What is the primary responsibility of an incident commander during a hazardous materials incident?

The primary responsibility of an incident commander during a hazardous materials incident is to establish strategic goals and manage the situation. This role is crucial as the incident commander oversees the overall response effort, ensuring that the appropriate resources are deployed effectively and that the incident is managed in a safe and organized manner. They set the objectives for the response, prioritize actions, and coordinate between various agencies and personnel involved in the situation.

While providing individual support to technicians can be an important aspect of a command structure, the main focus of the incident commander is on the broader strategic management rather than on individual levels of support. Notifying the public of potential hazards is typically handled by public information officers or designated communicators, ensuring that messaging is consistent and accurate. Performing environmental cleanup, although critical in the aftermath of a hazardous materials incident, falls under the responsibilities of specialized teams rather than the incident commander, who is focused on managing the incident response rather than executing cleanup tasks.