National Incident Management System (NIMS), An …

1 National Incident ManagementSystem ( nims ), AnIntroductionIS -700 Self-Study GuideAugust 2004 FEMAT able of ContentsTable of ContentsSelf-Study GuideAugust 2004 Page1 Lesson 1: What Is the National Incident Management System ( nims )?Lesson Is nims ?..1-2 nims Do We Need aNational Incident Management System ?.. 1-3 nims Concepts and and Information Management and 1-6 For More 1-7 Lesson 2: Command and Management Under nims Part 1 Lesson Command and Span of of Position 2-6 Reliance on an Incident Action More 2-9 Lesson 3: Command and Management Under nims Part 2 Lesson and Area Is Unified Command?..3-3 How Does Unified Command Work?..3-3 What Is an Area Does an Area Command Do?..3-4 How Is an Area Command Organized?..3-4 Multiagency Coordination Are Multiagency Coordination Systems?

2 3-7 What Do Multiagency Coordination Systems Do?..3-7 Multiagency Coordination Systems Operations Coordination Entity Incident Coordination Entity Postincident 3-9 For More of ContentsTable of ContentsSelf-Study GuideAugust 2004 Page2 Lesson 4: Public InformationLesson Information During Domestic of Public Retain Their of More 4-8 Lesson 5: PreparednessLesson Is Preparedness?..5-2 Preparedness of Preparedness of and and Exercises and the nims Integration Qualification and 5-8 Equipment Aid Agreement and Emergency Management Assistance More 6: Resource ManagementLesson Is Resource Management ?..6-2 Resource Management Management 6-4 For More 6-6 Lesson 7: Communications, Information Management , and Supporting TechnologyLesson and and Information Management of Supporting Communications and More 7-4 Table of ContentsTable of ContentsSelf-Study GuideAugust 2004 Page3 Lesson 8: Course SummarySummary and Posttest to 8-2 nims and Management Under Incident Command Command Coordination System and Qualification and 8-10 Equipment Aid Agreements and Emergency Management Assistance Resources Under , Information Management , and Supporting s Focus on Supporting Communications and the 8-13 NIMSL esson 1:What Is theNational IncidentManagementSystem ( nims )?

3 Self-Study GuideAugust 2004 What Is the National Incident Management System ( nims )?Lesson 1 Self-Study GuideAugust 2004 Page 1-1 LessonPurposeThis lesson introduces you to the National Incident Management System ( nims ).Lesson 1 ObjectivesAfter completing this lesson, you should be able to: Describe how nims will help to coordinate and integrate the response todomestic incidents. Describe nims concepts and principles. Identify nims Time15 minutesContentsThis lesson includes the following sections: Lesson Overview What is nims ? nims Compliance Why Do We Need nims ? nims Concepts and Principles nims Components For More InformationWhat Is the National Incident Management System ( nims )?Lesson 1 Self-Study GuideAugust 2004 Page 1-2 Lesson OverviewOn February 28, 2003, President Bush issued Homeland SecurityPr esidential Directive 5.

4 HSPD 5 directed the Secretary of HomelandSecurity to develop and administer a National Incident ManagementSystem. nims provides a consistent nationwide template to enable allgovernment, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations to worktogether during domestic lesson will describe the key concepts and principles of nims , andthe benefits of using the System for domestic Incident response. At theend of this lesson, you should be able to describe these key concepts,principles, and Is nims ? nims is a comprehensive, National approach to Incident managementthat is applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across functionaldisciplines. The intent of nims is to: Be applicable across afull spectrum of potential incidents andhazard scenarios, regardless of size or complexity. Improve coordination and cooperation between public and privateentities in a variety of domestic Incident Management ComplianceHSPD-5 requires Federal departments and agencies to make theadoption of nims by State and local organizations a condition forFederal preparedness assistance (grants, contracts, and other activities)by FY can comply in the short term by adopting the IncidentCommand System .

