Safety Attitude: A person’s tendency to respond positively toward a safety goal, idea, plan, procedure, prevention, or situation

Safety Officer (SOF):  A member of the Command Staff responsible for monitoring and assessing safety hazards or unsafe situations, and for developing measures for ensuring personnel safety.  The Safety Officer may have assistants.

Section:  That organization level with responsibility for a major functional area of the incident (e.g., Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration).

Sector: On large incidents such as wildland fires, a Division can be further geographically subdivided into sectors. Sectors can be managed by a Task Force Leader or Strike Team Leader depending on the resources assigned. 

Sector Leader (SCLD): The person responsible for directing a combination of personnel, crews, or other types of equipment in performing tactical missions on a sector (specific piece of fire line).

Segment:  A geographical area in which a task force/strike team leader or supervisor of a single resource is assigned authority and responsibility for the coordination of resources and implementation of planned tactics.  A segment may be a portion of a division or an area inside or outside the perimeter of an incident.  Segments are identified with Arabic numbers.

Service Branch:  A Branch within the Logistics Section responsible for service activities at the incident. Includes the Communications, Medical, and Food Units.

Service Branch Director (SVBD): The person responsible for managing all service activities at the incident. The Service Branch Director supervises the operations of the Communications, Medical, and Food Unit Leaders.

Single Resource: An individual, a piece of equipment and its personnel complement, or a crew/team of individuals with an identified work supervisor that can be used on an incident.

Situational Awareness: The perception of environmental conditions with respect to time or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of changing conditions over time or space. Situational awareness comprises the first two phases of the observe-orient-decide-act cycle.

Situation Report (SITREP): Document that often contains confirmed or verified information regarding the specific details relating to an incident.

Situation Unit:  Functional unit within the Planning Section responsible for the collection, organization, and analysis of incident status information, and for analysis of the situation as it progresses.

Situation Unit Leader (SITL): The person responsible for collecting and organizing incident status and information and evaluating, analyzing, and displaying that information.

Small Engine Mechanic (SMEC): The person responsible for the repair and maintenance of small engines powering fire fighting equipment, such as portable pumps, chainsaws etc.

Span of Control: The number of resources for which a supervisor is responsible, usually expressed as the ratio of supervisors to individuals. (An appropriate span of control is between 1:3 and 1:7, with optimal being 1:5.) 

Staging Area: Established for the temporary location of available resources. A Staging Area can be any location in which personnel, supplies, and equipment can be temporarily housed or parked while awaiting operational assignment.

Staging Area Manager (STAM): The person responsible for managing all activities within a Staging Area.

Stakeholder: A person, group, organization, or government with an interest or concern in a particular measure, proposal, or event.

Standard Operating Guidelines: A set of instructions having the force of a directive, covering those features of operations which lend themselves to a definite or standardized procedure without loss of effectiveness. 

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): Complete reference document or an operations manual that provides the purpose, authorities, duration, and details for the preferred method of performing a single function or a number of interrelated functions in a uniform manner. 

Status / Check-In Recorder: The person responsible, at each check-in location, to ensure that all resources assigned to an incident are accounted for

Status Report: Relays information specifically related to the status of resources (e.g., the availability or assignment of resources). 

Strategy: The general overall plan or direction selected to accomplish specific incident objectives. 

Strike Team: A set number of resources of the same kind and type that have an established minimum number of personnel, common communications, and a leader. 

Strike Team Leader (STLD): The individual responsible for supervising a strike team. Reports to a Division/Group Supervisor or Operations Section Chief.

Structure Protection Unit: See Values Protection Unit.

Supervisor: The Incident Command System title for an individual responsible for a Division or Group. 

Supply Unit: Functional unit within the Support Branch of the Logistics Section responsible for ordering equipment and supplies required for incident operations.

Supply Unit Clerk (SPEC):  The person responsible for support to the Supply Unit.

Supply Unit Leader (SPUL):  The person responsible for ordering personnel, equipment, and supplies; receiving and storing all supplies for the incident; maintaining an inventory of supplies; and servicing nonexpendable supplies and equipment

Support Branch: A Branch within the Logistics Section responsible for providing personnel, equipment, and supplies to support incident operations. Includes the Supply, Facilities, and Ground Support Units.

Support Branch Director (SUBD): The person responsible for developing and implementing logistics plans in support of the IAP. The Support Branch Director supervises the operations of the Supply, Facilities, and Ground Support Units.

Supporting Agency: An agency that provides support and/or resource assistance to another agency. See Assisting Agency. 

System: An integrated combination of people, property, environment, and processes that work in a coordinated manner to achieve a specific desired output under specific conditions. 

Service Branch:  A Branch within the Logistics Section responsible for service activities; includes the Communications, Medical, and Food Units.

Single Command:  Single Command has one Incident Commander.

Single Resource:  An individual, a piece of equipment and its personnel complement, or a crew or team of individuals within an identified work Supervisor that can be used on an incident.

Site Support Level:  A coordination level within the BC Emergency Response Management System, which is activated to provide policy direction and resource support to an Incident Commander.  (see EOC).

Situation Unit:  Unit within Planning Section responsible for the collection, organization, and analysis of incident status information, and for analysis of the situation as it progresses.

Span of Control:  To maintain supervisory levels within the command structure an effective span of control is required.  Span of Control within the range of 1 to 3 and 1 to 7 individuals reporting to a supervisory level.  The range of 1 to 5 is considered being the optimum number of individuals reporting to the next higher supervisory level.

Staging Area:  Staging Area are locations set up at an incident where resources can be placed while awaiting a tactical assignment.  Staging Areas are managed by staging area manager in the Operations Section.

Strategy: The general plan or direction selected to accomplish incident objectives.

Strike Team:  Specified combinations of the same kind and type of resources, with common communications and a leader.  There should be no more than five of any specified combinations under one leader.

Supervisor(s):  The ICS title for individuals responsible for command of a Division or Group.

Supply Unit:  Unit within the Support Branch of the Logistics Section responsible for ordering equipment and supplies required for incident(s).

Support Branch:  A Branch within the Logistics Section responsible for providing personnel, equipment, and supplies includes: Supply, Facilities and Ground Support Units.

Supporting Agency:  The term used in the BCERMS to designate assisting and cooperating agencies.  (See Assisting Agency and Cooperating Agency).

Supporting Materials:  Refers to the several attachments that may be included with an action plan (e.g., communications plan, map, safety plan, traffic plan, and medical plan).

Support Resources: Non-tactical resources under the supervision of the Logistics, Planning, Finance/Administration Sections or the Command Staff. Also includes resources under the supervision of the Operations Coordination Sections of the Site Support Levels.