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The optimal span of control is one supervisor to five subordinates (1:5). However, effective incident management may require ratios significantly different from this. This ratio is a guideline--incident personnel should use their best judgement to determine the appropriate ratio for an incident.
Manageable Span of Control. NIMS 2008 states that “in ICS, the span of control of any individual with incident management supervisory responsibility should range from 3 to 7 subordinates, with 5 being optimal. During a large-scale law enforcement operation, 8 to 10 subordinates may be optimal.“.
Span of control refers to the number of subordinates that directly report to a supervisor. Maintaining an appropriate span of control ensures effective incident management by enabling supervisors to: Direct and supervise subordinates. Communicate with and manage resources.
Manageable span of control is key to effective and efficient incident management. Supervisors must be able to effectively manage, supervise, and control their subordinates, as well as communicate with and manage all resources under their supervision.
This guide can help those involved in preparedness make more fully informed planning, preparedness and training decisions. Jurisdictions can use this guide to develop learning materials to identify the complexity level of each operational incident, planned event, training or exercise (“incident” for short).
The National Fire Protection Association standards: NFPA 1600: Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs. This standard establishes a common set of criteria for disaster management, emergency management, and business continuity programs.
Maintaining an appropriate span of control helps ensure an effective and efficient incident management operation. It enables management to direct and supervise subordinates and to communicate with and manage all resources under their control. The type of incident, nature of the task, hazards and safety factors, experience of the
