The first priority for the Incident Commander at a major incident call is to establish control and introduce themselves.

Opening the incident with steady hands is half the battle. When chaos erupts, the first moments aren’t about solving every problem; they’re about setting the stage so the team can move fast, stay aligned, and make good calls under pressure. If you’re aiming to understand how major incidents are managed in practice, the very first move by the Incident Commander matters more than the flashes of technical problem-solving that follow. That first move is to establish control of the call and introduce themselves.

Let me explain why this simple, deliberate act makes all the difference. Imagine you’re stepping into a crowded room where everyone has a different piece of the puzzle. If you don’t claim the room, people will talk over each other, repeat what they’ve already tried, and the back-and-forth becomes a cacophony. On a major incident call, that chaos can slow down decisions, create confusion about who is responsible for what, and waste precious minutes. By establishing control and introducing themselves, the Incident Commander sends a clear signal: “I’m steering this ship, and we’ll move with intention.” That leadership presence is the foundation for a coordinated response.

What does it actually look like in practice?

• The opening line sets the tone. The Incident Commander should start with a brief welcome, a clear name, and a statement of role. Something like: “Hi everyone, I’m [Name], the Incident Commander for this incident. We’ll run this call with a focused agenda and a tight timeline.”

• They confirm the consequences of being on the call. It’s helpful to outline why the group is here and who is needed. “We have you here because you bring critical pieces to the puzzle—on-call engineers, the on-call manager, and communications. We’ll keep this concise and move quickly.”

• They establish the guardrails. A quick ground rule helps reduce noise: “We’ll have one speaker at a time, we’ll capture actions in the incident chat, and we’ll pause for updates every five minutes unless we’ve hit a decision point sooner.”

• They announce the agenda. A simple, concrete outline keeps everyone oriented. “First, we’ll share what we know now, then what we don’t know yet, followed by the next steps we’ll take and who’s responsible.”

That opening moment is not about heroics; it’s about clarity. A calm, confident tone helps others drop their guard and start contributing. The question isn’t whether you can dazzle with tech right away; it’s whether you can create a space where information flows efficiently and decisions get made.

Why this approach matters for the team and the business

• It reduces confusion. When you introduce yourself and set an agenda, people know who to listen to and what to expect. They stop guessing who’s driving the response and start sharing the right information at the right time.

• It speeds decision-making. A clear opening helps trim the conversation to what’s essential: what we know, what we don’t know, and the actions that will move us forward.

• It preserves trust. When the Incident Commander takes charge with a steady voice, stakeholders feel confident that the situation is under control and that someone is coordinating the effort.

What comes next after the opening moments?

After the initial introduction and the call’s structure are established, a few practical steps help sustain momentum:

• Verify participants and roles. A quick roll call ensures everyone who needs to be on the line is present and knows their responsibility. If someone is missing, the Incident Commander can decide on a temporary workaround.

• Share initial incident details. The team should hear the high-level status: what happened, when it began, what system components are affected, and what is being done to contain the issue.

• Confirm the communication channels. Will the incident be discussed in a dedicated channel, a conference bridge, or a bridge line? Are there workload-rotation rules for the on-call engineers? These decisions reduce back-and-forth later.

• Establish a cadence for updates. A predictable rhythm—updates every five minutes or after each significant action—lets people plan their work and reduces the urge to flood the channel with every tiny change.

• Map out early next steps. The Incident Commander should articulate the immediate actions and who owns them. This includes containment steps, data gathering, and setting a target for the next checkpoint.

Common missteps to avoid (and how to dodge them)

• Skipping the introduction. If the Incident Commander dives straight into technical details without stating who they are, people may talk over each other, and the sense of order evaporates. Quick, confident introductions anchor the call.

• Jamming too many details into the opening. It’s tempting to share every symptom you’ve heard, but the goal is to set the stage, not to dump every problem at once. Save the deeper details for the structured updates.

• Failing to set ground rules. Without agreed rules, the call can devolve into a firefight of side conversations. A simple set of rules—one speaker at a time, clear ownership, and noted actions—goes a long way.

• Neglecting stakeholder communication. The opening isn’t just for the on-call team; stakeholders want to know what’s happening and what’s being done. Include a plan for external updates early in the call.

A practical starter script you can adapt

• Incident Commander: “Hi everyone, I’m [Name], the Incident Commander for this incident. We’ll run a tight, focused call with one speaker at a time, and we’ll capture all actions in the incident chat. Our agenda is simple: 1) What we know now, 2) What we don’t know yet, 3) Immediate actions, 4) Next check-in.

• Incident Commander: “First, let’s go around and confirm who’s on the line and their role. Please state your name, team, and your responsibility for this incident.”

• Incident Commander: “Next, here are the high-level details we have so far, and the critical questions we need to answer to proceed. We’ll assign owners for each action item as soon as we hear a volunteer or a label that fits.”

• Incident Commander: “We’ll check in again in [X] minutes with updates and any blockers. If you have a blocker, raise your hand now or type it in the chat so we can triage it quickly.”

Relating this to the real-world toolkit

In many organizations, PagerDuty serves as the backbone for incident handling. The first moments of a major incident call aren’t about mastering the platform; they’re about leadership presence and disciplined communication. You can use PagerDuty to help enforce the opening rhythm:

• Create a defined call or bridge where participants join, with clear labels for roles and responsibilities.

• Use the incident chat to capture the opening details and the initial action list, so everyone has a single source of truth.

• Set a standing cadence for updates and make sure everyone knows where to post blockers or critical findings.

The human side of being the Incident Commander

Yes, you’re juggling numbers, symptoms, and timelines. But you’re also signaling confidence, steadiness, and accountability. This is where leadership shows up most clearly under pressure. Your tone, pace, and clarity can ease the anxiety of the team and keep the focus on outcomes rather than on who’s overwhelmed.

A few notes if it helps you relate

• Leadership presence isn’t about being loud. It’s about being clear and purposeful. A calm voice can steady a room more effectively than a loud one.

• You don’t have to know every answer in that first moment. You need to know who does, and you need to get those people talking in a structured way.

• Ground rules aren’t cages; they’re rails that keep the train moving smoothly. A quick, agreed-upon framework makes the rest of the response more efficient.

Final takeaways

• The very first action on a major incident call is to establish control and introduce yourself. This sets the tone for the entire response.

• A concise, guided opening reduces confusion, accelerates decision-making, and builds trust with stakeholders.

• After establishing control, verify participants, share high-level details, set the communication channels, and outline immediate actions.

• Stay mindful of common missteps and keep the cadence steady so the team stays aligned.

If you’re stepping into the incident command role, think of that first moment as laying a strong foundation. You don’t need to solve every problem instantly, but you do need to create a space where the right information can flow, decisions can be made, and people feel supported and clear about their roles. In that sense, the first priority is not just a step in the process—it’s the centerpiece that holds the whole response together. And when you lead with that center, the rest of the response follows with greater speed, accuracy, and confidence.