Hospital Incident Command System

What is HICS?

Hospital Incident Command System

–an incident management structure utilized nationally

Hospital Incident Command System

• Organizational basis of emergency management plan- a framework that provides chain of command for the organization

• Standardized job descriptions for hospitals, police, fire and EMS personnel

Hospital Incident Command System

• The Joint Commission requires hospitals to follow an Incident Command System plan.

• All hospitals in the DFW region have adopted this plan, in conjunction with the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital council.

Hospital Incident Command System

Can be used for:• Drills• Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) local or widespread• Large scale disasters (natural disasters, tornado, terrorism, community wide, long duration)•Internal incidents small and large ( fire, power outage, flood)

Hospital Incident Command System

HICS Staff Responsibility• Obtaining briefing from direct supervisor• Organize and brief subordinates• Monitor staff progress and provide updates to supervisors

Hospital Incident Command System

Incident command center: Directs the organization during the

disaster

Location: University Hospital St. Paul Bldg- Nursing

Administration Zale Lipshy Bldg- Board Room

Hospital Incident Command System

Incident commandDirects the organization during the disaster

Planning Finance LogisticsOperations

Incident Command Components• Planning: Gathers information and

plans for future operation• Finance: Monitor documentation so we

can get reimbursed for expenditures• Logistics: Maintains the physical plant

(generators, water, supplies, equipment)• Operations: Organize and direct all

patient care activities

Who Takes the Lead Roles?• We enact the HICS model regardless

of time of day or day of week.• The first leadership responders divide

up the tasks, using the prepared information in the command center, unless/until they are replaced by more senior leadership.

• The packet includes very specific role definitions to get everyone started.

Key Questions

• Q: How are we organized to respond to a disaster?

• A: We use “incident command”.• Q: Where is your incident command

center located?• A: At UH – ZL, it is in the

Boardroom. At UH – SP, it is in Nursing Administration on the 3rd floor.