Course Introduction: IS-700.b An Introduction to the National
Incident Management System
This course provides training on and resources for
personnel who require a basic understanding of the
National Incident Management System (NIMS).
The training is comprised of the following lessons:
NIMS Introduction
Lesson 1: Fundamentals and Concepts
of NIMS
Lesson 2: NIMS Resource Management
Lesson 3: NIMS Management Characteristics
Lesson 4: Incident Command System (ICS)
Lesson 5: Emergency Operations Centers (EOC)
Lesson 6: Other NIMS Structures and Interconnectivity
Lesson 7: Communications and Information Management
Lesson 8: Course Summary
This course should take approximately 3.5
hours to complete.
Receiving Credit
Students must complete the entire course and pass the
final exam to receive credit for the course. Each lesson
takes a variable amount of time to complete. If you are
unable to complete the course in its entirety, you may
close the window and reopen the course at any time.
However, depending on the system used to take the course,
it is possible you may have to repeat a portion of the
last lesson you were studying.
Lesson 1: Fundamentals and Concepts of NIMS
We’ll now begin with the content of the first
lesson. This lesson presents key concepts and principles
underlying NIMS.
Objectives: At the end of this lesson,
you should be able to:
Describe applicability and scope of NIMS.
Describe the key concepts and principles underlying
NIMS.
What is NIMS?
Transcript - What is NIMS?
Each day communities respond to numerous emergencies.
Most often, these incidents are managed effectively at
the local level. However, there are some incidents
that may require a collaborative approach includes
personnel from:
Multiple jurisdictions
A combination of specialties or disciplines
Several levels of government
Nongovernmental organizations
The private sector
The National Incident Management System, or NIMS,
provides the foundation needed to ensure that we can
work together when our communities and the Nation need
us the most.
NIMS integrates best practices into a comprehensive,
standardized framework that is flexible enough to be
applicable across the full spectrum of potential
incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or
complexity.
Using NIMS allows us to work together to prepare for,
prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the
effects of incidents.
This course introduces you to the NIMS concepts,
principles, and components.
NIMS Overview
WHAT? The National Incident Management
System (NIMS) defines the comprehensive approach
guiding…
WHO? …the whole community - solutions
that serve the entire community are implemented while
simultaneously making sure that the resources the
different members of the community bring to the table
are leveraged across all levels of government,
nongovernmental organizations (NGO), and private sector
organizations to work together seamlessly
WHY? …to prevent, protect against,
mitigate, respond to, and recover from the effects of
incidents.
WHEN? NIMS applies to all incidents,
regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, from
planned events to traffic accidents and to major
disasters.
HOW? NIMS provides the shared
vocabulary, systems, and processes to successfully
deliver the National Preparedness System capabilities.
HISTORY: NIMS builds on best practices from more than
40 years of improving interoperability in incident
management. NIMS evolved from the Firefighting
Resources of California Organized for Potential
Emergencies (FIRESCOPE) system that began in the
1970s. In 1982 NIMS was developed through government
collaboration with incident management practitioners,
NGOs and the private sector. The first NIMS document
was published by FEMA in 2004 and was revised in 2008
and 2017.
Voices of Experience: NIMS Benefits
Click on an image to learn about each person's
perspectives on NIMS Benefits.
Steve Grainer, Former Chief, Incident Management
Programs, VA Dept. of Fire Programs
NIMS is a national initiative to standardize the
fundamental processes that are necessary for effectively
managing significant emergencies, and it’s applicable in
all size and scale and scope emergencies.
Having been involved at the local, State, and Federal
level in a number of different venues during my career,
I’m truly and honestly pleased to say that this is an
opportunity for us all to better establish a baseline of
competencies for not only emergencies, obviously that
would be the primary focus, but also to utilize a
nationally vetted process that will work given A)
participation and B) commitment. So I’m all for the idea
of establishing a national systems approach as is pretty
much formatted through the concepts of NIMS in their
entirety. It’s a good thing, that’s about the best I can
say.
Curry Mayer, Former Training & Exercise Chief,
Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CA)
NIMS is the national structure that includes roles and
responsibilities for responding to an incident that would
require the Federal Government to be involved, a
catastrophic or large-scale incident. It’s also a system
that provides common terminology, roles, and
responsibilities so that everyone in the country can
basically plug into the national system of response.
Kristy Plourde, Emergency Management Specialist, U.S.
Coast Guard
NIMS has helped us be better structured, have less
duplication, be more organized and more efficient and it
covers the whole gambit of organization, communications,
preparedness, it’s the whole, it’s everything.
Roberta Runge, National NIMS Coordinator, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
NIMS is a system that allows us to plan and prepare and
execute a response more effectively with our response
partners.
The biggest benefit to us as an agency is to be able to
understand how our response partners are also going to be
executing the response. EPA is a fairly large organization
but we hardly ever respond to something very large and
very complicated without other Federal and State and local
partners. If everyone is operating the response using
different terminology or a different management structure,
it becomes very difficult, very fast.
Voices of Experience: NIMS Benefits
Steve Grainer, Former Chief, Incident Management
Programs, VA Dept. of Fire Programs
NIMS is a national initiative to standardize the
fundamental processes that are necessary for
effectively managing significant emergencies, and it’s
applicable in all size and scale and scope
emergencies.
Having been involved at the local, State, and Federal
level in a number of different venues during my
career, I’m truly and honestly pleased to say that
this is an opportunity for us all to better establish
a baseline of competencies for not only emergencies,
obviously that would be the primary focus, but also to
utilize a nationally vetted process that will work
given A) participation and B) commitment. So I’m all
for the idea of establishing a national systems
approach as is pretty much formatted through the
concepts of NIMS in their entirety. It’s a good thing,
that’s about the best I can say.
Curry Mayer, Former Training & Exercise Chief,
Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CA)
NIMS is the national structure that includes roles
and responsibilities for responding to an incident
that would require the Federal Government to be
involved, a catastrophic or large-scale incident. It’s
also a system that provides common terminology, roles,
and responsibilities so that everyone in the country
can basically plug into the national system of
response.
Kristy Plourde, Emergency Management Specialist,
U.S. Coast Guard
NIMS has helped us be better structured, have less
duplication, be more organized and more efficient and
it covers the whole gambit of organization,
communications, preparedness, it’s the whole, it’s
everything.
Roberta Runge, National NIMS Coordinator, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
NIMS is a system that allows us to plan and prepare and
execute a response more effectively with our response
partners.
The biggest benefit to us as an agency is to be able to
understand how our response partners are also going to
be executing the response. EPA is a fairly large
organization but we hardly ever respond to something
very large and very complicated without other Federal
and State and local partners. If everyone is operating
the response using different terminology or a different
management structure, it becomes very difficult, very
fast.
NIMS Applicability and Scope
NIMS is a common framework for emergency management
and incident response that is applicable to all
stakeholders with incident related
responsibilities.
The audience for NIMS includes:
Emergency responders
Other incident personnel
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as
faith-based and community-based groups
The private sector
Elected and appointed officials
People with disabilities or access and functional
needs
The scope of NIMS includes:
All incidents, regardless of size, complexity, or
scope
Planned events such as sporting events
Overview of NIMS
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) defines
the comprehensive approach guiding the whole community -
all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations
(NGO), and the private sector - to work together
seamlessly to prevent, protect against, mitigate,
respond to, and recover from the effects of
incidents.
NIMS Is
NIMS Is Not
A comprehensive, nationwide, systematic
approach to incident management, including the
command and coordination of incidents,
resource management, and information
management
Only the Incident Command System
Only applicable to certain emergency/incident
response personnel
A static system
A set of concepts and principles for all
threats, hazards, and events across all
mission areas (Prevention, Protection,
Mitigation, Response, Recovery)
A response plan
Scalable, flexible, and adaptable; used for
all incidents, from day-to-day to
large-scale
Used only during large-scale incidents
Standard resource management procedures that
enable coordination among different
jurisdictions or organizations
A resource ordering system
Essential principles for communications and
information management
A communications plan
NIMS Guiding Principles
Incident management is the application of resources
by organizations to plan for, respond to, and recover
from an incident.
