A.
CONCEPTS and PRINCIPLES.
The process for
managing and maintaining the NIMS ensures that all users
and stakeholders—including various levels of government,
functional disciplines, and private entities—are given
the opportunity to participate in NIMS Integration Center
activities. To accomplish this goal, the NIMS Integration
Center will be multijurisdictional and multidisciplinary
and will maintain appropriate liaison with private organizations.
The NIMS management
and maintenance process relies heavily on lessons learned
from actual incidents and domestic incident management training
and exercises, as well as recognized best practices across
jurisdictions and functional disciplines.
B.
STRUCTURE AND PROCESS.
The Secretary of
Homeland Security will establish and administer the NIMS
Integration Center. Proposed changes to the NIMS will be
submitted to the NIMS Integration Center for consideration,
approval, and publication. The Secretary has ultimate authority
and responsibility for publishing revisions and modifications
to NIMS-related documents, including supplementary standards,
procedures, and other materials, in coordination with other
Federal, State, local, tribal, and private entities with
incident management and emergency responder responsibilities,
expertise, and experience.
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C.
Responsibilities
The NIMS Integration
Center will be further responsible for
•
|
developing
a national program for NIMS education and awareness,
including specific instruction on the purpose and content
of this document and the NIMS in general;
|
•
|
promoting
compatibility between national-level standards for
the NIMS and those developed by other public, private,
and/or professional groups;
|
•
|
facilitating
the development and publication of materials (such
as supplementary documentation and desk guides) and
standardized templates to support implementation and
continuous refinement of the NIMS;
|
•
|
developing
assessment criteria for the various components of the
NIMS, as well as compliance requirements and compliance
timelines for Federal, State, local, and tribal entities
regarding NIMS standards and guidelines;
|
•
|
facilitating
the definition of general training requirements and
the development of national-level training standards
and course curricula associated with the NIMS, including
the following:
-
|
the
use of modeling and simulation capabilities
for training and exercise programs
|
-
|
field-based
training, specification of mission-essential
tasks, requirements for specialized instruction
and instructor training, and course completion
documentation for all NIMS users
|
-
|
the
review and recommendation (in coordination
with national professional organizations and
Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector,
and nongovernmental entities) of discipline-specific
NIMS training courses
|
|
| • |
facilitating
the development of national standards, guidelines, and
protocols for incident management training and exercises,
including consideration of existing exercise and training
programs at all jurisdictional levels; |
| • |
facilitating
the establishment and maintenance of a publication management
system for documents supporting the NIMS and other NIMS-related
publications and materials, including the development
or coordination of general publications for all NIMS
users, as well as their issuance via a NIMS publication
management system; |
| • |
reviewing
(in coordination with appropriate national professional
standards-making, certifying, and accrediting organizations
and with input from Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector
and nongovernmental entities) of the discipline-specific
publication management requirements submitted by professional
organizations and associations; |
| • |
facilitating
the development and publication of national standards,
guidelines, and protocols for the qualification and certification
of emergency responder and incident management personnel,
as appropriate; |
| • |
reviewing
and approving (with the assistance of national professional
organizations and with input from Federal, State, local,
tribal, private-sector, and nongovernmental entities),
as appropriate, the discipline-specific qualification
and certification requirements submitted by emergency
responder and incident management organizations and associations; |
| • |
facilitating
the establishment and maintenance of a documentation
and database system related to qualification, certification,
and credentialing of incident management personnel and
organizations, including reviewing and approving (in
coordination with national professional organizations
and with input from the Federal, State, local, tribal,
private-sector and nongovernmental entities), as appropriate,
of the discipline-specific requirements submitted by
functionally oriented incident management organizations
and associations. |
| • |
establishment
of a data maintenance system to provide incident managers
with the detailed qualification, experience, and training
information needed to credential personnel for prescribed “national” incident
management positions; |
| • |
coordination
of minimum professional certification standards and facilitation
of the design and implementation of a credentialing system
that can be used nationwide; |
| • |
facilitating
the establishment of standards for the performance,
compatibility, and interoperability of incident management
equipment and communications systems, including the
following:
-
|
facilitating,
in coordination with appropriate Federal agencies,
standards-making, certifying, and accrediting
organizations, and appropriate State, local,
tribal, private-sector, and nongovernmental
organizations, the development and/or publication
of national standards, guidelines, and protocols
for equipment certification (including the
incorporation of standards and certification
programs already in existence and used by incident
management and emergency response organizations
nationwide)
|
-
|
reviewing
and approving (in coordination with national
professional organizations and with input from
Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector,
and nongovernmental entities) lists of equipment
that meet these established equipment certification
requirements
|
-
|
collaborating
with organizations responsible for emergency
responder equipment evaluation and testing
|
|
| • |
facilitating
the development and issuance of national standards for
the typing of resources; |
| • |
facilitating
the definition and maintenance of the information framework
required to guide the development of NIMS information
systems, including the development of data standards
for the following: incident notification and situation
reports, status reporting, analytical data, geospatial
information, wireless communications, identification
and authentication, and incident reports, including “lessons
learned” reports; |
| • |
coordinating
the establishment of technical and technology standards
for NIMS users in concert with the Under Secretary for
Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland
Security and recognized SDOs; |
| • |
integrating
into the national R&D agenda, in coordination with
the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the
Department of Homeland Security, the incident management
science and technology needs of departments, agencies,
disciplines, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations
operating within the NIMS at all levels; and |
| • |
establishing
and maintaining a repository and clearinghouse for reports
and lessons learned from actual incidents, training,
and exercises, as well as for best practices, model structures,
and model processes for NIMS-related functions. |
<< Chapter
VI - SUPPORTING TECHNOLOGIES
Appendix A - THE INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM >>
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