Who has the authority to establish initial Incident Command at the scene?

• A. The senior elected official
• B. The first arriving supervisor or incident supervisor who assumes command and announces the declaration of command.
• C. The Public Information Officer
• D. The incident safety officer

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that on-scene command is established by the first arriving supervisor who assumes command and declares command. When the first responder arrives, they assess the situation, set initial priorities (with life safety first), and establish a single point of leadership to coordinate actions, resources, and communications. Declaring command ensures everyone knows who is in charge and helps prevent confusion or duplicated efforts as the incident unfolds.

The other roles don’t establish initial command. A senior elected official provides political leadership and policy, but isn’t typically the person on scene directing operations. The Public Information Officer handles outward communications and public messaging, not incident command. The incident safety officer focuses on safety issues and may advise the IC, but does not assume command authority. Command can and should be transferred to a more qualified or higher-ranking IC as the situation evolves, but the initial declaration comes from the first arriving supervisor who takes control.