Master ICS Incident
Action Planning

Three areas: the top bar (chrislw.com back link, brand, incident name), the left sidebar (all forms grouped by section — green dot means data is filled), and the main content area.

Keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+S saves .json. The sidebar groups are: Planning Cycle, ICS Forms Planning, ICS Forms Operations, Operations & Planning, and Live Event.

Poor objectives are the most common IAP quality failure. Good ICS objectives are Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-sensitive — they describe an outcome, not an activity.

Test: "How would I know at end of op period whether this was achieved?" If you can't answer, it needs to be more specific.

Enter your operational period briefing time and this tool works backwards to show when to schedule each Planning P meeting.

✓ Required   🔶 Recommended   ⬜ Optional

ICS 203 is the tabular roster — a list of positions and names. ICS 207 is the visual org chart — boxes and lines showing the command relationships. It's printed large (11x17 or larger) and posted at the Command Post wall so everyone can see the structure at a glance.

In IAPForge, ICS 207 is auto-generated from your ICS 203 data — no re-entry needed. Click ICS 207 in the sidebar and your org chart is ready to export. The chart groups positions into Command Staff, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Admin sections automatically.

ICS 210 is how you update the Resources Unit about real-time status changes between planning cycles. The standard Planning P only updates resource assignments once per operational period — but in reality, resources move constantly: units arrive, get assigned, go out of service, get reassigned.

Log an ICS 210 entry any time:

• A resource changes from Staging → Assigned — it's now deployed
• A resource goes Out of Service — mechanical issue, personnel issue, medical
• An assignment changes mid-period — resource moved from one Division to another
• A resource is Released before end of operational period

ICS 210 entries automatically feed into the Resource Status Board. Together they give the IC and Resources Unit a live operational picture.

ICS 225 is an end-of-incident evaluation. The direct supervisor completes one form per person in their span of control. It's done during demobilization — before the person leaves the incident.

The five competency areas rated are: Leadership, Technical Proficiency, Communication, Safety Compliance, and Teamwork. Each is rated Exceeded / Met / Partially Met / Not Met / Not Observed. The overall rating and the narrative comments are most important for the national qualification system.

Who needs one:

• Always: Anyone operating in a credentialed ICS position (Type 3/4 teams, FEMA IMTs)
• Strongly recommended: Any supervisor or section chief at a complex event
• Optional: Line personnel at routine planned events

Log an amendment whenever the IC/UC makes a formal change to the IAP mid-period. Common triggers:

• Objective change — original objective becomes unachievable or no longer relevant (weather cancels outdoor portion, crowd numbers significantly exceed estimate)
• Tactical change — a Division is added, removed, or re-tasked (suspicious item requires evacuation of Sector B)
• Assignment change — key resource reassigned, supervisor changed, major resource arrival or loss
• Comms change — channel failure, patch added, emergency contact number updated
• Safety change — new hazard identified requiring immediate protocol change

Each amendment entry captures the original language, the amended language, the reason, and the IC/UC authorization. This is the legal record that the IAP was updated with proper authority.

The Period Recap is done at the end of each operational period — it's real-time feedback that feeds directly into the next Objectives Meeting. The after-action review (AAR) happens after the incident is fully over.

Think of it this way: the Period Recap is the Planning Section Chief saying "here's what we learned this period that should change what we do next period." The AAR is the whole organization saying "here's what we'd do differently if we faced this again."

The Period Recap has four key fields:

• Objectives Achieved — go through each ICS 202 objective and mark achieved/not
• Objectives NOT Achieved — why not? Resource gap? Time? Changed conditions?
• Notable Incidents — anything significant that happened — injuries, near-misses, crowd events
• Lessons for Next Period — direct input to the IC for the next Objectives Meeting

The Resource Status Board is the current state — where every resource is right now. ICS 210 is the change log — the timestamped record of every status transition. Together they give you the full picture.

When you change a resource's status on the Board (e.g., from Available to Assigned), IAPForge automatically creates a corresponding ICS 210 entry with a timestamp. This means you can always reconstruct the full resource timeline from the ICS 210 log even if you only used the Board interface.

