Identifying the Right Stuff: Selecting and Training On‐Scene Emergency Commanders

This paper examines the selection and training of on-scene commanders who have responsibility for managing an emergency at the scene of the event, be it a fire, a riot, a battle or an aircraft with a technical problem in flight. It presents a selective review of the findings of a study, commissioned by the Offshore Safety Division of the UK Health and Safety Executive, which examined the selection, training and competence assessment of individuals with emergency command responsibilities in a range of military, public service and commercial organisations. It identifies a set of generic characteristics and competencies for on-scene commanders and considers how these are identified in the selection process. This is followed by a discussion of training and formal competence assessment. These issues have increasing relevance not only for the military and civil protection agencies but also in an industrial context for site managers, particularly in chemical, petroleum and nuclear plants and in large entertainment venues.