The Palmetto Incident Support Team (IST) was created under the leadership of State Fire Marshal Jonathan Jones in 2019 for the purpose of supporting Search & Rescue missions in South Carolina. Eighty percent of the team members work for SC State Fire. This provides the team with the capability of a rapid deployment. The IST-Advance team can provide an initial response downrange, and the balance of the team can follow.

The Palmetto IST is a group of highly qualified specialists readily available for rapid assembly and deployment to a disaster area. The IST furnishes Federal, State, and local officials with technical assistance in acquiring and using US&R resources. It provides technical and strategic consultation, incident command assistance, management and coordination of US&R task forces, and US&R logistical support.

The Palmetto IST is an all-hazards incident management team and can respond to any type of incident, pandemic, or civil disturbance. Depending on complexity and duration of the incident, additional staffing may be required to assist in incident support or management of resources, logistics, planning, finance, operations, technical assistance, etc. The IST can fill those roles with pre-identified and trained personnel.

The Incident Support Team is organized to be:

• Consistent with the terminology and organizational structure of the National Response Framework, National Incident Management System and the FEMA Resource Typing Library Tool (RTLT)
• Representative of the primary disciplines involved in US&R operations
• Rapidly deployable with personnel available for 24-hour coverage
• Comprised of sufficient personnel to provide initial assistance at State Emergency Operation Centers, Incident Management Teams/Incident Command Posts, and local Emergency Operation Centers (may be augmented as necessary)

Regardless of the incident, command and control always starts with the local jurisdiction.

What IST is not intended to do:

• Assume command of the overall incident
• Dictate operations to the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)
• Supersede authority of the AHJ
• Take the place of a Regional Incident Management Team (IMT)
• Procure resources on behalf of the AHJ

For more information, contact Shelly Allen, Incident Support Team Manager.

• Cell: (803) 543-9188
• Email: shelly.allen@llr.sc.gov