Priorities for incident management in planning,
response, and recovery efforts include saving lives,
stabilizing the incident, and protecting property and
the environment.
To achieve these priorities, incident management
personnel use NIMS components in accordance with three
NIMS guiding principles:
Flexibility
Standardization
Unity of Effort
Flexibility
The NIMS guiding principle of flexibility allows NIMS
to be scalable from routine, local incidents through
those requiring interstate mutual aid up to those
requiring Federal assistance.
Flexibility enables NIMS to be applicable to
incidents that vary widely in terms
of hazard, geography, demographics, climate,
cultural, and organizational authorities.
NIMS components are adaptable to any type of event or
incident.
Standardization
The NIMS guiding principle of
standardization supports interoperability among
multiple organizations in incident response.
NIMS defines
standard organizational structures
that improve integration and connectivity among
organizations.
NIMS defines standard practices that
allow incident personnel and organizations to work
together effectively.
NIMS includes
common terminology,
which enables effective communication.
Unity of Effort
The NIMS guiding principle of Unity of Effort means
coordinating activities among various organizational
representatives to achieve common objectives. Unity
of effort enables organizations with jurisdictional
authority or functional responsibilities to support
each other while allowing each participating agency
to maintain its own authority and
accountability.
NIMS Framework - Major Components
Jurisdictions and organizations involved in the
management of incidents vary in their authorities,
management structures, communication capabilities and
protocols, and many other factors. The major Components
of NIMS provide a common framework to integrate these
diverse capabilities and achieve common goals.
Resource Management
Resource Management describes standard mechanisms to
systematically manage resources, including personnel,
equipment, supplies, teams, and facilities, both before
and during incidents in order to allow organizations to
more effectively share resources when needed.
Command and Coordination
Command and Coordination describes leadership roles,
processes, and recommended organizational structures for
incident management at the operational and incident
support levels and explains how these structures interact
to manage incidents effectively and efficiently.
Communications and Information Management
Communications and Information Management describes
systems and methods that help to ensure that incident
personnel and other decision makers have the means and
information they need to make and communicate
decisions.
Lesson 1: Fundamentals and Concepts of NIMS Summary
This lesson presented an overview of the Fundamentals
and Concepts of NIMS.
The lesson specifically discussed:
An Introduction and Background to NIMS
NIMS Applicability and Scope
NIMS Guiding Principles
An Overview of the NIMS components
The next lesson will introduce you to NIMS Resource
Management.
Lesson 2: NIMS Resource Management
This lesson presents an overview of NIMS Resource
Management.
Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Describe the four key activities of NIMS Resource
Management Preparedness.
Identify the methods for Managing Resources during
an Incident.
During an incident, getting the right resources, to
the right place, at the right time, can be a matter of
life and death.
Transcript - What is NIMS Resource Management?
During an incident, getting the right resources, to the
right place, at the right time, can be a matter of life
and death.
Resource management involves collaboration and
coordination across jurisdictions and organizations to
systematically manage resources—including personnel,
equipment, teams, supplies and facilities.
Since most jurisdictions or organizations cannot own and
maintain all of the resources necessary to address all
potential threats and hazards, effective resource
management includes leveraging each jurisdiction’s
resources and encouraging the further development of
mutual aid agreements.
Resource management preparedness involves four key
activities: identifying and typing resources;
qualifying, certifying, and credentialing personnel;
planning for resources; and acquiring, storing, and
inventorying resources.
Prior to an incident, resources are inventoried and
categorized based on the characteristics
of capability, category, kind and type.
Mutual aid partners exchange information about resource
assets and needs. Resource readiness and credentialing
are maintained through periodic training and exercises.
When an incident occurs, standardized procedures are
used to:
Identify resource requirements,
Order and acquire resources, and
Mobilize resources.
The purpose of tracking and reporting is accountability.
Resource accountability helps ensure responder safety
and effective use of incident resources. As incident
objectives are reached, resources may no longer be
necessary. At this point, the demobilization process
begins.
Demobilization is the orderly, safe, and efficient
return of an incident resource to its original location
and status. Finally, reimbursement and restocking
activities ensure that resource providers are paid for
their expenses and resources that have been depleted are
replenished.
When disaster strikes, we must be able to take full
advantage of all available and qualified resources. In
this lesson you will learn how NIMS provides the
mechanisms for ensuring that we can be inclusive and
integrate resources from all levels of government, the
private sector, and nongovernmental organizations.
Resource Management Key Activities Overview
Resource management preparedness involves four
key activities:
Identifying and typing resources
Qualifying, certifying, and credentialing
personnel
Planning for resources
Acquiring, storing, and inventorying
resources
Typing Resources
Resource typing defines and categorizes
incident resources by capability.
Resource typing establishes common definitions
for capabilities of personnel, equipment, teams,
supplies, and facilities.
Typing definitions include the following
information:
Capability: the resource's
capability to perform its function in one or
more of the five mission areas: Prevention,
Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery.
Category: the function for
which a resource would be most useful (e.g.,
firefighting, law enforcement, health and
medical).
Kind: a broad
characterization, such as personnel, equipment,
teams, and facilities.
Type: a resource's level of
capability to perform its function based on
size, power, capacity (for equipment), or
experience and qualifications; Type 1 has
greater capacity than Type 2, 3, or 4.
The NIMS Resource Typing Library Tool, also
available at the link above,
is an online catalogue of all NIMS
resource typing definitions and job
titles/position qualifications that have
been released by FEMA.
Qualifying, Certifying and Credentialing Personnel
The
Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)
has the authority and responsibility for
qualification, certification, and credentialing within
its organization or jurisdiction.
The establishment of national standards provide
common, compatible structures for the qualification
and certification of emergency management personnel.
Qualification, certification, and credentialing are
the essential steps to help ensure that personnel
deploying under mutual aid agreements can perform
their assigned roles.
Qualifying: Personnel
meet the minimum established standards
(including training, experience,
physical and medical fitness) to fill
specific positions.
Certification:
recognition from an Authority Having
Jurisdiction (AHJ) or a third party
that an individual has completed
qualification for a position (one
example of a third party is an
accredited body such as a state
licensure board for medical
professionals).
Credentialing:
documentation – typically an
identification card or badge – that
identifies personnel and verifies their
qualifications for a particular
position.
Coordinated planning provides a foundation for
interoperability and compatibility of resources.
Jurisdictions and organizations work together before
incidents to develop plans that identify, manage,
estimate, allocate, order, deploy and demobilize
resources.
The planning process includes
identifying resource requirements to meet
anticipated threats and vulnerabilities.
Resource management planning should consider
resources needed to support all mission areas:
Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response and
Recovery.
Resource management strategies for planners to
consider include:
Stockpiling resources
Establishing mutual aid agreements to obtain
resources from neighboring jurisdictions
Determining how and where to reassign resources
performing non-essential tasks
Developing contracts to acquire resources from
vendors
Estimating resource needs is a key activity in
resource planning that enables jurisdictions to assess
their ability to take a course of action.
Acquiring, Storing and Inventorying Resources
Organizations acquire, store, and inventory resources
for both normal operations and incidents.
Effective resource management requires a current,
accurate resource inventory to track resource status and
availability.
This inventory can be as simple as a paper spreadsheet
or as advanced as computer-based inventory systems.
Accurate resource inventories:
Enable organizations to resource incidents promptly
when needed
Support day-to-day resource management
In NIMS, resource inventorying refers to preparedness
activities conducted outside of incident
response; resource tracking occurs during
an incident.
