When should the strategy of an incident initially be declared?

The appropriate time to declare the strategy of an incident is during the initial incident command assessment. This is a critical moment for the incident commander, as it involves evaluating the situation as soon as resources arrive on scene. At this point, the commander assesses various factors such as the size, scope, and nature of the incident, as well as available resources and potential hazards.

Declaring a strategy during this assessment allows for a clear direction to be established for responses and resource allocation moving forward. It helps guide the decision-making process effectively and ensures that all units responding to the incident are aligned with a shared operational objective right from the outset. This coherent approach is vital for ensuring safety and efficiency as the incident unfolds.