Purpose Statement

The Assigned Area of the Command Board is used to organize, monitor, and manage incident assignments throughout an active response. It provides Incident Command with a centralized view of assignments, associated units and personnel, assignment timers, and assignment status to improve accountability and operational awareness during an incident.

Background Information

The Assigned Area displays all active assignments created for an incident along with the units and personnel assigned to each task. Users can organize assignments using four different views:

• Default View – Standard grid layout of assignments.
• Floors View – Groups assignments by building floor.
• Kanban (Column) View – Organizes assignments into custom columns.
• Geographic View – Organizes assignments by building side or geographic location.

The layout and initial assignment arrangement are determined by the Command Setup template but can be customized during an incident by Command Board users.

Assignments include individual timers, assignment timers, completion tracking, notes, history logs, and organizational tools to support incident management.

Required Permissions

The following permissions must be enabled under Admin > Roles & Permissions > Incident Command Board to interact with the Assigned section:

• Incident Commands (Read) — View the Command Board and Assigned area in read-only mode
• Incident Commands (Update) — Move units, manage assignments, reset timers, and complete assignments within the Assigned area
• Incident Commands (Create) — Initiate a new command board and create new assignments
• Incident Command – add to log/notes — Add entries to the incident log from within the board
• Incident Command Templates — View and manage command board templates that define assignment structures

Note: Users with only Read access can observe the board but cannot modify assignments. The active Command Board User (the person who took command) has full edit access to the Assigned section.

Video

Step-by-Step Guide

Assignments 

View the Assignment Summary

1. Select the Assignment Ratio.
2. Review completed and active assignments. 
3. Select one or more assignments.
4. Mark assignments as Complete or Recover.

Expand the Assigned Area

• Select the Expand icon.
• View the Assigned Area in full-screen mode.
• Select the icon again to return to the standard view.

Expand or Collapse All Assignments

• Select the Expand/Collapse All icon.
• Expand or collapse all assignments and their assigned units.

Start a PAR Timer

1. Select the Shield icon.
2. Reset the timer when necessary.

Understand Assignment Timers

• Assign a unit to an assignment & observe the assignment timer begin counting.

• Monitor timer color changes as thresholds are reached. Yellow for 1 minute before threshold and RED for beyond threshold time. Assignments without a a threshold will remain grey. 

• Reset the assignment timer as desired.

Understand Unit Timers

• Assign multiple units to an assignment & Observe each unit's individual timer is based on that Units time within that Assignment.

• Move a unit to another assignment & verify the unit timer restarts while the assignment timer continues.

Perform a PAR Check-In

• Select an assignment & Choose PAR Check-In from the Assignment menu
• Record the PAR check for all units currently assigned within the assignment.

Complete an Assignment

• Select an assignment.
• Choose Complete.
• Confirm the assignment displays a green checkmark.
• Verify assigned units return to the Unassigned Units section.
• Verify that the Assignment Ratio top number increases by the number of completed Assignments.

Recover a Completed Assignment

1. Open the Assignment Summary
2. Select a completed assignment.
3. Choose Recover.
   
    
4. Verify the assignment returns to active status.

Edit an Assignment

1. Select an assignment.
2. Choose Edit.
3. Change the assignment name, division, floor, or assignment type.
4. Save your changes.

Clear an Assignment

• Select an assignment, choose Clear & Confirm.

• Confirm the assignment is removed without being marked complete & any assigned units are now available within the Unassigned Units Area

Add Assignment Notes

1. Select an assignment.
2. Choose Notes.
3. Enter the note.
4. Select Create to save the note.

View Assignment Log History

1. Select an assignment.
2. Choose Log History.
3. Review filtered log entries.

Duplicate an Assignment

1. Select an assignment.
2. Choose Duplicate.
3. The Duplicate Assignment now appears on the Command Board

Convert an Assignment to a Division

1. Select an assignment.
2. Choose Convert to Division.
3. Confirm the conversion.

Assign a Floor, Geographic Location, or Column

1. Select the More Options (⋯) button.
2. Select a Floor, Geographic Position, or Column.

Complete All Assignments

1. Select Complete All.
2. Confirm the action.

Add an Assignment

1. Select Options.
2. Select Assignments.
3. Associate the Assignment with a division or floor if desired.
4. Search for and select an existing assignment or create a custom assignment.
5. Select Create.

Add Units or Personnel

1. Select Options.
2. Choose Units Or Personnel

Command Board Default View

• The Default View shows the assignment is a grid format. All Assignments are visible in the one available view.
• Assignments are pre-arranged at the start of the Incident Command board based on the layout in the Command Template within Command Setup.

