What has the highest priority at a rescue scene?

Maintaining personnel safety holds the highest priority at a rescue scene because the well-being of responders is critical to ensuring that they can effectively perform their duties without becoming victims themselves. This focus on safety includes protecting responders from hazards such as unstable vehicles, potential fire, hazardous materials, or the potential for further accidents.

Without ensuring the safety of personnel, the rescue operation may become chaotic and could lead to additional injuries or fatalities. Establishing an incident command system is important in organizing the response, but if safety precautions are not prioritized, any structured approach could be undermined. The location of the rescue and the number of vehicles involved are factors that play a role in the incident response, but they do not take precedence over the fundamental need to keep all rescuers safe in a potentially dangerous environment.