National
Incident
Management System (NIMS)
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Resource
Typing
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Incident
Command
System (ICS)
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Mutual
Aid
Agreements (MAA)
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<< NIMS
Preface
Chapter II - COMMAND AND MANAGEMENT >>
Chapter I
NIMS
- Introduction and Overview
A. INTRODUCTION.
Since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon, much has been done to improve
prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation
capabilities and coordination processes across the
country. A comprehensive national approach to incident
management, applicable at all jurisdictional levels
and across functional disciplines, would further improve
the effectiveness of emergency response providers1 and incident management organizations across a full
spectrum of potential incidents and hazard scenarios.
Such an approach would also improve coordination and
cooperation between public and private entities in
a variety of domestic incident management activities.
For purposes of this document, incidents can include
acts of terrorism, wildland and urban fires, floods,
hazardous materials spills, nuclear accidents, aircraft
accidents, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons,
war-related disasters, etc.
On February
28, 2003, the President issued Homeland Security Presidential
Directive
(HSPD)-5, which directs the Secretary of Homeland Security
to develop and administer a
National Incident Management System (NIMS). According
to HSPD-5:
| This system will provide a consistent nationwide
approach for Federal, State,2 and local3 governments
to work effectively and efficiently together to prepare
for, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents,
regardless of cause, size, or complexity. To provide
for interoperability and compatibility among Federal,
State, and local capabilities, the NIMS will include
a core set of concepts, principles, terminology,
and technologies covering the incident command system;
multiagency coordination systems; unified command;
training; identification and management of resources
(including systems for classifying types of resources);
qualifications and certification; and the collection,
tracking, and reporting of incident information and
incident resources. |
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B. CONCEPTS AND
PRINCIPLES.
To provide this
framework for interoperability and compatibility, the NIMS
is based on an appropriate balance of flexibility and standardization.
1.
Flexibility.
The NIMS provides a consistent, flexible, and adjustable national
framework within which government and private entities at all levels
can work together to manage domestic incidents, regardless of their
cause, size, location, or complexity. This flexibility applies
across all phases of incident management: prevention, preparedness,
response, recovery, and mitigation.
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2.
Standardization.
The
NIMS provides a set of standardized organizational structures—such
as the Incident Command System (ICS), multiagency coordination
systems, and public information systems—as well
as requirements for processes, procedures, and systems
designed to improve interoperability among jurisdictions
and disciplines in various areas, including: training;
resource management; personnel qualification and certification;
equipment certification; communications and information
management; technology support; and continuous system
improvement.
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C. OVERVIEW.
The NIMS integrates
existing best practices into a consistent, nationwide approach
to domestic incident management that is applicable at all
jurisdictional levels and across functional disciplines in
an all-hazards context. Six major components make up this
systems approach. Each is addressed in a separate chapter
of this document. Of these components, the concepts and practices
for Command and Management (Chapter II) and Preparedness
(Chapter III) are the most fully developed, reflecting their
regular use by many jurisdictional levels and agencies responsible
for incident management across the country. Chapters IV-VII,
which cover Resource Management, Communications and Information
Management, Supporting Technologies, and Ongoing Management
and Maintenance, introduce many concepts and requirements
that are also integral to the NIMS but that will require
further collaborative development and refinement over time.
1.
NIMS Components.
The
following discussion provides a synopsis of each major
component of the NIMS, as well as how these components
work together as a system to provide the national framework
for preparing for, preventing, responding to, and recovering
from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or
complexity. A more detailed discussion of each component
is included in subsequent chapters of this document.
a.
Command and Management.
NIMS standard incident command structures are based on
three key organizational systems:
(1)
The ICS.
The
ICS defines the operating characteristics,
interactive management components, and
structure of incident management and
emergency response organizations engaged
throughout the life cycle of an incident;
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(2)
Multiagency Coordination Systems.
These
define the operating characteristics,
interactive management components, and
organizational structure of supporting
incident management entities engaged
at the Federal, State, local, tribal,
and regional levels through mutual-aid
agreements and other assistance arrangements;
and
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(3)
Public Information Systems.
These
refer to processes, procedures, and systems
for communicating timely and accurate
information to the public during crisis
or emergency situations.
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b.
Preparedness.
Effective
incident management begins with a host of preparedness
activities conducted on a “steady-state” basis,
well in advance of any potential incident. Preparedness
involves an integrated combination of planning,
training, exercises, personnel qualification
and certification standards, equipment acquisition
and certification standards, and publication
management processes and activities.
