What term is used when one individual has complete responsibility for incident management?

• A. Unified Command
• B. Single Command
• C. Collaborative Command
• D. Joint Command

Answer: (B)

Single Command means one person has complete responsibility for incident management. In the Incident Command System, the Incident Commander with Single Command is responsible for establishing incident objectives, approving the incident action plan, and directing all operations and resources. This setup is used when a single agency or authority can efficiently control the incident and maintain clear accountability. When multiple agencies are involved, Unified Command is used so that several agencies share leadership, and there isn’t one person with full control. Collaborative Command and Joint Command aren’t standard ICS terms, so they don’t describe the situation where a single individual leads.