Planning P

The Planning P is the general tempo or battle rhythm of an incident.  It includes a series of action steps and meetings that various members of the Incident Management Team and key stakeholders use to gather/share situational awareness, along with ensuring the operational plan is created and implemented.  

Once you're up and going...it's round-and-round the Planning P...until the incident stabilizes and we hop on our white horses for our parade into the sunset.  

In the world of emergency management, these three components form the "brain" and "muscle" of a response. Think of them as the bridge between high-level policy and boots-on-the-ground action.  The AA Briefing is the hand-off from the person in charge of the jurisdiction (like a Mayor, Forest Supervisor, or CEO) to the Incident Commander. It happens at the very beginning of an incident.

• Goal: To define the "rules of engagement."

• Key Content: The AA explains the incident's complexity, specific constraints (e.g., "don't use bulldozers in this sensitive area"), and the budget limits.

• Outcome: A formal delegation of authority that gives the Incident Management Team the power to act.

This is the "State of the Union" for a developing incident. Usually documented on an ICS Form 201, this briefing occurs during the transition from the initial "attack" on the problem to a long-term managed response.

• The Goal: To provide the incoming Incident Commander or team with a clear picture of the current situation.

• Vital Info: It includes a map of the scene, a summary of current actions taken, a list of resources currently on-site, and the immediate safety risks.

• The Hand-off: It ensures that when leadership changes, no information is lost and safety is maintained.

In a Unified Command (UC), no one loses their authority, but they agree to speak with one voice. This meeting is brief, high-level, and strictly for the Incident Commanders.

• The Goal: To establish a common set of priorities and a single "Incident Organization."

• Key Decisions: * Who will be the Operations Section Chief? (Usually the agency with the biggest "dog in the fight").

  • What are our shared jurisdictions and boundaries?

  • How will we handle sensitive issues (legal, political, or media)?

Immediately following or integrated into the UC meeting, the leaders must define Control Objectives. These aren't specific tasks (like "hook up the hose"), but rather broad, measurable goals.

• The Priority Hierarchy: 

• 1.  Life Safety (First responders and the public).

• 2.  Incident Stabilization (Stopping the "leak" or "fire").

• 3.  Property/Environmental Preservation (Minimizing damage).

• SMART Objectives: Objectives must be Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-bound.

  • Bad Objective: "Put out the fire."

  • Good Objective: "Establish a 100% containment line around the northern perimeter by 1800 hours."

The Incident Commander (IC) or Unified Command (UC) meets with the Planning and Operations Section Chiefs to determine the best broad-scale approach to meet the established incident objectives.

• Objective: "Contain the wildfire on the north ridge by 1800 hours."

• Strategy: "Utilize aerial water drops to slow the spread while ground crews establish a handline along the ridge."

The primary goal is to create the ICS Form 215 (Operational Planning Worksheet). This form is the blueprint for the entire next work shift.

• Specific Assignments: Breaking the incident into geographical Divisions (e.g., "North Sector") or functional Groups (e.g., "Triage Group").

• Resource Allocation: Determining exactly how many fire engines, police cruisers, or technicians are needed for each specific task.

• Gap Analysis: Identifying what resources we have versus what we need to order immediately.

The Preparation for the Planning Meeting is the quiet "work period" in the Planning P that occurs immediately after the Tactics Meeting. It is not a formal meeting itself, but rather a deadline-driven window where the Section Chiefs go back to their corners to finalize the details before the final "Go/No-Go" session.

Think of it as the rehearsal before the opening night of the next operational period.  This is the moment where the Planning Section Chief and the Operations Section Chief huddle to ensure the plan is realistic.

• Question: "We asked for 10 ambulances, but Logistics says we only have 4. Do we change the tactic or find more ambulances?"

• Correction: These discrepancies must be resolved now, not during the formal Planning Meeting.

The primary goal is for the Planning Section Chief to walk the Command through the proposed plan for the next operational period (e.g., the next 12 or 24 hours) and get a formal "thumbs up."

• Final Review: Ensure the tactics actually meet the objectives set by the Agency Administrator.

• Commitment of Resources: Confirm that Logistics and Finance can support the plan.

• Safety Clearance: Verify that the Safety Officer has mitigated the risks of the proposed operations.

This stage of the Planning P is the "production line." Once the Planning Meeting concludes and the Unified Command has given the green light, the team must move rapidly to turn those verbal agreements into a formal, written document: the Incident Action Plan (IAP).  The Planning Section Chief is responsible for "collating" the various forms into a single, cohesive packet. Each section of the Incident Management Team contributes its specific piece of the puzzle.

Before the IAP can be photocopied and distributed, it must go through a final "Check and Sign" process:

• Technical Review: The Planning Section Chief performs a final "sanity check" to ensure the ICS 204s (Tactics) match the ICS 202 (Objectives).

• Safety Review: The Safety Officer signs off to confirm that all tactical risks have been addressed with a mitigation plan.

• Command Approval: The Incident Commander (or Unified Command) reviews the entire packet. Their signature on the ICS 202 makes the plan official and legally binding for the incident's budget and operations.

Timing is everything. If the next shift starts at 0700, the IAP must be approved, printed, and ready for distribution by 0600. If the IAP is late, the entire response "stutters," as crews will be sitting in their trucks waiting for orders.

The Operations Briefing (often called the "Shift Briefing") is the final stage of the Planning P before the new work shift begins. This is the hand-off where the written Incident Action Plan (IAP) is explained to the people who will actually execute it.  If the Planning Meeting was for the "Generals," the Operations Briefing is for the "Captains" and "Sergeants."

The goal is to ensure that every supervisor (Division/Group Supervisors) understands their specific mission, who they are working with, and how to stay safe.

• Clarity: Translating the paperwork into clear, verbal instructions.

• Coordination: Ensuring the "North Sector" knows what the "South Sector" is doing so they don't get in each other's way.

• Safety: Highlighting the most dangerous risks for the next 12–24 hours (e.g., "The weather service predicts a wind shift at 1400 hours").

In a high-intensity incident, the briefing must be concise. It is not a time for debate or "what-if" scenarios. If a supervisor has a problem with their assignment, they wait until the meeting ends to pull the Operations Chief aside for a "breakout" session.

Once the Operations Briefing concludes, the "Planning" part of the Planning P transitions into the "Execution" phase. This is where the paper plan meets the real world. In the ICS cycle, this is often represented by the open space between the briefing and the next set of meetings.

It is the most dynamic part of the cycle, where the Operations Section Chief manages the "boots on the ground" to achieve the objectives.

Execution is about command and control. The Incident Action Plan (IAP) is now the primary directive.

• Deployment: Resources move from the Staging Area to their assigned Divisions or Groups.

• Direct Supervision: Division/Group Supervisors oversee the work, ensuring tactical assignments on the ICS 204 are followed.

• Resource Tracking: The Planning Section tracks the status of all resources (Assigned, Available, or Out-of-Service) using the ICS 211 (Check-In List) and T-Cards.

Execution is never static. As the shift progresses, the Incident Management Team must constantly ask: "Is the plan working?"

• The Operational Period Update: Supervisors provide regular "Situation Reports" (SITREPs) to the Operations Section Chief.

• Adjusting Tactics: If a tactic isn't working (e.g., a wind shift makes a specific fire line untenable), the Operations Chief has the authority to make immediate tactical adjustments without waiting for a new IAP.

• Identifying Gaps: If objectives aren't being met, it signals that the next Planning P cycle needs more resources or a different strategy.