After Hurricane Harvey crashed into the Texas coast in 2017, thousands of people rushed into affected communities to help locals respond and recover. It was the largest disaster response in Texas history.1 To a casual observer, it might have seemed impossible to manage, with federal, state, and local officials; nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) like the Red Cross; private businesses; and individual volunteers all trying to help. But thanks to the National Incident Management System (NIMS), coordinating so many different groups was more feasible than it might have been otherwise. Show What Is NIMS?The National Incident Management System is an emergency preparedness, response, and recovery system designed by the Department of Homeland Security and spearheaded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.2 Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive, nationwide approach to emergency management, enabling all stakeholders in a community to work together effectively, regardless of the cause, size, location, or complexity of the emergency or threat. NIMS focuses on three key areas: command and coordination of incidents, resource management, and information management. In other words, NIMS helps all groups involved in emergency planning, response, and recovery avoid duplication of efforts, communicate clearly, and distribute vital resources to the places they’re needed most. However, NIMS doesn’t offer specific plans for any particular incident or type of incident. Rather, it offers a set of best practices for emergency management, laying out the principles and concepts everyone involved in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery should follow. As such, NIMS is adaptable to any emergency or threat. How Does NIMS Work?NIMS works best when everyone involved in a specific incident is familiar with the principles and concepts of NIMS and is prepared to abide by them. FEMA, through the Emergency Management Institute, offers NIMS training for anyone who wants to be a part of or anticipates being a part of emergency preparedness, response, and/or recovery. This training helps ensure that everyone involved in an incident has a shared vocabulary and a shared understanding of procedures and operational systems such as the Incident Command System (ICS), the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and Multiagency Coordination Groups (MAC Groups). FEMA recommends that everyone involved in emergency management take the baseline NIMS courses. Those who are likely to be involved in command and general staff roles in an emergency situation should take more advanced ICS courses. The more people who have the proper training, the more likely it is that planning, response, and recovery will go well. NIMS, in short, is not something that can be flipped on when needed. It’s something everyone in the emergency management community needs to be a part of. How Can You Start or Advance an Emergency Management Job?NIMS training is important, but it only provides a basic knowledge of emergency management. If you want the kind of advanced knowledge it takes to become an emergency management leader, consider earning an MS in Criminal Justice and specializing in emergency management. Much more than a public safety degree or homeland security degree, a degree focused in emergency management can provide you with a full scope of knowledge that can help you lead emergency response efforts, improve public policy, and protect communities from natural and human-caused disasters. Of course, earning a master’s degree takes time, and—if you’re like most working adults—time isn’t something you have a lot of. Fortunately, online education can help. When you participate in an emergency management program online, you don’t have to spend hours every week driving to and from a campus. Instead, when you enroll in an online college, you can study from home. On top of that, online learning lets you stay in control of your time, allowing you to complete coursework at whatever time of day works best for your schedule. Good emergency management can make a huge difference. And with an MS in Criminal Justice, specializing in Emergency Management, you can be part of that difference. Walden University is an accredited institution offering an MS in Criminal Justice degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your degree using a convenient, flexible learning platform that fits your busy life. 1Source: www.fema.gov/news-release/2017/09/22/historic-disaster-response-hurricane-harvey-texas Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.
This article provides a historical perspective on the development of the incident command system (ICS), how the National Incident Management System (NIMS) ICS operates, and what the future holds for NIMS ICS training.
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) was developed by the Department of Homeland Security in 2004. The NIMS enables responders at all jurisdictional levels and across all disciplines to work together more effectively and efficiently. It represents a core set of doctrine, principles, terminology, and organizational processes. The incident command system (ICS), conceived over 30 years ago as a standard, on-scene, all-hazards incident management system used for firefighters, hazardous materials teams, rescuers, and emergency medical teams, was incorporated into the NIMS. It was incorporated as the standardized incident organizational structure for the management of all incidents. NIMS and ICS are seen as critical pieces of the incident management system. The NIMS and ICS allow for responding agencies to work together, but only if the foundation has been laid at the local level. The NIMS Integration Center is working toward a common understanding and application of the ICS. This article is intended to provide a historical perspective on the development of ICS, explain how NIMS ICS works, describe how it is different from previous systems, and discuss the future of NIMS ICS training.
The National Incident Management System (NIMS), a program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is a comprehensive approach to incident management that can apply to emergencies of all types and sizes. The NIMS approach is intended to be both:
Incident Command System (ICS)The NIMS model for incident management is the Incident Command System (ICS). ICS is a standardized on-scene emergency management organization designed to aid in the management of resources during incidents. The ICS model is used by jurisdictions and agencies, both public and private, to organize field-level incident-management operations. ICS is sometimes referred to as the Incident Management System (IMS); the terms are interchangeable. When organizations use the ICS model as the basis for their disaster planning, they adopt predefined management hierarchy, processes, and protocols that come into play in an emergency:
ICS Command StructureThe ICS command structure provides an orderly chain of command that is consistent across responding organizations. This chain of command may have either a single person, the Incident Commander (IC), at its head, or a multi-agency team, which is referred to as Unified Command. All other elements of the command structure are the same, regardless of how it is commanded. Below incident command are the four major functional areas, as shown in the following graphic. The fifth major functional area, Command, is the responsibility of the Incident Commander or Unified Command. Each functional area is known as a section and is headed by a section chief.
Emergency Support Functions (ESFs)The five functional areas are further categorized into 15 emergency support functions (ESFs), each associated with specific emergency-response activities. This ensures a consistent command and reporting structure for these activities. The use of ESFs also helps responding organizations identify exactly where their resources and activities fit into the larger incident response. The ESFs are:
Incident Action Plan (IAP)The Incident Commander (or Unified Command) is responsible for preparing the Incident Action Plan (IAP) with the input from the section chiefs. The IAP describes how resources will be used to respond to a specific incident. The IAP also includes mechanisms for:
Resource Management In the ICS model, resources for the response to an incident include:
A critical and very useful element of the ICS is that all of these resources are organized and identified by kind and type:
This standardization is intended to ensure that all organizations responding with the ICS identify resources in the same way. That is, when Agency A requests a specific resource from Agency B, both agencies know exactly which resource is needed. ICS TrainingThe following minimum training in the ICS is required to be a credentialed animal emergency responder (including volunteer responders):
Two additional courses are particularly helpful for animal responders:
Job descriptions for responders identify additional training and other requirements for individual disaster-response roles. Learning MoreNumerous resources are available for learning more about NIMS and ICS, including free self-study courses offered by FEMA's Emergency Management Institute. The following links to the FEMA website direct you to more information on the topics introduced in this article: FEMA NIC Incident Management System Division FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI) FEMI EMI Independent Study Program (ISP) FEMA Resource Management: Job Titles and Descriptions Our Training and Helpful Websites for Professionals pages provide links to additional resources. |
What is the difference between the Incident Command System and the National Incident Management System NIMS )?
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