Voices of Experience: Resource Management Words of Advice
Click on an image to learn about each person's
perspectives on NIMS Resource Management.
Voices of Experience: Resource Management Words of Advice
Kristy Plourde, Emergency Management Specialist, U.S.
Coast Guard
With standardized resource management of type and kind
you know, when I order a type 2 law enforcement vessel
and I've standardized that vessel, I know what
capability I’m getting and because I’ve standardized it
before the incident, I know exactly what I am getting
and it is, it is very cool.
Daryl Lee Spiewak, Former Emergency Programs Manager,
Brazos River Authority, TX
Resource management is certainly important. We know each
jurisdiction is going to have to have some resources
available but they’re never going to have enough, there
is always going to be shortfalls, and part of resource
management is to manage those gaps in the availability
of the resources. So, resource management under NIMS
gives us a structure and a process to be able to do
that. Part of it was the resource typing, so it
streamlines the requesting of equipment, particularly
among different jurisdictions and agencies. If I ask for
a particular type of vehicle with certain equipment and
with the right number of people, then I only need to
make one request and I’ll get all of that. If there is
something else, I ask for a different type of equipment.
So the typing is going to help us tremendously under
resource management. It also requires that we do
inventories. Inventories let us know what equipment we
have on hand. We compare that to what we think we’re
going to need based on our planning and our exercising,
we identified some of the gaps, and then we start
looking for ways of filling those shortfalls. Mutual aid
is one of those activities under resource management
that is important in helping us use resources across
levels, among different agencies, helps the taxpayers,
helps the responders, helps the whole Nation.
Ron Britton, Former NIMS Coordinator, FEMA, Region
10
Resource management is much bigger than just
identifying and moving vehicles or planes or so forth,
that really, really involves the entire credentialing
process of knowing all of our personnel resources
capabilities and training background and so forth,
that all needs to be done in a prior preparation
event, so that we really know that when those folks
arrive on scene, they’re capable of doing the job
we’re asking them to do. So it starts with those
folks, their credentialing, their qualifications, and
then as well knowing the types of equipment that we
would need to have on scene. So the equipment and the
things that need to be there, and that would go under
the communications as well because resource typing
would involve the radios, the satellite phones, and
all of the kinds of support communications that we
would need for something to respond. So resource
management is huge, and it really has to be done prior
to the event.
Resource Management During an Incident Overview
The graphic depicts the resource management
process during an incident; this process
describes the six resource management tasks
performed in an incident.
The resource management process includes
methods to identify, order, mobilize, track,
demobilize, and reimburse and
restock resources during an
incident.
While in a small incident the Incident
Commander may order resources directly, in
more complex incidents the
Incident Commander relies on the resource
management process and personnel to
identify and meet resource
needs.
Identify Requirements
During an incident, personnel continually
identify, validate, and refine resource needs. The
process involves identifying:
Type and quantity of resources needed
Location where resources should be sent
Who will receive and use the resources
Because the type and quantity of resources
required and their availability changes as an
incident progresses, incident management personnel
and organizations should identify and coordinate
resources as closely and as early as
possible, both in advance of and during
incidents.
Order & Acquire
Both incident command and emergency
operations center staffs make initial
and ongoing assessments of resource
requirements based on incident
priorities and objectives.
If identified resource requirements are
available locally they will be activated
or ordered.
Resources that are not available
locally can be ordered by executing
contracts, implementing mutual aid
agreements, or requesting assistance
from another level of government (local
government to a State, State to the
Federal Government).
An external jurisdiction or
organization that is requested to
provide resources must consent
to the request.
NIMS resource typing (discussed
previously) is designed for use when
ordering resources to ensure the
resource provided meets the mission
needs. A jurisdiction can use these
resource type definitions
to clearly define their
resource requirements.
Mobilize
Personnel and other resources begin mobilizing when
notified through established channels.
Upon notification, deploying personnel receive
information to include:
Date, time, and place of departure
Mode of transportation to the incident
Estimated date and time of arrival
Reporting location and assigned supervisor
Anticipated incident assignment
Anticipated duration of deployment
Resource order number
Incident number
Applicable cost and funding codes
Resource tracking directly links to the mobilization
process.
Resources arriving on scene check in according to the
receiving organization’s check-in process.
The mobilization of fixed facility resources is
referred to as activation rather than
deployment.
Mobilize
Unrequested Resources
During incidents responders sometimes arrive at the
incident site without being requested.
This can interfere with incident management by:
Creating additional supervisory, logistical and
safety needs
Depleting available resources
Complicating resource tracking and
accountability
Interfering with access to the site by
formally requested resources
Responders should wait for official deployment
notification rather than self-deploying to an
incident.
Track and Report
Incident personnel track resources
from mobilization through demobilization
using established resource tracking
procedures.
This process:
Tracks the location of
resources
Helps staff prepare to receive and
use resources
Protects the safety and security of
personnel, equipment, teams and
facilities
Enables resource coordination and
movement
Information management systems can aid in
collecting, updating, and processing
resource-related data and in real-time
tracking of resources.
Demobilize
Managers begin planning and preparation for the
demobilization process at the same time they begin
mobilizing resources.
Those responsible for resources in an incident should
either reassign or demobilize resources as soon as
they are no longer needed.
Prior to demobilization, incident planning and
logistics personnel plan for rehabilitation,
replenishment, disposal of, and/ or return or
restoration to operational condition for incident
resources.
The goal of demobilization is the orderly, safe, and
efficient return of a resource to its original
location and status.
Reimburse and Restock
Reimbursement provides for payment of expenses
incurred by resource providers.
Reimbursement processes:
Establish and maintain the readiness of
resources
Collect bills and validate costs
Ensure that resource providers are paid in
a timely manner
Restock through replacement or repair
of damaged equipment
Reimbursement procedures are often specified
in mutual aid and assistance
agreements.
Mutual Aid Overview
Mutual aid is the sharing of resources
and services between jurisdictions or
organizations.
Mutual aid occurs routinely and is
based on the resource needs identified
by the requesting organization.
This assistance can range from routine
dispatch of resources between local
communities up to movement of resources
across state lines for large-scale
incidents.
Voices of Experience: Mutual Aid Agreements and Assistance
Agreements
Click on an image to learn about each person's
perspectives on Mutual Aid Agreements and Assistance
Agreements.
Bill Bullock, Retired Battalion Chief, Fairfax County
Fire Department, VA
Traditionally we've always considered mutual aid between
fire departments, EMS agencies, or law enforcement
agencies. In today's world it is expanded to virtually
every emergency function identified in either the
national, State, or local response plan. It includes
communications assets, public health assets. Some cases
may include military affairs, may include animal refuge,
may include search and rescue assets, and a host of
others.
Leon Shaifer, Senior EMAC Advisor, National Emergency
Management Association
NIMS has proposed a number of solutions that could be
applied very readily to mutual aid. One of the problems
with mutual aid in the past has been a common terminology,
a common nomenclature, speaking the same language. One
term to one particular level of government doesn't
necessarily mean the same thing to another, and NIMS
addresses those particular types of issues. We all try to
speak in a common language, plain English. The other real
benefit that NIMS can bring is resource typing. We all
know that when you need something that is not readily
available within your jurisdiction, you need it fast. It
speeds up the process when a person that has an asset can
understand very quickly what you are asking for, and if
those resources are typed, the benefit to one of the NIMS
requirements is that a person requesting something and
asks for it knows what they are going to get when they
follow a typing scheme.
Bill Metcalf, Former Fire Chief, North County Fire
Protection District, CA
At its simplest level, mutual aid is neighbor helping
neighbor. It is adjoining fire departments sharing
resources to suppress a fire that's bigger than one agency
can handle. It's adjoining water companies helping each
other replace a broken pipeline in an emergency because
they don't have sufficient manpower or equipment to do it.
