National Response Framework - FEMA

1 January 2008 National Response Fram ework Page i T his National Response Framework (NRF ) is a guide t o how the Nation c onduc ts all-hazards Response . It is built upon sc alable, fle xible, and adapt able c oord inat ing st ruc t ures t o align key ro les and respons ib ilit ies ac ross t he Nat ion, linking a ll levels of government, nongove rnme ntal orga nizations, and the private sector. It is int ended t o c apt ure spec ific authorities and best prac tices for ma naging inc ide nts that range from the serious but pure ly loc al, t o large-scale terrorist attacks or catastrophic natural disasters. This c ore doc ume nt, along with the Eme rge nc y Support Func tion Anne xes and Support Annexes (available at the NRF Resource Center, ), supersedes the c orresponding sec tions of the Nat ional Respo nse Plan (2004, with 2006 revis ions).

2 The Inc ident Anne xes re ma in in effect until supe rseded at a later date. The President has approved this National Response Framework . Washington, DC January 2008 Page ii National Response Fram ework January 2008 Intentionally Left Blank January 2008 National Response Fram ework Page iii CONTENTS 1 Overview .. 1 Framework Unpac 3 7 Response Doc 8 Part of a Broade r St rat egy .. 12 CHAPTER I RO L ES AND RESPO NSIBILITIES .. 15 Loc al .. 15 The Privat e Sect or and 18 States, T errit ories, and T ribal G o v e r n me n t s .. 21 Federal .. 24 CHAPTER II Response AC TIO NS .. 27 Introduc tion .. 27 Prepa re .. 27 Resp ond .. 32 Recover .. 45 CHAPTER III Response ORGANIZAT IO N .. 47 Introduc tion .. 47 Key Concepts .. 48 Loc al Response : Struc tures and Staffing .. 49 State Response : Struc tures and Staffing .. 51 Federal Response : Structures and Staffing.

3 53 CHAPTER IV PLANNING: A CRIT ICAL ELEMENT OF EFFECTIVE Response .. 71 The Framework and 71 T he Value of Planning .. 71 Nat iona l P repa redness A rc hit ect ure .. 72 The Federal Planning Struc ture .. 73 The State, Tribal, and Loc al Planning Struc ture .. 74 Crit eria for S uc c essful Planning .. 74 CHAPTER V ADDITIO NAL RESOURCES .. 77 Supporting Documents and the NRF Resource Center .. 77 Effective Date and Framework Imp le ment at ion .. 79 AC RO NY 81 Page iv National Response Fram ework January 2008 Intentionally Left Blank January 2008 National Response Fram ework Page 1 INTRODUCTION OVERVIEW This Nati ona l Response Framework (NRF) [o r Frame work] is a guide to ho w the Nation conducts all-hazards Response . It is built upon sc alable, fle xib le, and adapt ab le c oordinating structures t o align key ro les and res pons ib ilit ies across the Nat ion.

4 It describes spec ific authorities and best prac tic es for ma naging inc idents that range from the serious but pure ly loc al, t o large-scale terrorist attacks or catastrophic natural disasters. This doc ument expla ins the c ommon disc ipline and struc tures that have been exerc ised and matured at the local, t ribal, State, and nat ional leve ls over t ime. It describes key lessons learned from Hurric anes Katrina and Rita, foc using pa rtic ularly on how the Federa l Government is organized to support communities and States in catastrophic inc ident s. Most importantly, it builds upon the Nationa l Inc ident Management System (NIMS), whic h prov ides a c onsist ent t emp lat e for ma nag ing inc ident s. The term Response as used in this Frame work includes imme diate actio ns to save lives, protect property and the env ironment, and meet basic human needs.

5 Response also inc ludes the exec ution of e me rgenc y plans a nd actions to support short-t e r m rec overy. The Framework is always in effect, and elements can be implemented as needed on a flexib le, sc alable basis to improve Response . INTENDED AUDIENCE The Frame wo rk is written especially for government executives, private-sector and nongovernmenta l o rga nizat ion ( NGO) leade rs, and eme rgency manageme nt practit io ners. First , it is addressed t o senio r elected and appointed leaders, such as Federal dep art me nt or agenc y heads, St at e Governo rs, mayors, t ribal leade rs, and c it y or c ount y offic ials those who have a responsibility to provide for effective Response . For the Nation to be prepared for any and all haza rds, it s leade rs must have a baseline fa miliarit y with the c onc epts and mec hanic s of the Framework . At the same time, the Framework informs e me rge nc y ma nage ment prac titioners, e xplaining the operating struc tures and tools used routine ly by first responders and emergency managers at all levels of government.

