Who takes the lead in a multi-agency drill?

• A. The police chief
• B. The fire department's emergency manager
• C. The municipal emergency manager
• D. A designated incident commander from the host agency

Answer: (B)

In a multi-agency drill, one organization must coordinate planning and execution to keep all participants aligned on shared objectives. The fire department’s emergency manager is typically the lead because emergency management roles cover exercise design, cross‑agency coordination, scenario planning, and after‑action evaluation. This person acts as the single point of contact for all participating agencies, oversees objectives, injects, and assessment criteria, and ensures the drill follows the established incident command structure. On-scene incident commanders from the host agency still operate within ICS during the exercise, but the overarching leadership for the drill rests with the fire department’s emergency manager to maintain unity and consistency across agencies. Other roles are important, but they don’t normally provide the cross‑agency leadership needed to drive the whole drill.