What does 'Out of Service Resources' refer to in incident management?

'Out of Service Resources' specifically refers to personnel, teams, or equipment that are unable to perform their designated functions during an incident due to a variety of reasons. This could include circumstances like personnel being unavailable due to injury, equipment being damaged or malfunctioning, or teams being overextended from previous engagements.

Understanding this concept is crucial in incident management, as it emphasizes the importance of situational awareness regarding resource availability. When resources are out of service, incident commanders must assess the impact on operational capabilities and make necessary adjustments to resource allocation or planning.

In the incident command framework, managing available resources effectively ensures that the incident response is not compromised, and that alternative strategies can be implemented to fill the gaps left by these unavailable resources. This might involve calling for additional support, reallocating tasks among available personnel, or bringing in reserve resources as needed.