It's anytime that neighboring agencies leave their
jurisdictions to help each other.
Voices of Experience: Mutual Aid Agreements and Assistance
Agreements
Bill Bullock, Retired Battalion Chief, Fairfax County
Fire Department, VA
Traditionally we’ve always considered mutual aid
between fire departments, EMS agencies, or law
enforcement agencies. In today’s world it is expanded
to virtually every emergency function identified in
either the national, State, or local response plan. It
includes communications assets, public health assets.
Some cases may include military affairs, may include
animal refuge, may include search and rescue assets,
and a host of others.
Leon Shaifer, Senior EMAC Advisor, National
Emergency Management Association
NIMS has proposed a number of solutions that could be
applied very readily to mutual aid. One of the problems
with mutual aid in the past has been a common
terminology, a common nomenclature, speaking the same
language. One term to one particular level of government
doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing to another, and
NIMS addresses those particular types of issues. We all
try to speak in a common language, plain English. The
other real benefit that NIMS can bring is resource
typing. We all know that when you need something that is
not readily available within your jurisdiction, you need
it fast. It speeds up the process when a person that has
an asset can understand very quickly what you are asking
for, and if those resources are typed, the benefit to
one of the NIMS requirements is that a person requesting
something and asks for it knows what they are going to
get when they follow a typing scheme.
Bill Metcalf, Former Fire Chief, North County Fire
Protection District, CA
At its simplest level, mutual aid is neighbor helping
neighbor. It is adjoining fire departments sharing
resources to suppress a fire that’s bigger than one
agency can handle. It’s adjoining water companies
helping each other replace a broken pipeline in an
emergency because they don’t have sufficient manpower
or equipment to do it. It’s anytime that neighboring
agencies leave their jurisdictions to help each other.
Mutual Aid Agreements and Compacts
Mutual aid agreements establish the
legal basis for two or more entities to
share resources.
Various forms of mutual aid agreements
and compacts exist among and between all
levels of government in the United
States.
These agreements may authorize mutual
aid:
Between two or more neighboring
communities
Among all jurisdictions within an
state
Between States, Territories and
Tribal Governments
Between Federal agencies
Internationally
Between government and NGOs and/or
the private sector
Among NGOs and/or private sector
entities
Emergency Management Assistance
Compact (EMAC)
EMAC is a congressionally
ratified mutual aid
compact that defines a
non-Federal,
state-to-state system
for sharing resources
across state lines during
an emergency or disaster.
Signatories include all 50
states, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico,
Guam, and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. EMAC enables the
movement of a wide variety
of resources to meet the
needs of impacted
jurisdictions.
Mutual Aid Process
Upon receipt of a mutual aid request, the
supporting jurisdiction evaluates the request
against its capacity.
The supporting jurisdiction determines if it is
able to meet its own requirements during the
temporary loss of the resource(s).
If the providing jurisdiction determines it can
accommodate the deployment of resources, it will
identify and arrange the deployment of these
resources in accordance with the mutual aid
agreement.
The receiving jurisdiction can decline resources if
they do not meet its needs.
Lesson 2: NIMS Resource Management Summary
This lesson presented an overview of NIMS Resource
Management.
The lesson specifically discussed:
Resource Management Preparedness
Resource Management During an
Incident
Mutual Aid
The next lesson will introduce you to NIMS
Management Characteristics.
Lesson 3: NIMS Management Characteristics
This lesson presents an overview of the NIMS
Management Characteristics.
Objective:
At the end of this lesson, you will be
able to:
Differentiate among the fourteen NIMS
Management Characteristics
NIMS bases incident command and coordination on
fourteen NIMS Management Characteristics. These
fourteen characteristics are building blocks that
contribute strength and efficiency to the National
Incident Management System.
Click on each characteristic to find out more
information.
NIMS Management Characteristic: Common Terminology
NIMS establishes common terminology that allows
different organizations to work together in a wide
variety of emergency functions and hazard scenarios.
Common terminology helps by reducing confusion and
enhancing interoperability.
This common terminology covers:
Organizational Functions: Major
functions and units are named and defined using
standardized terms
Resource Descriptions: Resources
(personnel, equipment, teams, and facilities) have
common naming based on their type and capabilities
Incident Facilities: Facilities in
an incident area are designated using common
terms
Organizational structures for incident management
(ICS and EOCs) are modular, meaning that they are each
building blocks that are put in place as needed based
on an incident’s size, complexity and hazards.
The ICS Commander and EOC Director are responsible for
the establishment and expansion of the modular
organization based on the specific requirements for
their incident.
As incident complexity increases, the organizational
structure expands and management responsibilities are
further divided.
The number of management, supervisory, and support
positions expand as needed to meet the needs of the
incident.
NIMS Management Characteristic: Management by Objectives
In an incident, all activities are directed to
accomplish defined objectives. This is called
Management by Objectives.
Under ICS, the Incident Commander (or Unified Command)
establishes incident objectives.
Management by objectives includes:
Establishing specific, measurable objectives
Identifying strategies, tactics, tasks, and
activities to achieve the objectives
Developing and issuing assignments, plans,
procedures and protocols to accomplish tasks
Documenting results against objectives to measure
performance, facilitate corrective actions, and
inform development of objectives for the next
operational period
Record and communicate incident objectives,
tactics, and assignments for operations and support
Are recommended for all incidents
Are not always written, but a written IAP is
increasingly important when an incident or
activation:
Is likely to extend beyond one operational period
Becomes more complex
Involves multiple jurisdictions or agencies
NIMS Management Characteristic: Manageable Span of Control
Span of control refers to the number of subordinates
that directly report to a supervisor.
Maintaining an appropriate span of control ensures
effective incident management by enabling supervisors
to:
Direct and supervise subordinates
Communicate with and manage resources
The optimal span of control for incident
management is one supervisor to five subordinates;
however, the 1:5 ratio is only a guideline and
effective incident management often calls for
different ratios.
When a supervisor’s span of control becomes
unmanageable, they can assign subordinate supervisors
or redistribute subordinates to manage portions of the
organization in order to regain a manageable span of
control.
Span of control can change based on:
Type of incident
Nature of the task
Existing hazards and safety factors
Distances between personnel and resources
NIMS Management Characteristic: Incident Facilities and
Locations
The Incident Commander, Unified Command or EOC
Director establishes incident support facilities for
specific purposes.
These facilities are identified and located based on
the requirements of the situation.
Incident size and complexity will influence the
designation of facilities and locations.
Integrated communications allow units from
diverse agencies to connect, share information and
achieve situational awareness.
Incident managers facilitate communications through
the development and use of:
A common communications plan
Interoperable communications processes and systems
Systems that include both voice and data links
Integrated Communications Planning occurs both before
and during an incident to provide equipment, systems,
and protocols needed to achieve integrated voice and
data communications.
NIMS Management Characteristic: Establishment and Transfer of
Command
When an incident is anticipated or occurs the
organization with primary responsibility for the
incident establishes command by designating the
Incident Commander (IC) or Unified Command (UC).
Command may need to be transferred to a different
IC/UC one or more times over the course of a long
duration or increasingly complex incident.
The current command determines the protocol for
transferring command. This transfer process should
always include a briefing for the incoming IC/UC on
all essential information for continuing safe and
effective operations. The transfer of command should
also be communicated to all incident personnel.
NIMS Management Characteristic: Unified Command
In some incidents the Incident Command function is
performed by a Unified Command (UC).
UC is typically used for incidents involving:
Multiple jurisdictions
A single jurisdiction with multiagency involvement
Multiple jurisdictions with multiagency involvement
UC allows agencies with different authorities and
responsibilities to work together effectively without
affecting individual agency authority, responsibility,
or accountability.