(1)
Planning.
Plans
describe how personnel, equipment, and
other resources are used to support incident
management and emergency response activities.
Plans provide mechanisms and systems
for setting priorities, integrating multiple
entities and functions, and ensuring
that communications and other systems
are available and integrated in support
of a full spectrum of incident management
requirements.
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(2)
Training.
Training
includes standard courses on multiagency
incident command and management, organizational
structure, and operational procedures;
discipline-specific and agency-specific
incident management courses; and courses
on the integration and use of supporting
technologies.
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(3)
Exercises.
Incident
management organizations and personnel
must participate in realistic exercises—including
multidisciplinary, multijurisdictional,
and multisector interaction—to
improve integration and interoperability
and optimize resource utilization during
incident operations.
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(4)
Personnel Qualification and Certification.
Qualification and certification activities
are undertaken to identify and publish
national-level standards and measure
performance against these standards to
ensure that incident management and emergency
responder personnel are appropriately
qualified and officially certified to
perform NIMS-related functions.
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(5)
Equipment Acquisition and Certification.
Incident
management organizations and emergency
responders at all levels rely
on various types of equipment to perform
mission essential tasks. A critical
component of operational preparedness is
the acquisition
of equipment that will perform to certain
standards, including the capability
to be interoperable with similar equipment
used by other jurisdictions.
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(6)
Mutual Aid.
Mutual-aid agreements are the means
for one jurisdiction to provide resources,
facilities, services, and other required
support to another jurisdiction during
an incident. Each jurisdiction should
be party to a mutual-aid agreement with
appropriate jurisdictions from which
they expect to receive or to which they
expect to provide assistance during an
incident.
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(7)
Publications Management.
Publications
management refers to forms and forms
standardization, developing
publication materials, administering
publications—including establishing
naming and numbering conventions, managing
the publication and promulgation of
documents, and exercising control over
sensitive
documents—and revising publications
when necessary.
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c.
Resource Management.
The
NIMS defines standardized mechanisms and establishes
requirements for processes to describe,
inventory, mobilize, dispatch, track, and recover
resources over the life cycle of an incident.
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d.
Communications and Information Management.
The NIMS identifies the requirement for a standardized
framework for communications, information management
(collection, analysis, and dissemination), and
information-sharing at all levels of incident
management. These elements are briefly described
as follows:
(1) Incident
Management Communications.
Incident management organizations must
ensure that effective, interoperable communications
processes, procedures, and systems exist
to support a wide variety of incident management
activities across agencies and jurisdictions.
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(2) Information
Management.
Information
management processes, procedures, and systems
help ensure that information,
including communications and data, flows
efficiently through a commonly accepted
architecture supporting numerous agencies
and jurisdictions responsible for managing
or directing domestic incidents, those
impacted by the incident, and those contributing
resources to the incident management effort.
Effective information management enhances
incident management and response and helps
insure that crisis decision- making is
better informed.
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e.
Supporting Technologies.
Technology and technological systems provide
supporting capabilities essential to implementing
and continuously refining the NIMS. These include
voice and data communications systems, information
management systems (i.e., record keeping and
resource tracking), and data display systems.
Also included are specialized technologies that
facilitate ongoing operations and incident management
activities in situations that call for unique
technology-based capabilities.
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f.
Ongoing Management and Maintenance.
This component establishes an activity to provide
strategic direction for and oversight of the
NIMS, supporting both routine review and the
continuous refinement of the system and its components
over the long term.
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2. Appendices.
The appendices
to this document provide additional system details regarding
the
ICS and resource typing.
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<< NIMS
Preface
Chapter II - COMMAND AND MANAGEMENT >> |
1
As defined in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Section 2(6), “The
term ‘emergency response providers’ includes Federal,
State, and local emergency public safety, law enforcement, emergency
response, emergency medical (including hospital emergency facilities),
and related personnel, agencies, and authorities.” 6 U.S.C.
101(6).
2
As defined in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the term ‘‘State’’ means
any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any possession of the United
States. 6 U.S.C. 101(14).
3
As defined in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Section 2(10),
the term,“ local government” means “ (A) county,
municipality, city, town, township, local public authority, school
district, special district, intrastate district, council of governments
(regardless of whether the council of governments is incorporated
as a nonprofit corporation under State law), regional or interstate
government entity, or agency or instrumentality of a local government;
an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, or in Alaska
a Native village or Alaska Regional Native Corporation; and a rural
community, unincorporated town or village, or other public entity.” 6
U.S.C. 101(10).
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