What is the purpose of a Unified Command in incident management?

The purpose of a Unified Command in incident management is to manage an incident without affecting individual agency authority. Unified Command allows multiple agencies to work collaboratively while maintaining their distinct organizational structures and responsibilities. This approach facilitates coordinated decision-making and resource sharing among different agencies involved in an incident, which is critical for effective incident response.

In situations requiring a joint response, such as natural disasters or large-scale emergencies, various organizations often have different roles and expertise. Unified Command ensures that these diverse entities can contribute their unique capabilities without losing their authority, fostering collaboration that ultimately improves efficiency and effectiveness in managing the incident. By allowing agencies to collaborate while respecting their individual mandates, Unified Command addresses the complexities of multi-agency responses.