All of the following are procedures for activating the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) EXCEPT:

• A. Notify hospital administration and coordinate with external partners
• B. Review the Incident Action Plan
• C. Activate the hospital ICS
• D. Refer to your Job Action Sheet (JAS) for response duties

Answer: (D)

Activating HICS centers on establishing a formal command structure and mobilizing resources quickly. The key activation steps are to notify hospital administration and coordinate with external partners so leadership and needed support are in place, to activate the hospital ICS so the response is organized under a defined chain of command, and to review the Incident Action Plan so everyone understands the immediate objectives and tasks for the current period. The Job Action Sheet is a tool that describes individual duties within the ICS once it’s activated; it guides who does what but is not itself an activation step. So referring to the Job Action Sheet for response duties is not part of the activation process.