NET Incident Command System (ICS) Forms: Difference between revisions

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== The Role of the Scribe ==
== The Role of the Scribe ==
PBEM recommends that each Operations Plan anticipate the need for a “scribe” or several scribes during NET operations. Otherwise, the responsibility of completing forms and ensuring volunteers keep proper documentation falls to rescuers, which means that documentation may not happen at all because rescuers must focus on rescuing.  
PBEM recommends that each Operations Plan anticipate the need for scribes during operations. Otherwise the responsibility of completing forms and ensuring volunteers keep proper documentation falls to rescuers; meaning, documentation may not happen at all because rescuers must focus on rescuing.


Note that a scribe is not the same as the Documentation Unit. Volunteers from the Documentation Unit ''can'' act as scribes, but their primary responsibility is to collecting and keeping documents and recording information. More information on the Documentation Unit at: [[VSF 07.02: Documentation Unit|VSF 07.02: Documentation Unit.]]  
Note that a scribe is not the same as the Documentation Unit. Volunteers from the Documentation Unit ''can'' act as scribes, but their primary responsibility is collecting and keeping documents and recording information. More information on the Documentation Unit at: [[VSF 07.02: Documentation Unit]].
[[File:Scribes.jpg|right|frameless|145x145px]]
Teams often include volunteers enthusiastic to serve but who do not feel physically ready to engage hands-on in search and rescue tasks such as cribbing, lifting, or other activities requiring physical exertion. Acting as the scribe for the NET is a great job for them. An ideal scribe is familiar with ICS forms and the ICS framework. However, acting as a scribe is also a task that NETs can delegate to an SUV with little just-in-time training (note that opinions differ on this point; some feel strongly that SUVs do not understand operations enough to act adequately as scribes).


Every NET has volunteers who are enthusiastic to serve but who do not feel physically ready to engage hands-on in search and rescue tasks such as cribbing, lifting, or other activities that require physical exertion. Acting as the scribe for the NET, therefore, is a great job for them. Ideally, these team members are identified in the NET’s Operations Plan and, as the designated scribe, make themselves familiar with the ICS forms and ICS framework. However, acting as a scribe is also a task that can be delegated to an SUV with little training.  
PBEM recommends a NET have at least one scribe for the NET Staging Area, and one scribe each for the functional teams conducting search and rescue operations. For example, a Team Leader deploys five NET volunteers to a community center after an earthquake to search for survivors. Four of those volunteers do cribbing, victim carries, extrication, and so forth; the fifth volunteer documents the activities of the other four (and perhaps also communicate with the Staging Area via radio). In this way, the important work of documentation gets done without diverting the attention of those volunteers carrying out rescue activities.


Furthermore, PBEM recommends that a NET have at least one scribe for the NET Staging Area, and one scribe each for the functional teams conducting search and rescue operations. For example, a Team Leader deploys five NET volunteers to a community center after an earthquake to search for survivors. Four of those volunteers will do cribbing, victim carries, extrication, and so forth; the fifth volunteer is present to document the activities of the other four (and perhaps also communicate with the Staging Area via radio). In this way, the important work of documentation gets done without diverting the attention of those volunteers carrying out physical rescue activities.
'''Volunteers should never throw away completed forms.''' Forms serve as a response record and will be important when requesting reimbursement from FEMA.
 
'''Completed forms should never be thrown away.''' Forms serve as a response record and will be important when requesting reimbursement from FEMA.


== Form Design and Printing Considerations ==
== Form Design and Printing Considerations ==

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