In the context of accountability, who collects passports for group accountability?

• A. Group Supervisors collect passports at the next immediate supervisor level for group accountability.
• B. The Incident Commander collects all passports personally.
• C. The Staging Area Manager collects passports from all groups.
• D. A safety officer collects passports from the incident.

Answer: (A)

Maintaining accountability means keeping an up-to-date tally of who is in the group and where they are on the incident. The person responsible for a group’s activities is the Group Supervisor, so they’re the one who handles the group’s accountability at the boundary between assignments. By collecting the crew’s accountability documents (passports) at the next immediate supervisor level, the group’s status can be accurately carried up the chain as members move or tasks change. This creates a clear, efficient hand-off and prevents losing track of personnel during dynamic operations.

The Incident Commander would be overwhelmed trying to manage every group’s passports personally, especially at larger incidents. The Staging Area Manager is focused on coordinating resource deployment and movement, not the ongoing accountability of individual crews. A safety officer concentrates on hazard and safety oversight, not the formal collection and maintenance of crew accountability across the incident.