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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:
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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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