If a state emergency team comes to help a local town, who is the special person from the state team whose main job is to sit with the local team and make sure they understand each other's needs and plans?

The special person from the state emergency team whose main job is to sit with the local team and ensure they understand each other's needs and plans is called the Liaison Officer. This role is a key component of the Incident Command System (ICS), which is a standardized, on-scene management system designed to enable effective and efficient incident management across various agencies and jurisdictions. The Liaison Officer acts as the primary contact for representatives from assisting or cooperating agencies and organizations that are not directly part of the overall Incident Command structure, such as a local town's emergency team receiving state aid. Their main responsibility is to facilitate clear and accurate communication and coordination between the state team's Incident Commander—the person in overall charge of the incident—and the local team. This involves relaying critical information from the state team regarding their objectives, strategies, and available resources to the local team, and conversely, bringing the local team's specific needs, capabilities, and concerns back to the state's Incident Commander. By maintaining this direct line of communication and ensuring mutual understanding of plans and requirements, the Liaison Officer helps to integrate efforts, prevent misunderstandings, and ensure a unified and effective response to the emergency. For example, if the state team plans a specific search and rescue operation, the Liaison Officer would ensure the local team understands the operation's scope and how their local efforts can best support it.