At the end of an incident, which purpose best describes the Incident Action Plan (IAP)?

• A. Sent to the NFPA for review
• B. Used as part of the postincident analysis
• C. Thrown away because it is no longer necessary
• D. Filed away in case another incident occurs at the same location

Answer: (B)

The end-of-incident purpose of the Incident Action Plan is to support postincident analysis and improvement. The IAP records the planned objectives, strategies, and resource assignments and then serves as the reference for evaluating what actually happened. By comparing the plan with the outcomes, responders identify what worked well and what didn’t, forming the basis of the after-action review and improvement actions. This process turns the IAP into a source of lessons learned that informs training, procedures, and future incident planning. It isn’t simply discarded or kept only for potential reuse at the same location; its real value lies in driving continuous improvement through the postincident analysis.