Ep 116: Incident Management vs. Tactics

Emergency response agencies tend to spend much more time on tactics training—like room clearing or forming rescue teams—than on incident management, which focuses on organizing resources and ensuring everyone works together effectively. The podcast argues that both are equally important and should be integrated, suggesting agencies use small, realistic joint drills with law enforcement, fire, and EMS to build communication skills, clarify roles, and improve overall incident outcomes, rather than keeping these trainings separate or overly complicated.

We dive deep into:

• The differences and importance of tactics vs. incident management training for law enforcement, fire, and EMS.
• Why agencies often train in silos and how this can leave critical communication and coordination gaps.
• The need for cross-training—why everyone, from street patrol to senior leadership, should understand both tactical skills and incident management.
• Practical ways to integrate incident management into everyday tactical drills, including micro-trainings, roll call scenarios, and low-cost, high-impact joint exercises.
• How better collaboration between law enforcement and fire/EMS during training leads to more effective real-world responses.
• Overcoming common barriers like scheduling, resource constraints, and leadership buy-in.

Whether you’re a first responder, trainer, or agency leader, this episode is packed with actionable insights on building a more resilient, better-prepared team. Don’t wait for a crisis to reveal your training gaps—learn how to bridge them now!

View this episode on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/_N9N3pwz72g