What does 'incident stabilization' mean?

Incident stabilization refers to the actions taken to control an emergency situation to prevent further harm or escalation. This involves implementing measures to ensure the scene is safe, managing hazards, and securing the area so that any ongoing risks are contained or eliminated. By focusing on controlling the situation, emergency responders can effectively mitigate immediate dangers to life, property, and the environment, thereby laying the groundwork for further response operations, such as rescue or recovery efforts.

Restoring order after an incident and assessing the effectiveness of the response are important components of incident management that typically occur after stabilization efforts have been implemented. These activities focus on recovery and evaluation, rather than the immediate actions necessary to regain control over a disruptive event. Therefore, although all these aspects are part of incident management, they do not capture the primary intent of 'incident stabilization.'