This simulation was developed for public health professionals who have taken various Incident Command Systems (ICS) training and have been left wondering, "But what does this look like when the incident isn't an explosion? What does it look like in a Health Department?" It draws on select concepts from FEMS's ICS- 200 and ICS-300 training courses.

In this simulation, we present one way a State Health Department might use ICS in an outbreak response. However, we recognize that each health department is unique with different resources, cultures, and response plans. If the response presented in this simulation looks different than it would in your health department, we hope that it got you thinking critically about the job you would do as Operations, Planning, or Logistics Chief. We hope that seeing the Department Operations Center come to life in this simulation, you will be more likely to perform well and contribute to a well-functioning team in a real response.

We have attempted to present you with some of the most likely decisions the Operations, Planning, and Logistics Chiefs need to make. We introduce just a few of the many factors that one must weigh when making decisions — time, resources, and impact on others.

We acknowledge that for the sake of time, resources, and simplicity some things have been simplified or omitted. Please refer to FEMA's ICS Resource Center for the latest information about ICS.

Also available in online format. Certificate of completion available with online registration and passage of post-test.