Security Forces Response - Incident Command Responsibilities

• A. IC should verify incident, establish official command, request resources, control responding units, and employ resources effectively
• B. IC should verify incident
• C. IC should establish official command only
• D. IC should delegate all tasks to others

Answer: (B)

The most important initial action is to verify that an incident has occurred. Confirming the reality of the incident sets the foundation for all subsequent command activities. If you verify, you ensure there is a legitimate event to respond to, you can assess its scope and potential hazards, and you avoid wasting time and resources on false alarms. This careful first step also prevents prematurely establishing an official command or mobilizing resources when there may be no incident at all, or when the situation is not as severe as it appears.

Once the incident is verified, the natural next steps would follow—establishing command, coordinating resources, and directing responding units. The other options describe actions that either presume an incident exists without verification or jump ahead to delegation, which should occur under command after the reality and scope of the incident are confirmed.