Who maintains command and directs resources at an incident?

• A. Firefighter
• B. Incident Commander
• C. Company officer
• D. Fire chief

Answer: (B)

On incident scenes, the person in charge who maintains command and directs all resources is the Incident Commander. This role is the on-scene leader responsible for the overall management of the incident: establishing command, setting incident objectives, prioritizing actions, and coordinating all tactical operations and resource allocation to meet those objectives while safeguarding responders and the public. The Incident Commander retains control of the situation, ensures clear communications, and can transfer command when appropriate as the incident evolves or as leaders with greater capacity assume it. A firefighter typically carries out assigned tasks under supervision; a company officer leads their immediate crew but does not oversee the entire incident; the fire chief oversees department-wide leadership and may assume command in large incidents, but day-to-day incident management on scene is the purview of the Incident Commander.