• Assignment can be rearranged as desired within default view

Command Board Floor View

• Allows the Assignments to be arranged and visualized based on the Floors they have been associated with. 
• The floor view defaults to the Ground Floor with all Assignments assigned to it.
• The Number on Each Floor denotes the number of personnel assigned to that floor.

Create Floors

• Open Edit Floors. OR Open the Options Menu and Select Floors

1. Select existing floors
2.  Or create custom floors.
3. Arrange the floor order using ellipses
4. Save.

Move Assignments Between Floors

1. Drag an assignment.
2. Drop it onto another floor.

Rename a Floor

1. Select the floor name.
2. Choose Rename.
3. Enter the new name.
4. Save.

Designate a Fire Floor

1. Select the floor.
2. Choose Fire.
3. Fire Floor will be Highlighted in RED and the Floor above and Below will highlight YELLOW.

Remove a Fire Floor Designation

1. Select the fire floor.
2. Choose No Fire.
3. Floor returns to normal view

Hide a Floor

1. Select the floor.
2. Choose Hide Floor.
3. The selected floor is now removed from the Floor View.

Clear (or Complete) a Floor

1. Select the floor.
2. Choose Clear Floor.

Remove a Floor

1. Select the floor.
2. Choose Remove.

Command Board Kanban (Column) View

• Allows the Assignments to be arranged and visualized based custom columns created by the Command Board User.
• The Kanban view defaults to the Fire Location Column with all Assignments assigned to it.
• The Number on each column denotes the number of personnel assigned to that floor.

Create Columns

1. Select More Options then Columns.
2. Or Select the Column Name and then + Add Column from the menu
3. Add Column Name
4. Select Save.

Rename a Column

1. Select the column.
2. Choose Rename.
3. Edit the name of the Column
4. Select Save.

Rearrange Columns

• Drag the column & Drop it into the desired position.

Move Assignments Between Columns

• Drag an assignment & drop it into another column.

Complete All Assignments in a Column

1. Select the column name.
2. Choose Complete All.

Delete a Custom Column

1. Select the column.
2. Choose Delete.
3. The Column will be removed from the Kanban View

Command Board Geographic (Map) View

• Allows the Command Board User to visualize Assignments within the Geographic sides of a building (A, B, C, D)
•  
• The ALPHA, BRAVO, CHARLIE & DELTA columns are created by default in the order from left to right mimicking the clockwise direction encountered on the fireground. These cannot be rearranged or edited.

• The Number on each column denotes the number of personnel assigned to that floor.

  

Move Assignments Between Building Sides

• Drag an assignment & drop it onto the desired building side.

Enable Building Corners

• Enable the corner locations by selecting the Corner Icon

Rename a Geographic Corner

1. Select the corner.
2. Choose Rename in the dropdown menu.
3. Edit or change the name of the corner
4. Select Save.

Add a Geographic Column

1. Select a corner.
2. Choose Add Column.
3. Enter the column name.
4. Select Save.

Complete All Assignments for a Building Side

1. Select the building side.
2. Choose Complete All.

Delete a Geographic Column

1. Select the custom geographic column.
2. Choose Delete.

Best Practices

• Mark assignments as Complete when work has finished rather than simply renaming them.
• Regularly monitor assignment timers to identify assignments approaching established thresholds.
• Use Floors, Kanban, or Geographic views when managing complex incidents to improve organization.
• Add assignment notes to document important operational information.
• Review Assignment History when verifying assignment changes.
• Keep assignments organized by moving them to the appropriate floor, geographic location, or custom column.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: Why did my units disappear after I completed an assignment?

A: Completing an assignment automatically returns all units assigned to that assignment to the Unassigned Units section. The assignment is marked as complete, its timer stops, and the assignment completion ratio is updated.

Q: Why didn't changing an assignment name record the previous assignment as complete?

A: Renaming an assignment only changes its name. If a crew has finished one task and is beginning another, mark the original assignment as Complete before editing or changing it to ensure the completed work is properly tracked.

Q: Why is my assignment timer gray instead of yellow or red?

A: A gray timer indicates that no threshold has been configured for that assignment. The timer will continue counting but will not change colors.

Q: Can I recover a completed assignment?

A: Yes. Select the completed assignment and choose Recover. This restores the assignment to active status; however, any units that were previously assigned must be reassigned manually.

Q: Why can't I hide the Ground Floor in the Floors view?

A: The Ground Floor is the default floor for the Command Board and cannot be hidden, even if it has been renamed.

Q: Can I delete the default Kanban column or the primary building side columns?

A: No. The default Kanban column and the primary Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta building side columns are permanent organizational areas and cannot be deleted or rearranged. Only custom columns can be removed.