During a hazardous materials incident, which ICS function is primarily responsible for controlling the tactical portion of the incident?

• A. Operations Section
• B. Incident Commander
• C. Planning Section
• D. Logistics Section

Answer: (A)

Controlling the tactical portion of a hazardous materials incident is handled by the Operations Section, because this part of ICS is the on-scene arm that directs the hands-on response. The Operations Section Chief and any HazMat subteams are responsible for the actual containment, isolation, product control, decontamination, rescue, and scene safety actions. They execute the strategies and tactics laid out for the incident, coordinating the field teams, equipment, and actions needed to stabilize the situation.

The Incident Commander retains overall authority and sets objectives and priorities, but the day-to-day tactical actions are within Operations. The Planning Section focuses on gathering information, developing the incident action plan, and forecasting needs, then passing those plans to Operations for execution. The Logistics Section provides the resources, facilities, and services needed to support operations but does not direct the on-scene tactics.

In hazmat responses, the Operations Section may establish a HazMat Branch to manage specialized teams like monitoring, decon, and containment, aligning all tactical efforts under a single on-scene command structure.