What additional level of supervision can an incident commander establish if facing span of control difficulties?

In the context of incident management, establishing branches is a strategic approach used by an incident commander to address span of control issues. The span of control refers to the number of individuals that one supervisor can effectively manage. When an incident is complex or large, maintaining an effective span of control becomes challenging, often leading to the need for additional organizational levels.

By creating branches, the incident commander can divide the overall incident into manageable segments. This reorganization facilitates more effective oversight and coordination of resources by allowing supervisors to focus on specific aspects of the incident. Each branch manager can then oversee multiple divisions or teams within their branch, thereby alleviating the direct responsibilities of the incident commander and enhancing operational efficiency.

In contrast, while sections, divisions, and teams are also important organizational components within an incident management structure, they do not specifically address the need for additional levels of supervision in the same manner branches do. Sections typically refer to major parts of the operation but do not introduce a new layer of command, divisions operate within sections usually focused on geographical or functional areas, and teams are smaller groups focused on particular tasks. Therefore, branches represent the most effective response to span of control difficulties by establishing an additional supervisory level that can help streamline management during complex incidents.