Which statement best describes the concept of unified command?

• A. Representatives from different agencies share command authority.
• B. Each subordinate is accountable to only one supervisor.
• C. The chain of command is clearly defined and strictly adhered to.
• D. All members of the command staff agree to the same set of objectives, tactics, and strategy for the incident.

Answer: (A)

Unified command is about multiple agencies with jurisdiction or involvement in an incident sharing leadership and decision‑making authority so they can manage the response together. When more than one agency is involved, no single organization should control all actions; instead, leaders from each agency come together to form a single command structure, agree on objectives, and jointly develop and approve the incident action plan. This shared authority ensures coordinated use of resources and a unified approach across agencies.

The statement that best captures this is that representatives from different agencies share command authority, because it reflects the core idea: decision-making is collaborative and authority is distributed among the involved agencies. The other ideas describe different structures—one focuses on a strict chain of command within a single organization, another implies a single supervisor for all subordinates, and another suggests everyone automatically agrees on the same tactics—which do not define the collaborative, multi‑agency leadership that unified command requires.