What is a Type 3 IC?

A Type 3 Incident Commander: a qualified IC running a fire that has outgrown initial attack, one step before a full Type 3 team.

When initial attack does not close a fire out, someone qualified takes command. A Type 3 IC is that step: organized command without the full team behind it yet.

Many fires end here. The ones that do not tend to escalate quickly, and a Type 3 IC listing is often the earliest public sign a fire has a future. The federal report never names Type 3 ICs or teams; they show up in federal incident data and go away without the wider world noticing.

For contractors

A T3 IC fire is the fire to watch next, not the fire to staff today. Keep it on the board: if a team shows up behind it, you heard the door open before the knock.

In the briefing

T3 IC appears as an outline chip. The Ember Report tracks these even though the official report never names them.

Related terms

IMT types · Initial attack · CIMT

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