6 For these readers, the Framework is augmented with online ac c ess to supporting doc ume nts, further training, and an evolving resourc e for exc hanging lessons lea 1 To support users of the Framework , the Department of Homeland Security has created an online N RF Re sou r c e Cen te r, available at This online resource will routinely grow and evolve in support of the Framework and those who work with it. The initial postings contain multiple supporting documents, operational plans, standard forms, and other tools that are commonly used by the incident management community. The s i te will further explain technical aspects of the Framework , and will routinely post supporting documents as they are newly generated or improved. INTRODUCTION Page 2 National Response Fram ework January 2008 One of the challenges to effective Response is t he relat ively hig h turnove r a nd short tenure among e lected a nd appointed offic ials responsible for Response at all levels.

7 Effective Response hinges upon well-t raine d leaders and responders who have invested in Response preparedness, developed engaged partnerships, and are able to achieve shared objectives. The players benc h is c onstantly c hanging, but a c onc ise, c ommo n playb oo k is needed by a ll. T his Framework is int ended t o supp ly t hat essent ial playb oo k. It is root ed in ext ensive c onsultation a mong prac t it ioners a nd po lic y ma ke rs at all levels. Ope rat iona l p lanning for specific types of incidents has accelerated and improved nationwide since the terrorist attacks of Septembe r 11, 2001 (o r 9/11). Suc h plans will c ontinue to evolve in alignme nt with the Framework . EVOLUTION OF THE FRA MEWORK This document is an outgrowth of previous iterations of Fede ral planning documents. A brief disc ussion of its history unde rsc ores important ele me nts of the Framework and highlights improve me nts to the previous Nat iona l Respo nse Plan (NRP).

8 T his Framework was preceded 15 years earlier by a Federal Response Plan (1992) that foc used largely on Fede ral ro les and resp ons ib ilit ies. Following the 9/11 attacks, more urgent efforts were made to unde rstand and imple me nt c ommon inc ide nt manage me nt and Response princ iples and to develop c ommon planning fra meworks. The 2004 NRP was an early outgrowth of those disc ussions, replac ing the Federal Response Plan. It was published one year after creation of the Depart me nt of Home land Sec urity (DHS). The NRP b ro ke new ground in int eg rat ing a ll levels of governme nt in a c ommon inc ident mana ge me nt fra mework. It inc orporated inc ident c oordinat io n ro les for Federa l agenc ies2 as defined by several new laws and P resident ia l direc tives. Nine months after Katrina s landfa ll, a notic e of c hange to the NRP was released, inc orpo rat ing pre liminary lessons lea rne d from the 2005 hurric ane season.

9 Stake holders suggested c hanges to the NR P both structural and substant ive. Stakeholders have adv ised that both the initia l NRP and its 2006 it erat ion were b ureauc rat ic and int erna lly repet it ive. Users also suggested the NRP was st ill ins uffic ient ly nationa l in its foc us, whic h is to say that it should speak more clearly t o t he roles and res pons ib ilit ies of all pa rt ies involve d in Response . Moreover, it was evident that the NRP and its supporting documents did not constitute a true operational p lan in the sense unde rstood by e mergenc y manage rs. Its c ontent was inc onsistent with the promise of its title. In t he last several years, ope rat iona l pla nning on a nat iona l basis fo r spec ific t ypes of inc idents has matured. Both public and private sectors are ma king signific ant home land sec urity invest ments to strengthen the Nat ion s respo nse c apabilit y.

10 2 Note that within this document, use of the term agency when referring to Federal entities is inclusive o f executive agencies, departments, and Government corporations. INTRODUCTION January 2008 National Response Fram ework Page 3 By adopting the term Framework within the title, this document is now more accurately a ligned with its intended purpose. Effective Response to an inc ident is a shared respons ib ilit y of government s at all levels, t he private sector and NGOs, and ind iv idua l c it izens. T his Framework commits the Federal Government, in pa rt nership w it h local, tribal, and State governments and the private sector, to complete both strategic and operational plans for the inc ident sc enarios spec ified in the National Preparedness T hese plans will ult imat ely imp rove signific ant ly t he Inc ident Anne xes t o t his Framework , whic h have been c arried forwa rd fro m t he NRP.