NIMS Management Characteristic: Chain of Command and
Unity of Command
Chain of command refers to the orderly command
hierarchy within an incident management organization.
Unity of command means that each individual reports to
only one designated supervisor.
These principles:
Clarify reporting relationships
Eliminate confusion caused by conflicting
instructions
Enable incident managers at all levels to direct
the actions of all personnel under their
supervision
NIMS Management Characteristic: Accountability
Accountability for all resources during an incident
is essential.
Incident management personnel should adhere to
principles of accountability, including:
Resources should deploy only when requested and
dispatched through established procedures by
appropriate authorities.
Resources that authorities do not request should not
deploy spontaneously - unrequested resources can
overburden the IC/UC and increase accountability
challenges.
NIMS Management Characteristic: Information and Intelligence
Management
Incident-related information and intelligence is
managed by the incident management organization
through established processes for:
Gathering
Analyzing
Assessing
Sharing
Managing
Information and intelligence management includes
identifying essential elements of information (EEI).
EEI ensures incident personnel gather the most
accurate and appropriate data, translate it into
useful information, and communicate it with
appropriate personnel.
Lesson 3: NIMS Management Characteristics Summary
This lesson presented an overview of NIMS Management
Characteristics. The lesson specifically discussed:
•Common Terminology
•Modular Organization
•Management by Objectives
•Incident Action Planning
•Manageable Span of Control
•Incident Facilities and Locations
•Comprehensive Resource Management
•Integrated Communications
•Establishment and Transfer of Command
•Unified Command
•Chain of Command and Unity of Command
•Accountability
•Dispatch/ Deployment
•Information and Intelligence Management
Lesson 4: Incident Command System (ICS)
This lesson presents an overview of the Incident
Command System (ICS).
Objective:
At the end of this lesson, you will be able
to:
Describe the Incident Command System (ICS)
Organizational Structure
This lesson is about the Incident Command System
(ICS). ICS is one of the four NIMS structures.
Before we explore ICS, let's briefly look at all four
NIMS structures.
“NIMS is a system to provide a framework for all
of the team to work together towards common goals.”
Craig Fugate, former FEMA Administrator (and
past Director, FL Division of Emergency
Management).
What is NIMS Command and Coordination?
There are three major components of the NIMS framework:
Resource Management
Command and Coordination
Communications and Information Management
Together these NIMS components provide a framework for
effective management during incident response.
You have already explored Resource Management and the 14
NIMS Management Characteristics. Next, we’ll cover the
NIMS structures that enable incident managers to manage
and coordinate incident response in a unified,
consistent manner.
The four NIMS Structures are: the Incident Command
System, Emergency Operations Centers, the Multi-Agency
Coordination Group, and the Joint Information System.
Together, these four elements comprise the NIMS Command
and Coordination structures.
Multiagency Coordination Systems, or MACS, is an
overarching term for the four NIMS Command and
Coordination systems: ICS, EOCs, MAC Group and JIS.
The Incident Command System, or ICS, is a standardized,
on-scene, all-hazard incident management concept. ICS
allows its users to adopt an integrated organizational
structure to match the complexities and demands of
incidents.
As an incident becomes more complex, multiagency
coordination and the need for additional resources
becomes increasingly important. Emergency Operations
Centers (EOCs) support on-scene incident command from
off-site through multiagency coordination and resources.
MAC Groups are high level multiagency coordination
bodies that support ICS and EOCs through policy and
scarce resource allocation.
The final Command and Coordination element is the Joint
Information System (JIS). The Joint Information System
ensures coordinated and accurate public messaging among
the ICS, EOCs and MAC Group.
NIMS is summed up by former FEMA Administrator Craig
Fugate: [“. . .when we fail to work as a team, we fail
our citizens … NIMS is a system to provide a framework
for all of the team to work together towards common
goals.”]
NIMS Command and Coordination Structures
NIMS structures enable incident managers to manage
incidents in a unified, consistent manner.
When an incident occurs or threatens, local emergency
personnel manage response using
ICS.
If the incident is large or
complex, off-site EOCs activate to support on-scene operations.
The incident personnel in the field and in EOCs
receive policy guidance from
MAC Groups.
A Joint Information Center manages the
Joint Information System
(JIS) to ensure coordinated and
accurate public messaging among all levels: ICS, EOC
and MAC Group.
The first NIMS structure we will examine is
ICS.
Voices of Experience: Incident Command System
Click on an image to learn about each person's
perspectives on NIMS Incident Command System.
George Nunez, Emergency Management, George Washington
University
ICS is a system to allow responders to be able to organize
and respond to an incident. It is specifically useful
during on-scene response. It is a format, a system of
tools that allow police, fire, and other personnel to
respond to that incident in a systematic way to facilitate
the response but also meet the needs of those impacted.
Kristy Plourde, Emergency Management Specialist, U.S.
Coast Guard
You use NIMS and ICS and you organize yourself around this
structure. It's got the common language, its common
command structure. You work out who is in the Unified
Command, you know, and you work this all out, and so
that's what they did, and it was, you know, it's not
perfect because we're not there yet, we're getting there
with how we organize ourselves, but the key is, is that:
is it better than when we did it before? And that's the
bottom-line answer of that is that NIMS has helped us be
better structured, have less duplication, be more
organized and more efficient.
Steve Grainer, Former Chief, Incident Management
Programs, VA Dept. of Fire Programs
The basic functional elements of ICS are the way
everything is managed. What ICS has done has provided a
template, a flexible yet standardized template that is
available on a moment's notice and is constructed in such
a manner that you just basically open the book or pull the
template off the shelf and identify which component parts
of command or management, if you will, are needed at any
moment in time. It just provides you a fill-in-the-blanks
format for what is necessary, and the good thing about it
is you use what you need and you don't use what you don't
need.
Voices of Experience: Incident Command System (ICS)
George Nuñez, Emergency Management, George Washington
University
ICS is a system to allow responders to be able to
organize and respond to an incident. It is
specifically useful during on-scene response. It is a
format, a system of tools that allow police, fire, and
other personnel to respond to that incident in a
systematic way to facilitate the response but also
meet the needs of those impacted.
Kristy Plourde, Emergency Management Specialist,
U.S. Coast Guard
You use NIMS and ICS and you organize yourself around
this structure. It’s got the common language, its common
command structure. You work out who is in the Unified
Command, you know, and you work this all out, and so
that’s what they did, and it was, you know, it’s not
perfect because we’re not there yet, we’re getting there
with how we organize ourselves, but the key is, is that:
is it better than when we did it before? And that’s the
bottom-line answer of that is that NIMS has helped us be
better structured, have less duplication, be more
organized and more efficient.
Steve Grainer, Former Chief, Incident Management
Programs, VA Dept. of Fire Programs
The basic functional elements of ICS are the way
everything is managed. What ICS has done has provided a
template, a flexible yet standardized template that is
available on a moment’s notice and is constructed in
such a manner that you just basically open the book or
pull the template off the shelf and identify which
component parts of command or management, if you will,
are needed at any moment in time. It just provides you a
fill-in-the-blanks format for what is necessary, and the
good thing about it is you use what you need and you
don’t use what you don’t need.
ICS Introduction
The Incident Command System (ICS) provides:
A standardized approach to the command, control,
and coordination of on-scene emergency
management
A common structure within which personnel from
different organizations can work together
A structure for incident management that integrates
and coordinates procedures, personnel, equipment,
facilities, and communications
ICS is used by all levels of government and many NGOs
and private sector organizations.
This system includes five major functional
areas: Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics,
and Finance/Administration.
Incident Command Concept
The ICS term Incident Command refers to the person or
group responsible for overall on-scene management of
an incident.
There are two general forms of the incident command
function:
A single Incident Commander
A Unified Command
Command and General Staff support the incident
command in management of the incident.
