Who serves as the incident commander during a fire?

The incident commander during a fire is typically a chief officer. This role is crucial as it entails overall responsibility for the incident, including the safety of personnel, operational strategy, and communication with other agencies. Chief officers have the training and experience required to assess situations, make critical decisions under pressure, and effectively allocate resources.

While other roles like firefighters, support specialists, and rescue squad leaders play significant parts in the overall response team, they operate under the command of the chief officer. Firefighters might execute specific tasks like extinguishing the fire, support specialists may provide logistical assistance, and rescue squad leaders focus on conducting rescues, but the chief officer coordinates these efforts, ensuring an organized and efficient response to the fire emergency. This centralized command structure is essential for maintaining order and safety during complex incidents like fires in high-rise buildings.