At an emergency event, who is responsible for the overall management of the incident and for the safety of everyone involved?

• A. The company officer
• B. The safety officer
• C. The incident commander
• D. The fire chief

Answer: (C)

In the incident command system, the person on scene in charge of the incident is responsible for overall management and for everyone's safety. That Incident Commander sets the incident objectives, directs actions, and continually assesses risks to guide how the response unfolds. The Safety Officer supports this by focusing specifically on safety hazards and ensuring protective measures are in place, but they don’t manage the entire operation. The Fire Chief is the department head who may assume command if needed, but on scene the IC holds the on‑the‑ground authority and responsibility. The Company Officer leads their crew’s initial actions and supports the IC, but does not oversee the whole incident.