Incident Commander
When an incident occurs within a single jurisdiction
and there is no overlapping responsibility, the
appropriate authority designates a single Incident
Commander who has overall incident management
responsibility.
When incident management crosses jurisdictional
and/or functional agency boundaries, the various
jurisdictions and organizations may still agree to
designate a single Incident Commander.
The Incident Commander establishes the incident
objectives that guide incident action planning and
operations.
When there is a single Incident Commander, that
individual is solely responsible (within limits of
authority) for:
Establishing incident objectives
Ensuring that incident activities work to
accomplish objectives
Unified Command
Unified Command is used for improved unity of effort
in multijurisdictional or multiagency incident
management.
Unified Command enables different jurisdictions and
organizations to jointly manage and direct incident
activities through a common set of incident
objectives, strategies and a single incident action
plan.
Each partner in the Unified Command maintains
authority, responsibility and accountability for its
own personnel and other resources, but the members of
the Unified Command work together to:
Determine objectives, priorities and strategic
guidance
Establish a single system for ordering
resources
Execute integrated incident operations
Maximize the use of assigned resources
Because requirements vary based on the location and
type of incident, the composition of the Unified
Command structure adapts to fit the specific
incident.
Command Staff
The Command Staff are incident management personnel
that the Incident Commander or Unified
Command assign to directly support the command
function.
Command Staff positions are established by the
Incident Commander or Unified Command as needed to
support the management of an incident.
Command staff report directly to the Incident
Commander or Unified Command and are assigned
assistants as necessary to perform their duties.
The ICS Command Staff typically includes:
The
Public Information Officer (PIO)
who interfaces with the public, media, and others
needing incident information
The Safety Officer who monitors
incident operations and advises the Incident
Commander or Unified Command on matters relating to
health and safety
The Liaison Officer who serves as
the incident command’s point of contact for
organizations not included in the Incident
Command or Unified Command
Click on a
Command Staff position to
access a more detailed description.
Public Information Officer
The Public Information Officer is responsible for
interfacing with the public and media and/or with other
agencies with incident-related information requirements.
The Public Information Officer gathers, verifies,
coordinates, and disseminates accurate, accessible, and
timely information on the incident’s cause, size, and
current situation; resources committed; and other matters
of general interest for both internal and external
audiences. The Public Information Officer may also perform
a key public information-monitoring role. Whether the
command structure is single or unified, only one Public
Information Officer should be designated per incident.
Assistants may be assigned from other involved agencies,
departments, or organizations. The Incident
Commander/Unified Command must approve the release of all
incident-related information. In large-scale incidents or
where multiple command posts are established, the Public
Information Officer should participate in or lead the
Joint Information Center in order to ensure consistency in
the provision of information to the public.
Safety Officer
The Safety Officer monitors incident operations and
advises the Incident Commander/Unified Command on all
matters relating to operational safety, including the
health and safety of emergency responder personnel. The
ultimate responsibility for the safe conduct of incident
management operations rests with the Incident
Commander/Unified Command and supervisors at all levels of
incident management. The Safety Officer is, in turn,
responsible to the Incident Commander/Unified Command for
the systems and procedures necessary to ensure ongoing
assessment of hazardous environments, including the
incident Safety Plan, coordination of multiagency safety
efforts, and implementation of measures to promote
emergency responder safety, as well as the general safety
of incident operations. The Safety Officer has immediate
authority to stop and/or prevent unsafe acts during
incident operations. It is important to note that the
agencies, organizations, or jurisdictions that contribute
to joint safety management efforts do not lose their
individual identities or responsibility for their own
programs, policies, and personnel. Rather, each
contributes to the overall effort to protect all responder
personnel involved in incident operations.
Liaison Officer
The Liaison Officer is Incident Command’s point of
contact for representatives of other governmental
agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the private
sector (with no jurisdiction or legal authority) to
provide input on their agency’s policies, resource
availability, and other incident-related matters. Under
either a single Incident Commander or a Unified Command
structure, representatives from assisting or cooperating
agencies and organizations coordinate through the Liaison
Officer. Agency and organizational representatives
assigned to an incident must have the authority to speak
for their parent agencies or organizations on all matters,
following appropriate consultations with their agency
leadership. Assistants and personnel from other agencies
or organizations (public or private) involved in incident
management activities may be assigned to the Liaison
Officer to facilitate coordination.
General Staff Overview
The General Staff is a group of incident management
personnel organized according to function.
The ICS General Staff consists of 4 Sections:
Operations
Planning
Logistics
Finance/Administration
Each ICS General Staff Section is led by a Section Chief
who reports directly to the Incident Commander or
Unified Command.
These individuals are responsible for managing tasks
within their functional area.
The Incident Commander or Unified Command activates
these section chiefs as needed.
The Incident Commander or Unified Command is
responsible to perform each General Staff function
until a section chief is assigned to manage
that function.
General Staff Sections
Click on a General Staff Section in the diagram below
to access a more detailed description.
Operations Section
The Operations Section plans and performs tactical
activities to achieve the incident objectives
established by the IC/UC. Incident objectives typically
focus on:
Saving lives
Reducing the immediate hazard
Protecting property and the environment
Establishing situational control
Restoring normal operations
Planning Section
Planning Section personnel collect, evaluate, and
disseminate incident information to the Incident
Commander/Unified Command and other incident personnel.
Planning Section staff:
Prepare status reports
Display situation information
Maintain the status of assigned resources
Facilitate the incident action planning process
Prepare the Incident Action Plan (IAP) based on input
from the General Staff, Command Staff and Incident
Commander/Unified Command guidance.
Logistics Section
Logistics Section personnel are responsible for
providing services and support for the incident.
Logistics Section staff provide:
Facilities Security (of the incident command
facilities and personnel)
Transportation
Supplies
Equipment maintenance and fuel
Food services
Communications and information technology support
Medical services for incident personnel
Finance/Administration Section
The IC/UC establishes a Finance/Administration Section
when the incident management activities require on-scene
or incident-specific finance and administrative support
services.
Finance/Administration Section Staff:
Record personnel time
Negotiate leases
Maintain vendor contracts
Administer claims
Track and analyze incident costs
Intelligence/Investigations Function in ICS
Intelligence/Investigations (I/I) is an ICS function
identified in NIMS.
When I/I is required, the Incident Commander/Unified
Command can place the I/I function in multiple
locations within the incident command structure based
on factors such as the nature of the incident, the
level of I/I activity, and the relationship of I/I to
other incident activities.
The I/I can be placed in the Planning Section, in the
Operations Section, within the Command Staff, as a
separate General Staff section, or in some combination
of these locations.
You can learn more about the I/I function by reading
NIMS and the I/I Function Guidance and Field
Operations Guide available on the
FEMA NIMS website.
When I/I is required, the Incident Commander/Unified
Command can place the I/I function in multiple locations
within the incident command structure based on factors
such as the nature of the incident, the level of I/I
activity, and the relationship of I/I to other incident
activities.
The I/I can be placed in the Planning Section, in the
Operations Section, within the Command Staff, as a
separate General Staff section, or in some combination
of these locations.
You can learn more about the I/I function by reading
NIMS and the I/I Function Guidance and Field Operations
Guide available on the FEMA NIMS website (link provided
at the end of this course).
Common Types of ICS Facilities
The Incident Commander or Unified Command
determines the kinds and locations of ICS facilities
based on what is required to support the
incident.
The Incident Commander or Unified Command may
establish several different kinds of facilities in and
around the incident area.
