek tO confine the
● emergency
• Offensive operations
● Responders take aggressive, direct
● action
Step 2: Devise a Plan
● Levels of planning
Priority Strategic Tactical Task Level
Level Level
Strategic Tactics Task
Goal Tactics Task
Priority
Strategic Tactics Task
Goal Tactics Task
Review
• What are the elements of an incident action plan?
• What are the three modes of operation?
Step 3: Carry Out the Plan
• Operations should reflect the plan
• Incident commander must be in contact with officers
and crews
Review
• What are some incident commander responsibilities
while implementing the plan?
Step 4: Look Back
● Is the incident action plan effective?
YES NO
Incident
stabilization
Favorable progress Plan re-evaluation,
reports revision
Isolation and Scene
Control
• Perimeter determined by risk
assessment
• Inner or outer perimeter
• May be expanded or reduced in
size
• Used to control both access and
egress
• Should be based on risk
assessment or size up
Isolation and Scene Control
Hazard-control zones Cold Zone (Support Zone)
Hot, warm, and cold Warm Zone (Contamination
May be adjusted as the Reduction Zone)
Hot Zone
incident changes (Exclusion
Zone)
Protect responders, the
public, and the
environment
● Command Post
Wind Direction
Review
• What are the steps in evaluating the progress of
an incident action plan?
• Describe the hazard-control zones
Isolation and Scene Control
● Staging Area
• Isolate safe area to reduce confusion
• In the cold zone during terror incidents, use
multiple locations
Notification
• Local responders must understand
their role in the notification process
• Incident level identification
• Dispatch of resources
• Notification of all agencies needed
• Different procedures for
organizations
Notification
● Notification hierarchy
Local emergency response plan
Community Emergency Operation Centers
City Emergency Operation Centers
National Assets
Protection
• Always an overarching goal
• Identify and control hazards
• Use time, distance, and
shielding
• Prioritize protection of
• Responders
• Public
• Environment / Property
Protection
Responders
• First priority
• Use time, distance, and shielding
• Accountability
• Back up teams
• Follow established processes
Protection
Public
• Material considerations
• Environmental conditions
• Population at risk
• Evacuation / Shelter
• Information
Protection
Environment/
Property
● Use defensive control tactics
● Runoff needs to be contained
● Property is last priority
Recovery and Termination
• Returning the incident scene and responders to a pre-
incident level of readiness
• On-scene debriefing
• Operational recovery
Recovery and Termination
● Have strategic goals been met?
Documentation Critiques After-action analysis
Review
• What are some considerations when establishing
a staging area?
• Discuss the notification process
• What tactics are used to accomplish protection
goals?
Summary
• By using incident management systems, responders
can focus on the problem-solving process
• The incident commander must determine the
strategic goals and tactical objectives that will begin
to stabilize the incident and bring it to a successful
conclusion with the least amount of harm and
damage
Questions?
