(1) Designated incident command certification is established for the purpose of promoting standardized incident management and streamlined interagency mutual aid during multi-day or multi-jurisdictional emergencies through the use of a state or federally recognized Incident Command System (ICS). An officer assigned to an ICS command or general staff position is usually a senior officer, trained within a specific area of expertise, who is routinely assigned within a jurisdiction to coordinate or take charge of specific aspects of emergency response or extraordinary circumstances.

(2) The council will issue incident command certificates designated by:

(a) emergency response specialty; and

(b) area of expertise denoted as any of the ICS command staff positions or any of the general staff positions of planning, logistics, or finance.

(3) In addition to ARM 23.13.203 and 23.13.205, applicants for an award of a designated incident command certificate:

(a) must possess an intermediate certificate;

(b) must have completed an approved ICS course;

(c) must have completed the required hours of additional training and testing for the command or general staff position for which certification is being sought;

(d) must be trained within a specialized area of emergency response;

(e) must have successfully served in a command or general staff capacity as attested to on an application by the applicant's agency administrator; and

(f) must be eligible to respond as overhead support for mutual aid requests outside of the applicant's jurisdiction, as attested to on an application by the applicant's agency administrator.

(4) Officers who believe they are eligible for an incident command certificate must submit a completed application, with agency administrator approval, to the director. Applications are available from POST staff or on the POST web site.

(a) The director will then review the application and approve or deny the certification, unless the director determines, as a matter of discretion, that the council's review is necessary due to extenuating circumstances.

(b) Upon approval by the director the certificate becomes valid unless the council takes further action.