Common ICS facilities:
The Incident Command Post (ICP) -
location of the tactical-level, on-scene incident
management (Incident Commander or Unified Command
and Staff)
Staging Areas - temporarily
position and account for personnel, supplies, and
equipment awaiting assignment
Incident Base - location at which
personnel conduct primary support activities (may be
co-located with the ICP)
Camps - satellites to an Incident
Base, established where they can best support
incident operations by providing food, sleeping
areas, sanitation and minor maintenance and
servicing of equipment
Incident Management Teams
Incident Management Teams (IMT) are a rostered group
of ICS-qualified personnel composed of an Incident
Commander, other incident leadership, and
personnel qualified for other key ICS
positions.
IMTs are:
Established at local, regional, state, tribal, and
national levels with formal notification,
deployment, and operational procedures in
place.
Typed based on the team member
qualifications.
Assigned to manage incidents or to accomplish
supporting incident-related tasks or
functions.
When assigned to an incident, IMTs are typically
delegated the authority to act on behalf of the
affected jurisdiction or organization.
Incident Management Assistance Teams
Some IMTs are referred to as Incident Management
Assistance Teams (IMAT) to clarify that they
support on-scene personnel and/or the
affected jurisdiction(s).
IMATs ensure that federal activities align with local
priorities through participation in Unified Command or
a Unified Coordination Group with representatives from
local, state, and/or tribal government.
IMATs exist at various levels of government and
within the private sector.
Regardless of who owns particular IMATs or their
specific missions, IMATs operate using the principles
and practices of ICS.
Example: FEMA IMATs deploy
to an incident or venue to assist in the
identification and provision of Federal assistance,
and coordinate and integrate inter-jurisdictional
response in support of an affected state or
tribe.
Area Command
An Area Command organization oversees the management
of multiple incidents or a very complex incident
through establishing multiple ICS organizations.
An Area Command is activated only if necessary
based on the complexity of the incident and
span-of-control considerations.
Area Command is particularly relevant to
situations with several ICPs requesting similar,
scarce resources.
Area Commands are frequently established as
Unified Area Commands and use the same principles
as a Unified Command.
Additional coordination structures, such as EOCs or
MAC Groups, may assist with coordinating the resource
needs of multiple incidents.
Lesson 4: Incident Command System (ICS) Summary
This lesson presented an overview of the Incident
Command System (ICS).
The lesson specifically discussed:
Incident Command
Command Staff
General Staff
Incident Management Teams
Incident Management Assistance Teams
Area Command
The next lesson will introduce you to Emergency
Operations Centers.
Lesson 5: Emergency Operations Centers (EOC)
This lesson presents an overview of Emergency
Operations Centers.
Objective:
At the end of this lesson, you will be
able to describe basic:
Emergency Operations Centers
are one of four NIMS
Command and Coordination
structures.
ICS is used to manage on-scene,
tactical-level response; EOCs are
off site locations where staff from
multiple agencies come together
to:
Address imminent threats and
hazards
Provide coordinated support to
incident command, on-scene personnel
and/or other EOCs
The purpose, authorities, and
composition of EOCs vary widely, but
EOCs generally perform the following
primary functions:
Collecting, analyzing and sharing
information
Supporting resource needs and
requests, including allocation and
tracking
Coordinating plans and determining
current and future needs
In some cases providing
coordination and policy
direction
Some agencies and departments utilize
operations centers. EOCs are
multidisciplinary and in
this aspect are different from
operations centers employed by a single
organization.
EOCs can be fixed locations, temporary
facilities or virtual structures with
staff participating remotely.
Configuration of Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs)
EOC teams vary widely. Organization of the EOC staff
can vary based on:
Jurisdictional/organizational authorities
Staffing
Partner and stakeholder agencies represented
EOC facilities
EOC communications capabilities
Political considerations
The mission
NIMS identifies three common ways of organizing EOC
Teams:
ICS or ICS-like structure
Incident Support Model structure
Departmental structure
Like ICS, EOCs utilize the NIMS management
characteristic
modular organization.
ICS or ICS-like EOC Structure
Many jurisdictions/organizations configure their EOCs
using the standard ICS organizational structure,
either exactly as it is performed in the field or with
slight modifications. The structure is familiar and it
aligns with the on-scene incident organization.
Incident Support Model (ISM) EOC Structure
Jurisdictions/organizations that focus their EOC
team's efforts on information, planning, and resource
support may choose to separate the situational
awareness function from planning and combine
operations and logistics functions into an incident
support structure.
Departmental EOC Structure
Jurisdictions/organizations may opt instead to use
their day-to-day departmental/agency structure and
relationships in their EOC. By operating in the
context of their normal relationships,
department/agency representatives can function in the
EOC with minimal preparation or startup time.
EOC Activation and Deactivation
Emergency Operations Centers are activated for
a variety of incidents, threats and events.
Some circumstances that might trigger center
activation include:
Multiple jurisdictions or agencies involved in
an incident.
The Incident Commander or Unified
Command indicates an incident could expand
rapidly, involve cascading effects or require
additional resources.
A similar incident in the past led to EOC
activation.
The EOC Director or an appointed or
elected official directs EOC activation.
An incident is imminent such as predicted
hurricane, flooding, hazardous weather, or
elevated threat levels.
Threshold events described in an emergency
operations plan occur.
Significant impacts to the population are
anticipated.
EOC Activation Levels
Emergency Operations Centers frequently have
multiple activation levels to allow for:
Response scaled to the incident
Delivery of the exact resources needed
A level of coordination appropriate to
the incident
The level of activity within a center often
increases as the size, scope, and complexity
of the incident grow. If the incident requires
additional support and coordination, the EOC
director may activate additional staff to
involve more disciplines, mobilize additional
resources, inform the public, address media
inquiries, involve senior elected and
appointed officials, and request outside
assistance.
Lesson 5: Emergency Operations Centers Summary
The lesson presented an overview of NIMS Emergency
Operations Centers.
The lesson specifically discussed Emergency Operations
Center:
EOC Functions
EOC Staff Organization Models
EOC Activation Levels
The next lesson will introduce you to other NIMS
Structures and Interconnectivity.
Lesson 6: Other NIMS Structures and Interconnectivity
This lesson presents an overview of the Other NIMS
Structures and Interconnectivity.
Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Identify the roles and responsibilities of the
Multiagency Coordination Group (MAC Group)
Describe the Joint Information System (JIS)
Describe Interconnectivity of NIMS Command and
Coordination Structures
Other NIMS Structures and Interconnectivity Introduction
The Incident Command System (ICS) and Emergency
Operations Centers (EOC), which were discussed
in the prior lessons of this course, are two
of the four NIMS Command and
Coordination structures.
In this lesson, we will learn about Multiagency
Coordination (MAC) Groups and the Joint
Information System (JIS), and discuss the
interconnectivity between the NIMS Command and
Coordination structures.
MAC Group Definition and Composition
Multiagency Coordination Groups (MAC Group) are part
of the off-site incident management structure of NIMS.
MAC Groups are also sometimes referred to as policy
groups.
MAC Group members are typically agency
administrators, executives or their designees
from stakeholder agencies or organizations impacted by
and with resources committed to the incident. The MAC
Group may also include representatives from
non-governmental organizations such as businesses and
volunteer organizations.
During incidents, MAC Groups: • Act as a
policy-level body • Support resource
prioritization and allocation • Make
cooperative multi-agency decisions • Enable
decision making among elected and appointed officials
and the Incident Commander responsible
for managing the incident.
The MAC Group does not perform incident command
functions, nor does it
replace the primary functions of EOCs or
other operations, coordination, or dispatch
organizations.
Elected and Appointed Officials
Elected and appointed officials such as
governors, tribal leaders, mayors, city managers
and county commissioners are key players in
incident management because they are responsible
for:
The safety and welfare of their
constituents
The overall effectiveness of incident
management efforts within their
jurisdiction
Elected and appointed officials operate at
the policy level of incident management.
The MAC Group provides a way for these
policy-level officials to work together,
enhancing unity of effort at the senior
level.