The Board also shows a live summary count bar at the top — how many resources are Available, Assigned, Staging, Out of Service, etc. This is the at-a-glance picture the IC and Resources Unit need during active operations.

Law enforcement agencies are often the newest to ICS documentation at planned events. IAPForge is designed to be usable without ICS expertise — here's how LE agencies get the most from it:

• Plain language — ICS terminology can be confusing for LE. "Operations Section Chief" is your Field Commander. "Division Supervisor" is your sector commander. Fill in ICS 204 blocks as tactical briefing cards — one per sector or assignment.
• ICS 204 as briefing cards — export individual ICS 204 blocks as supervisor briefing cards. Each contains the assignment, resources, comms, and special instructions for that unit. Replaces the traditional op order for event operations.
• ICS 205 Comms Plan — document every channel including secure/encrypted designations. For multi-agency events, the comms plan is the most critical document to get right — interoperability failures are the top after-action finding at LE events.
• Contingency Plans — the pre-scripted public announcement scripts are critical for LE. Missing person, suspicious item, and emergency shutdown scripts prevent improvised PA announcements under stress. Coordinate these with venue management before the event.

IAPForge includes dedicated American Red Cross and NGO tools alongside the standard ICS forms:

• Service Delivery Plan (SDP) — the ARC-specific IAP supplement. Documents shelter sites, feeding operations, health services, bulk distribution, and casework. Fill in Period Service Objectives to explicitly link services to the ICS 202 incident objectives.
• AFN / CMIST Section — required for any shelter or mass care operation. The CMIST framework (Communication, Maintaining Independence, Independence Support, Safety, Transportation) ensures AFN populations are addressed in every IAP, not as an afterthought.
• ICS 211 Check-In List — critical for volunteer accountability. Unlike paid staff, volunteers may come and go throughout the event. The 211 creates a formal record of who was on-site during each period.
• ICS 221 Demobilization — sync from ICS 211. The three-checkbox release (Equipment returned, Paperwork complete, Briefed) ensures every volunteer gets a proper demobilization briefing before leaving — including documentation deadlines and next assignment information.

The Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) is NIMS-aligned ICS adapted for healthcare settings. Joint Commission standard EM.01.01.01 requires hospitals to use an all-hazards incident command structure — ICS/HICS — for all incidents and exercises.

How IAPForge maps to HICS operations:

• ICS 202 Objectives — write hospital objectives in clinical terms: "Achieve surge capacity of 120% within 4 hours by activating contingency protocols." The IC (Hospital Incident Commander) approves these before distribution.
• ICS 203 Org List — maps directly to HICS positions. Hospital Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, etc. Use the agency field for department (ED, ICU, Surgery, etc.).
• Exercise Mode — activate for all drills and tabletops. All exports are watermarked EXERCISE. The hot wash form captures immediate feedback before staff disperse. Required for Joint Commission drill documentation.
• ICS 208 Safety Message — for healthcare incidents, focus on infection control protocols, PPE requirements, and patient safety measures specific to the incident type (hazmat, infectious disease, mass casualty).

Emergency Operations Centers support, not command, field ICS operations. The IAP at the EOC level documents how the EOC itself is organized and how it interfaces with field incidents.

• ICS 209 Status Summary — the primary EOC-to-field reporting form. Auto-populate from the incident IAP data and use it for regular situation reports to agency administrators and elected officials.
• ICS 213-RR Resource Requests — formal resource request tracking is critical at the EOC level where multiple agencies are requesting mutual aid simultaneously. The status tracking (Requested → Ordered → En Route → On Scene) gives the EOC director a live resource picture.
• Op Periods Manager — for multi-day EOC activations, archive each operational period and maintain a historical record. The Period Recap from each cycle feeds directly into the IAA and after-action report.
• ICS 203 Org List — document the EOC organization (Emergency Manager, Operations Section, ESF leads) as well as the field ICS structure. Use separate ICS 204 blocks for each ESF or functional group.