5 Other aspects of nims require additionaldevelopment and refinement to enable compliance at a future Is the National Incident Management System ( nims )?Lesson 1 Self-Study GuideAugust 2004 Page 1-3 Why Do We Need aNational IncidentManagement System ?Lessons learned from previous large-scale disasters pointto a need fora National Incident Management occur every day somewhere in the United Sates. Theseemergencies are large and small and range from fires to hazardousmaterials incidents to natural and technological disasters. Each incidentrequires a from different departments within the same jurisdiction, frommutual aid partners, or from State and Federal agencies, respondersneed to be able to work together, communicate with each other anddepend on each now, there havebeen no standards for domestic Incident responsethat reach across all levels of government and all response events of September 11 have underscored the need for andimportance of National standards for Incident operations, incidentcommunications, personnel qualifications, resource Management , andinformation Management and supporting provide standards for domestic Incident response, President Bushsigned HSPD-5.

6 HSPD-5 authorized the Secretary of HomelandSecurity to develop the National Incident Management System , or provides for interoperability and compatibility among Is the National Incident Management System ( nims )?Lesson 1 Self-Study GuideAugust 2004 Page 1-4 Planning ActivityReview the list below and mark the items that your jurisdictionalready does or is able to Involve all responding agencies, private organizations,and nongovernmental organizations in planning, training,and exercise activities. Integrate the Incident Command System (ICS) into yourjurisdiction s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) andprocedures. Use ICS for all incidents, regardless of type. Coordinate the sharing of information and intelligencebetween the Incident Command and the EOP or otherMultiagency Coordination Entity.

7 Operate as a team, regardless of the agencies or mutualaid partners involved in a response. Communicate among all responding agencies, includingmutual aid partners. Maintain interoperability of all resources, includingresources owned by mutual aid partners. Trainallpersonnel who could be involved in a responseto minimum proficiency standards. Categorizeallresponse resources according toperformance capability. Identify, mobilize, dispatch, track, and recover incidentresources. Establish a Joint Information System (JIS) to coordinatethe release of information to the public. Maintain complete records of training certifications. Research and apply best practices from incidents thatpresent the highest risk to your you did not mark all Yes boxes, your jurisdiction can benefit from Is the National Incident Management System ( nims )?

8 Lesson 1 Self-Study GuideAugust 2004 Page 1-5 nims Concepts andPrinciplesNIMS provides a framework for interoperability and compatibility bybalancing flexibility and standardization. nims provides aflexibleframework that facilitates government andprivate entities at all levels working together to manage domesticincidents. This flexibility applies to all phases of incidentmanagement, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity. nims provides a set ofstandardizedorganizational structures, aswell as requirements for processes, procedures, and systemsdesigned to improve ComponentsNIMS is comprised of several components that work together as asystem to provide anational framework for preparing for, preventing,responding to, and recovering from domestic incidents. Thesecomponents include: Command and Management .

9 Preparedness. Resource Management . Communications and information Management . Supporting technologies. Ongoing Management and these systems are evolving, much is in place now. Each ofthese components will be described on the pages that andManagementNIMS standard Incident Management structures are based on three keyorganizational systems: TheIncident Command System (ICS)defines the operatingcharacteristics, Management components, and structure of incidentmanagement organizations throughout the life cycle of an Incident TheMultiagency Coordination System ,which defines theoperating characteristics, Management components, andorganizational structure of supporting entities ThePublic Information System ,which includes the processes,procedures, and systems for communicating timely and accurateinformation to the public during emergency situationsPreparednessEffective Incident Management begins with a host of preparednessactivities.

10 These activities are conducted on a steady-state basis, well in advance of any potential Incident . Preparedness involves acombination of: Planning, training, and exercises. Personnel qualification and certification standards. Equipment acquisition and certification standards. Publication Management processes and activities. Mutual aid agreements and Emergency Management AssistanceCompacts (EMACs).What Is the National Incident Management System ( nims )?Lesson 1 Self-Study GuideAugust 2004 Page 1-6 Resource ManagementWhen fully implemented, nims will define standardized mechanismsand establish requirements for describing, inventorying, mobilizing,dispatching, tracking, and recovering resources over the life cycle of andInformation ManagementNIMS identifies the requirements for a standardized framework forcommunications, information Management , and information-sharingsupport at all levels of Incident Management .