In ICS, who has overall responsibility for incident objectives and strategy?

In ICS, who has overall responsibility for incident objectives and strategy?

• A. The Safety Officer
• B. The Incident Commander
• C. The Public Information Officer
• D. The Liaison Officer

Answer: (B)

In ICS, the person who sets the incident objectives and decides the overall strategy is the Incident Commander. This role has the authority to establish what needs to be accomplished and how operations should be coordinated to achieve those goals, guiding the entire response. In more complex scenarios, a Unified Command may be used where multiple agency leaders share this responsibility, but the objective-setting and strategic direction still reside with the commander(s).

The other roles support the operation but do not set the top-level goals: the Safety Officer concentrates on hazards and safety controls, the Public Information Officer handles communications with the public and media, and the Liaison Officer coordinates with partner agencies. These functions are essential for safe, coordinated conduct, but the responsibility for objectives and strategy rests with the Incident Commander.