The MCI Tracker has two parts: Triage Counts and the Transport Log.

Triage Counts are live number inputs for the four START/SALT categories. Tap or click the number to change it — the total updates instantly. These counts are the numbers you report to Medical Command and hospital pre-notification.

Transport Log tracks each patient transport: the transporting unit, a patient number (not name — HIPAA), triage category, destination hospital, departure time, and arrival confirmation. The patient number should match your triage tag number so the record is traceable.

People with access and functional needs are in every crowd, every shelter, every community. Without explicit planning, they are often the people who fall through the gaps during an emergency response.

The CMIST framework gives you five specific areas to address:

• C — Communication: How do people with hearing, vision, speech, or cognitive disabilities receive and send information?
• M — Maintaining Independence: How do people maintain access to medical equipment, mobility aids, service animals?
• I — Independence Support: What personal care attendants or support services are needed?
• S — Safety: How are AFN populations kept safe, especially during evacuation?
• T — Transportation: How do people with transportation barriers access and leave the event or shelter?

Even two sentences per category is better than nothing. The AFN section exports as a standalone annex that can be shared with venue accessibility coordinators.

The Site Pre-Plan stores venue-specific information that you use repeatedly: the Command Post location, staging areas, hospital list with ETAs, and weather protocol thresholds.

Click Apply to IAP to push all of that data into the appropriate ICS forms:

• Hospital list → ICS 206 Medical Plan
• Key locations (CP, staging, EMS, reunification) → Contingency Plans location block
• Weather thresholds → ICS 208 Safety Message prompt

Save a pre-plan for each venue you regularly work at. The next time you build an IAP for that location, load your saved .json, open the pre-plan, and apply it — your hospital list and locations are pre-filled instantly.

For multi-day incidents (multi-day festivals, disaster responses, extended EOC activations), the Op Periods Manager lets you archive the current operational period and start a new one.

What archiving does:

• Takes a snapshot of the current period's objectives, dates, and recap
• Stores it in the archive with a timestamp
• Clears the period-specific fields (dates, times, recap) for the new period
• Advances the op period counter (Period 1 → Period 2)

You can restore any archived period to review or re-export it. The current IAP content (org list, radio channels, assignment blocks) carries forward — only the period-specific fields reset. This mirrors the real Planning P cycle where the structure stays but the objectives and assignments are updated each period.

Clone as Template clears incident-specific header fields (name, number, dates, times, Prepared By) but keeps all form content — org positions, assignment blocks, radio channels, hospital list, contingency scripts, everything.

After cloning, immediately Save .json as EventName_TEMPLATE.json. Next time, load it, update the header and any changed names or contacts, and you have a complete IAP in minutes instead of hours.

PDF import is best-effort — it pattern-matches text against ICS field labels. It works well with text-based PDFs using standard FEMA form layouts. Scanned forms, non-standard layouts, and handwritten forms may only partially fill. Treat the result as a head start and fill in the rest manually. For best fidelity, use a .json file exported from IAPForge.

Some browsers block automatic print dialogs from popups. Click the Print / Save PDF button at the top of the exported page, or press Ctrl+P. If the page looks unstyled, try Chrome or Edge — Safari can have quirks with print CSS.

The sync imports anyone with a name filled in. Go to ICS 203 and verify the Names column is filled in for the positions you want. If you have multiple names in one row, only the first will parse. After syncing you can update agency, role, or assignment manually in the Event Log.

Create one shared set of ICS 202 objectives (all UC agencies agree). Create separate ICS 204 Assignment Blocks by agency. Use ICS 205 to document interoperability patches between agency radio systems. The ICS 203 should reflect the full UC structure including all agency representatives at each position.

Use the SDP when your incident involves delivering relief services — shelter, feeding, health, casework, or bulk distribution — alongside the ICS response structure. It was developed for American Red Cross operations but applies to any mass care situation. Fill in the Period Service Objectives field to explicitly link your service delivery goals to the ICS 202 incident objectives for that period.