The roles and authorities outlined herein are illustrative examples of potential county-level applications. Jurisdictions may adjust or revise them as necessary to align with their specific operational requirements and governance structures 

📌 Communications Roles by Responsibility Area

Each responsibility area below describes who leads, who supports, and who provides technical or dispatch functions. This summary reflects how roles interact during incidents or planned operations.

1. Overall Communications Management

Focus: Managing all communications functions for an incident or operation.

• Lead: COML (when assigned)

• Tactical Lead: Sheriff/Acting COML (law enforcement incidents)

• Support: AUXC (may lead if no COML), EMD (strategic oversight)

• Technical: COMT (infrastructure readiness)

• Dispatch: Manages daily 911/public safety radio operations

• Authority: COML has full operational control; AUXC acts under COML or delegated authority.

2. Communications Planning & Strategy

Focus: Developing frequency plans (ICS-205) and coordinating resources.

• Lead: COML (develops and approves ICS-205)

• Support: EMD (coordinates planning), Sheriff (approves for law/public safety)

• Auxiliary Input: AUXC (provides volunteer system input)

• Technical: COMT (provides RF/system feasibility)

• Dispatch: Advises on infrastructure limits

• Authority: COML leads planning; others provide input or approval.

3. Leadership & Coordination of Comms Staff

Focus: Assigning, supervising, and coordinating communications personnel.

• Lead: COML (assigns AUXC, COMT, others)

• Tactical Lead: Sheriff/Acting COML (for law/public safety)

• Support: EMD (assigns personnel), AUXC (coordinates volunteers)

• Technical: COMT (coordinates tech team tasks)

• Dispatch: Not involved in field staff

• Authority: COML directs team; AUXC leads volunteers.

4. Activation & Deployment of Comms Staff

Focus: Deploying staff and volunteers when needed.

• Lead: COML (manages deployment)

• Tactical Lead: Sheriff/Acting COML (deploys for law/public safety)

• Support: EMD (approves requests), AUXC (deploys self/equipment)

• Technical: COMT (deploys for setup or repair)

• Dispatch: No role in deployment beyond first responders

• Authority: COML authorizes; others support within their scope.

5. Auxiliary Communications Operations

Focus: Using amateur/volunteer systems to fill coverage gaps.

• Lead: AUXC (operates HF, VHF, UHF, Winlink, APRS, AREDN)

• Support: COML (integrates AUXCOMM into incident plan)

• Tactical Support: Sheriff (requests AUXCOMM as needed), EMD (supports integration)

• Technical: COMT (sets up/configures systems)

• Dispatch: Not involved

• Authority: AUXC operates under COML; COML ensures interoperability.

6. Technical Support & Troubleshooting

Focus: Diagnosing and fixing communications systems.

• Lead: COMT (primary tech authority)

• Support: COML (supervises COMT), AUXC (field troubleshooting)

• Strategic Support: EMD (coordinates external support)

• Tactical Support: Sheriff (assigns support internally)

• Dispatch: Resolves CAD/console issues

• Authority: COMT leads technical fixes; others escalate or report.

7. Operational Comms Oversight

Focus: Monitoring performance and maintaining continuity.

• Lead: COML (oversees all incident comms traffic)

• Tactical Lead: Sheriff (monitors law/public safety operations)

• Support: AUXC (reports gaps/interference), EMD (monitors via liaison)

• Technical: COMT (monitors network/site health)

• Dispatch: Maintains continuity of public safety service

• Authority: COML ensures discipline and redundancy.

8. Situational Awareness Contribution

Focus: Feeding communications status into the overall incident picture.

• Lead: COML (compiles status for Planning Section)

• Support: Sheriff (consolidates law comms), AUXC (relays real-time field updates), EMD (briefs EOC)

• Technical: COMT (reports outages/site issues)

• Dispatch: Provides 911/public safety traffic data

• Authority: COML compiles; others contribute to the common operating picture.

9. Interagency & Volunteer Coordination

Focus: Coordinating with mutual aid, volunteers, and partner agencies.

• Lead: AUXC (leads volunteer integration)

• Support: COML and Sheriff (coordinate with mutual aid comms)

• Strategic Support: EMD (manages volunteer agreements/coordination)

• Technical: COMT (ensures interoperability across systems)

• Dispatch: Coordinates only with other dispatch centers

• Authority: AUXC leads volunteers; COML coordinates agencies.

10. Documentation & Reporting

Focus: Maintaining logs, forms, and reports for accountability.

• Lead: COML (maintains full ICS documentation)

• Support: AUXC (Winlink logs, ICS forms), Sheriff (logs and reports), EMD (collects summaries)

• Technical: COMT (records system changes/failures)

• Dispatch: Maintains CAD/radio logs and audio archives

• Authority: COML ensures records are complete for after-action review.

11. Authority Level

Focus: Who has command or decision-making authority in communications.

• Full Operational Authority: COML

• Tactical Authority: Sheriff/Acting COML (law/public safety)

• Delegated Authority: AUXC (when COML unavailable)

• Executive Authority: EMD (assigns/approves resources)

• Technical Authority: COMT (equipment/systems only)

• Limited Authority: Dispatch (confined to dispatch operations)