About Incident Management Teams

What is an Incident Management Team and Who Needs to Have One?

An Incident Management Team (IMT) is a comprehensive resource (a team) to either augment ongoing operations through provision of infrastructure support, or when requested, transition to an incident management function to include all components/functions of a Command and General Staff. An IMT:

• Includes command and general staff members and support personnel
• Has statutory authority and/or formal response requirements and responsibilities
• Has pre-designated roles and responsibilities for members (identified and able to be contacted for deployment)
• Is available 24/7/365

A timeline showing the typical timeframes for response and operations of the different types of IMTs is shown below.

IMT Timeline for Response and Operations

Upon arrival, the IMT's Incident Commander (IC) will meet with the local IC and the Agency Administrator (County Executive, City Manager or Mayor, etc.) to determine what they desire/expect from the IMT, and to obtain any necessary delegation of authority. The incoming IC will then brief the rest of the incoming IMT about their role/expectations. The IMT will then integrate as requested into the current ICS structure.

Examples of Incident Management Team Use

Type of Incidents

• Natural disasters, e.g., hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, etc.
• Terrorist incidents
• Train derailments, aircraft incidents, and other large/complex accidents
• Public event requiring the cooperation and joint participation of two or more agencies or jurisdictions
• Coordination of on scene operations
  • Management and coordination of efforts
  • Procedures for assigned functional areas
  • Development and modification of an IAP