Following a large-scale emergency, an agency could be interested in reviewing how incidents occurred, what decisions have been made, how the resource allocation took place, and whether key information has been communicated to relevant people. In this case, inconsistencies in timestamps, lack of consistent recording of radio transmissions, and presence of key decisions in individual notes and memories make it problematic to build the needed timeline. It would be hard to analyze communication issues, understand the reasons behind any delays, and figure out what procedures need to be improved.
Command center trailer would serve as a working space for the team members involved in incident documentation, however, in order to build a trustworthy timeline, one needs to plan out the process of keeping records. It is important to decide which events should be recorded, what will be used for timestamps, and who would enter or verify the information. Important events could include, but not necessarily be limited to changes in incident goals, allocation of resources, major reports, key decisions, and action items.
Consistency is especially significant when there are contributions of several teams. Employees have to use predefined naming conventions, indicate the sources of reporting, and make correction when previous data turned out to be wrong. It would be beneficial to make distinction between time of occurrence of an incident and time of reporting/documenting when it is possible.
It is also necessary not to assume that all the communication channels create a consistent record automatically. It is required to check the specifics of records provided by these systems, as well as the creation of timestamps, who has access to them, and how the information is stored. Some operations could require additional security measures, and video and audio recording should comply with relevant policy.
Documentation in the command workspace should be facilitated without hindering the personnel in their execution of their urgent duties. Proper delegation of responsibilities and use of electronic forms would be able to assist the personnel in documenting any important events without creating duplicate information.
An effective timeline not only serves to ensure accountability in case of an event but also assists in identifying recurrent issues in order to enhance training procedures. By adopting proper logging processes together with an appropriate command trailer setup, departments would be able to conduct effective reviews.