Fact Sheet  



NIMS INTEGRATION CENTER (NIC) 
NATIONAL EMERGENCY RESPONDER CREDENTIALING SYSTEM


The development of a national credentialing 
system is a fundamental component of the 
National Incident Management System (NIMS).  
The NIMS states that “credentialing involves 
providing documentation that can authenticate 
and verify the certification and identity of 
designated incident managers and emergency 
responders” to ensure that response personnel 
“possess a minimum common level of training, 
currency, experience, physical and medical 
fitness, and capability” for the respective role 
that they are tasked to fill.

The NIMS Integration Center (NIC) initiated 
development of a national credentialing system 
in FY 2005 to enhance the ability of Federal, 
State, Tribal, and local jurisdictions to identify 
and dispatch appropriately qualified emergency 
responders from other jurisdictions when 
needed.

A national credentialing system ensures that 
personnel resources requested to assist another 
jurisdiction in a response are adequately trained 
and skilled. A national system to verify the 
identity and qualifications of emergency 
responders will not provide automatic access to 
an incident site.  This system can serve to 
prevent unauthorized (self-dispatched or 
unqualified personnel) access to an incident site.

The NIC will work with existing State, 
Territory, or discipline-specific credentialing 
bodies toward national recognition for multi-
jurisdictional response under mutual aid 
agreements.   

The main components of a proposed 
credentialing system are: eligible volunteers; 
certifications and qualifications standards; 
credentialing organizations; credentialing 
information that can easily identify personnel 
and verify certifications, training, and licenses; 
and a record-keeping system.

To support this credentialing initiative, the NIC 
is using working groups to identify job titles that 
should be credentialed as well as the minimum 
qualification, certification, training, education, 
licensing, and physical fitness requirements for 
each position.  Working groups will represent 
the following disciplines: Incident Management, 
Emergency Medical Services, Fire/HazMat, 
Law Enforcement, Medical and Public Health, 
Public Works, and Search and Rescue.

Currently active groups include the Incident 
Management, Emergency Medical Services, 
Fire/HazMat, Public Works, and Search & 
Rescue working groups. The NIC is finalizing 
working group rosters for the remaining 
disciplines.  


The NIMS Integration Center
DHS/FEMA
October 2005