During incident assessment, which activity is most associated with forecasting resource needs before a response escalates?

• A. Triage
• B. Size-up
• C. Ventilation
• D. Forcible entry

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is size-up—the ongoing, organized assessment of the scene to understand hazards, occupancy, construction, life safety, and potential changes as the incident develops. Forecasting resource needs is a core part of size-up because it involves predicting whether the current staffing, equipment, and support will be enough or if additional units, specialized teams, water supply, or other resources will be required as conditions change. Doing this before the response escalates helps the incident commander bring in the right resources at the right time and prevents being caught short.

Triage focuses on prioritizing medical patients, not on predicting overall resource needs. Ventilation is a tactical action to control heat and smoke, not the planning of resources. Forcible entry is another tactical maneuver to gain access, not the forecasting aspect of assessment.