Emergency preparedness, resilience and response: DipIMC practice questions
PHEM curriculum unit 6.1 · Theme 6: Supporting Emergency Preparedness and Response
The DipIMC is blueprinted against phase 1 of the UK Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM) curriculum. This page covers unit 6.1, Understand principles of emergency preparedness, response and recovery.
Below are 2 free practice questions from the DipIMC.Ninja bank, in the Part A single best answer format. Every answer names the textbook page, guideline or statute it was written from, so you can check it rather than take it on trust. The bank holds 14 questions on this unit.
Question 1 · Major Incident & Triage · Easy
Which set of five principles for joint working is set out in JESIP joint doctrine?
ACo-locate, communicate, control, contain the hazard, share situational awareness
The five JESIP principles for joint working are co-locate, communicate, co-ordinate, jointly understand risk and shared situational awareness. Co-location puts commanders together at a single, easily identifiable location (the Oxford Manual calls it the forward command post) so that command, control and co-ordination can be exercised face to face. Joint understanding of risk means each service's view of the threats and hazards is shared, so that agreed aims are not compromised. Shared situational awareness is the common understanding of circumstances and immediate consequences, and is what the Joint Decision Model is designed to build. Each distractor swaps in something that sounds right but is not a principle: control, command, containment, a decision log, a single overall commander. JESIP co-ordinates the services; one service, usually the police, normally takes a lead role, but command is not merged. The principles apply to small-scale incidents, wider emergencies and pre-planned operations, not only to declared major incidents.
Ch. 1 An Introduction to Major Incident Management · Joint Emergency Services Inter-operability Programme (JESIP): principles for joint working · p. 16“The principles for joint working include the following:”
Ch. 1 An Introduction to Major Incident Management · Joint Emergency Services Inter-operability Programme (JESIP): principles for joint working · p. 16“The lead service will usually be the police service.”
Ch. 1 An Introduction to Major Incident Management · Joint Emergency Services Inter-operability Programme (JESIP) · p. 16“This approach can be applied to small-scale incidents”
mi-080 · Major Incident & Triage · Major Incident · Easy · v2
Question 2 · Major Incident & Triage · Moderate
Commanders from the three emergency services have co-located at a chemical release. They have gathered information and intelligence, and have assessed the threats and risks and developed a working strategy. Following the Joint Decision Model, what is the next stage?
AIdentify the options and contingencies
BConsider powers, policies and procedures
CTake action and then review what happened
DAppoint one lead commander for all services
ESend an M/ETHANE major incident message
Show answer
Answer: B
Consider powers, policies and procedures
The Joint Decision Model has five stages worked in order around a central aim of working together, saving lives and reducing harm: gather information and intelligence; assess threats and risks and develop a working strategy; consider powers, policies and procedures; identify options and contingencies; take action and review what happened. The stage after developing a working strategy is therefore to consider powers, policies and procedures, which brings legal authority and organisational rules into the decision before the options themselves are framed. The model is a cycle that is re-entered as the picture changes, and the Oxford Manual adds that strict adherence to it must be secondary to achieving the desired outcomes, especially in rapidly changing situations. Appointing a single overall commander is not part of the model: JESIP co-ordinates command between services rather than merging it, although one service, usually the police, will lead. The M/ETHANE message belongs to the initial report, not to this stage.
Where this comes from
The Joint Decision Model (JDM)JESIP (Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles), Joint Doctrine Edition 3.1, April 2024·The five stages of the Joint Decision Model“Assess threats and risks and develop a working strategy”Open at this section
The Joint Decision Model (JDM)JESIP (Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles), Joint Doctrine Edition 3.1, April 2024·The five stages of the Joint Decision Model“Consider powers, policies and procedures”Open at this section
Oxford Manual of Major Incident Management
Ch. 1 An Introduction to Major Incident Management · Joint Decision Model · p. 16“Strict adherence to the JDM must be secondary”
Ch. 1 An Introduction to Major Incident Management · Joint Emergency Services Inter-operability Programme (JESIP): principles for joint working · p. 16“The lead service will usually be the police service.”
mi-081 · Major Incident & Triage · Major Incident · Moderate · v3