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The National Incident Management
System
by Lt. Joseph J. Leonard, Jr.
Chief, Response Dept.
U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Galveston
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5) states: �To prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies, the United States Government shall establish a single, comprehensive approach to domestic incident management. The objective of the United States Government is to ensure that all levels of government across the Nation have the capability to work efficiently and effectively together, using a national approach to domestic incident management.�
NIMS provides a consistent, nationwide approach for incident management. It requires federal, state, local, and tribal governments to work together prior to, during, and after incidents. It involves preparing for, preventing, responding to, and recovering from domestic incidents. It is also usable for all sizes, causes, and complexities of incidents.
NIMS is a core set of doctrines, principles, concepts, terminology, and organizational processes that is applicable to all hazards and incidents. NIMS is not an operational incident management plan or a resource allocation plan. It is applicable to all types and kinds of incidents (not just terrorism/WMD scenarios). In addition, it is not designed to address international incidents or events.
Key components of NIMS include:
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Command and management
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Preparedness
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Resource management
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Communications and information management
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Supporting technologies, and
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Ongoing maintenance and support
Command and management standardizes incident management for all hazards across all levels of government. The three key constructs it is based on include the Incident Command System, Multi-Agency Coordination Systems, and Public Information Systems.
Preparedness includes those specific measures and capabilities to enhance operational preparedness for incident management in an all-hazards context. It includes planning, training and exercises, personnel qualification and certification, equipment certification, mutual aid agreements, and publications management.
Resource management includes standardized mechanisms to describe resources (�resource typing�), inventory resources, track resources, dispatch resources, recover equipment, and reimburse agencies.
Communication and information management, quite possibly the most difficult component to address, facilitates a common operating picture accessible across jurisdictions and functional agencies. It allows incident managers at all levels to make effective, consistent decisions expeditiously. It also encourages common communications and data standards to ensure accessibility and interoperability.
Supporting technologies provide the foundation for science and technological support for incident management, including interoperability and compatibility, technology support and standards, broadbased requirements, and strategic planning for research and development.
Ongoing management and maintenance will be directed via the NIMS Integration Center (NIC). All users and stakeholders will be expected to participate in NIC activities. The NIC will also make available lessons learned from incidents and events as well as best practices across jurisdictions and functional disciplines.
The key to all of this is attaining compliance with the National Incident Management System. This is not as difficult as it may seem, especially with many courses available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency at
www.fema.gov. By September, federal, state, local, and tribal responders should:
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Complete IS-700 (on line course)
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Adopt NIMS and ICS within existing response plans
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Establish NIMS Baseline Assessment (using the NIMCAST compliance assessment tool from FEMA), and
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Plan for full NIMS compliance by September 2006.
Relevant online courses available through FEMA�s Emergency Management Institute include:
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IS-700 - National Incident Management
System - An Introduction
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IS-800 - National Response Plan - An Introduction
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IS-100 - Introduction to the Incident Command System for Federal Disaster Workers
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IS-200 - Incident Command System (Basic) for Federal Disaster Workers
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Q-462 - Introduction to NIMS ICS for Operational First Responders
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Q-463 - Basic All-Hazards NIMS ICS for Operational First Responders
This may seem like a lot to tackle at one time. Start with the basics (IS-700) while updating your plans. Ensure your response supervisors and managers understand their roles and responsibilities within a potential incident management system. And last but not least, practice using the system in training and exercises.
For more information email [email protected]
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