What incident priority takes precedence over all other considerations?

Life safety is the highest priority in any incident response and takes precedence over all other considerations. This principle is fundamental to emergency management and public safety operations. The focus on life safety ensures that the safety and well-being of individuals—whether they are victims, responders, or bystanders—are prioritized above all else. During an incident, decisions are often made to ensure that any threat to life is addressed first, which can include evacuating individuals from dangerous situations or providing immediate medical assistance.

Other considerations, such as environmental conservation, incident stabilization, and property conservation, are certainly important but come into play after the immediate threat to human life has been managed. If life safety is compromised, efforts to protect property or the environment may not only be secondary but potentially dangerous, thereby complicating or exacerbating the situation. Therefore, in any scenario, prioritizing life safety is essential for effective incident management and response.