Updating the Incident Action Plan

Incident Action Plans must be approved

When an Incident Action Plan is updated, it becomes a new Incident Action Plan. If you are the Incident Controller, you need to approve all Incident Action Plans before they are used.

Include specific information in updated Incident Action Plans

Identify the period of time the plan is for. This is known as the ‘operational period’. The operational period may be defined by:

• an expected change in the availability of SAR resources
• the time you think it will take to achieve the aim or objective of the operation.

The new Incident Action Plan should also include:

• the aim or objective of the plan (what you want to achieve)
• the strategies that will enable you to achieve the objective or aim
• who has been given tasks and what the tasks are
• who has been appointed to the Incident Management Team
• what is known about the subject including basic details and where to find more information
• the subject's next of kin including how to contact them and where to find more information
• significant risks to the safety of the subject and SAR resources including where to find safety plans.

Use the NZSAR format for Incident Action Plans

This will help you to include the right information when you update the Incident Action Plan. However, you’ll need to do more than fill in the form. You’ll need to get supporting information to make your plan detailed enough.