In ICS, who has primary responsibility for establishing incident objectives and priorities?

• A. Incident Commander
• B. Planning Section Chief
• C. Operations Section Chief
• D. Finance/Administration

Answer: (A)

In ICS, the person in command on the scene is responsible for setting the overall incident objectives and priorities. The Incident Commander establishes the goals and the order in which priorities must be pursued, providing the strategic direction for the entire incident. The Planning Section Chief then uses those objectives to develop the Incident Action Plan that outlines the specific tactics, resource assignments, and timeframes needed to achieve them. Operations carries out the plan to meet the objectives, while Finance/Administration handles cost, procurement, and other financial aspects. In a Unified Command situation, the command group shares this responsibility, but the core idea remains that the command authority sets the incident’s objectives and priorities.