Voices of Experience: Role of Elected and Appointed
Officials
Steve Grainer, Former Chief, Incident Management
Programs, VA Dept. of Fire Programs
Our elected and senior appointed officials have first a
moral obligation to do whatever is possible to provide
for the well-being, the welfare if you will, of the
citizens that elected them and entrusted them with their
well-being. On that count my feeling is that elected
officials should at a minimum be familiar enough with
the core reasoning behind NIMS and the primary
components of NIMS, the concepts on which NIMS is built.
Curry Mayer, Former Training & Exercise Chief,
Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CA)
NIMS has let people know that everyone who is
responsible for public welfare really should have at
least an understanding of what the NIMS is about, what
are the important pieces of it, what do you have to
know to be able to plug into it, and how does it
facilitate all of those levels of government working
together. So I think the important piece is that
appointed officials and our elected officials are
those that, they really have two roles. One is that
they are charged with protecting the public, and then
from their point of view, how do they know that they
will be able to do that, and NIMS provides a system
that is workable anywhere in the country so that any
government entity or any response agency that is
needed can plug into the system. And there is the
requirement that not only do you, are you aware of
what the system is but that you practice it, that you
have some training in it so you’re not only, so it’s
not just a check the box but that you are actually
able to perform a role in the system and ensure that
the public is secured for in a large event.
Joint Information System (JIS) Purpose
The Joint Information System (JIS) is the fourth NIMS
Command and Coordination structure.
JIS integrates incident information and public affairs
into a unified organization that provides consistent,
coordinated, accurate, accessible, timely and complete
information to the public and stakeholders during
incident operations.
JIS operates across and supports the other
NIMS Command and Coordination structures: ICS, EOC
and MAC Group.
JIS activities include:
Developing and delivering coordinated interagency
messages
Developing, recommending and executing public
information plans and strategies
Advise on public affairs issues that could affect
the incident management effort
Addressing and managing rumors and inaccurate
information that could undermine public confidence
The JIS performs these activities in support of the
Incident Commander or Unified Command, the EOC Director,
and the MAC Group.
JIS Description and Components: PIO and JIC
The Public Information Officer (PIO) and Joint
Information Center (JIC) are two supporting elements
of the JIS.
The PIO is a key member of ICS
and EOC organizations, though they might go by a
different title in EOCs. PIO functions include:
Advising the Incident Commander, Unified Command or
EOC director on public information matters
Gathering, verifying, coordinating, and
disseminating accurate, accessible, and timely
information
Handling inquiries from the media, public and
elected officials
Providing emergency public information and
warnings
Conducting rumor monitoring and response
The JIC is a central location that
houses JIS operations and where public information
staff perform essential information and public
affairs functions.
Normally, an incident should have a single JIC, but
the JIS is flexible and can accommodate multiple JICs
if necessary.
Informing the Public and Stakeholders
In some cases, lives will depend on getting
information to the public quickly and those
responsible take necessary steps to alert the
public.
Getting information to the public and stakeholders
during an incident requires an ongoing information
cycle:
Gathering complete information for
the public and other stakeholders
Verifying information to ensure
accuracy
Coordinating information with
other public information personnel who are part of
the JIS to ensure consistency
Disseminating consistent,
coordinated, accurate, accessible, timely and
complete information to the public and
stakeholders
Public Information Communications Planning
Well-developed and coordinated public information,
education and communications plans enable the
sharing of public safety information.
This can include information such as lifesaving
measures or evacuation routes.
The information communications plan can
include:
Draft news releases
Media lists
Contact information for elected/appointed
officials, community leaders, private sector
organizations, and public service
organizations
Public information communications plans should be
included in training and exercises in order to prepare
for actual incidents.
Voices of Experience: Public Information
Click on an image to learn about each person's
perspectives on NIMS Public Information.
Curry Mayer, Former Training & Exercise Chief,
Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CA)
Public information is of course important in any event,
and NIMS emphasizes that public information in a large
event be coordinated so that all those entities—either
jurisdictions, agencies, or levels of government—those
Public Information Officers come together and have a joint
message. So different agencies that, it might be that you
have, you know, transportation and food and agriculture
that are involved in the event so what are, what those
public, the public information message, although one
coordinated message needs to include the elements from
those different agencies that are involved, and who are
the stakeholders, who are the people that have been
impacted, and ensuring that your message is coordinated so
that everyone that needs to have some kind of information
about the event gets what they need from that. The new
thing for NIMS is that each level of government and each
agency involved has a public information responsibility,
but they come together and have one, one message that
comes out.
Bill Campbell, Former Director of Training, NY State
Emergency Management Office
Public information is number one, it's one of the command
staff positions within the ICS structures so that tells
you right up front that in the incident command system we
place a lot of emphasis on public information and
information in general. I think the importance and
significance of public information is higher and greater
now than it's ever been in our history. You've got to have
a coordinated way to get a consistent message out. We've
got to be very clear and concise in our message to the
public as to what we want them to do. Public information
is more than just the public, it's also the response
community too.
Daryl Lee Spiewak, Former Emergency Programs Manager
Brazos River Authority, TX
We need to have a single point of contact for the media so
that we can get our information out to the general public.
We use the media to get our message out. The citizens of
our jurisdiction expect information from us. They want to
know what we're doing, want to know why we are doing
things, and more important they want to know what they
should be doing. We also found out that if the media isn't
kept in the loop, they are going to go out and start
finding stories themselves, finding out information
themselves, that means then that we are losing control of
the message. The message is being developed by the
individual reporters in the media and that's going to
start confusing our citizens and get the wrong message to
them. We need a coordinated effort for public information
for the safety of the public and the security of the
public and that's what public information allows us to do.
Ron Britton, Former NIMS Coordinator, FEMA, Region
10
Public information is for public safety. We really want
that information for people in the environs as well as
people who are part of the response community to know what
the situation is. They need to know that to stay safe and
to perform best. It can also be used to establish
information exchanged with the local public to know
evacuation routes, where the hospitals they should go
to—any number of things that would be of safety interest
to the public. One of the reasons it was developed was to
provide a consistent message so that different people in
different parts of the organization aren't reporting just
what they are seeing, but that there is a centralized
system that allows that information to be one-stop
shopping and one message that goes out to the public to
keep everyone informed, and that's all very, very safety
related, and I think that's a real key point.
Voices of Experience: Public Information
Curry Mayer, Former Training & Exercise
Chief, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
(CA)
Public information is of course important in any event,
and NIMS emphasizes that public information in a large
event be coordinated so that all those entities—either
jurisdictions, agencies, or levels of government—those
Public Information Officers come together and have a
joint message. So different agencies that, it might be
that you have, you know, transportation and food and
agriculture that are involved in the event so what are,
what those public, the public information message,
although one coordinated message needs to include the
elements from those different agencies that are
involved, and who are the stakeholders, who are the
people that have been impacted, and ensuring that your
message is coordinated so that everyone that needs to
have some kind of information about the event gets what
they need from that. The new thing for NIMS is that each
level of government and each agency involved has a
public information responsibility, but they come
together and have one, one message that comes out.
Bill Campbell, Former Director of Training, NY State
Emergency Management Office
Public information is number one, it’s one of the
command staff positions within the ICS structures so
that tells you right up front that in the incident
command system we place a lot of emphasis on public
information and information in general. I think the
importance and significance of public information is
higher and greater now than it’s ever been in our
history. You’ve got to have a coordinated way to get a
consistent message out. We’ve got to be very clear and
concise in our message to the public as to what we
want them to do. Public information is more than just
the public, it’s also the response community
too.
Daryl Lee Spiewak, Former Emergency Programs
Manager, Brazos River Authority, TX
We need to have a single point of contact for the media
so that we can get our information out to the general
public. We use the media to get our message out. The
citizens of our jurisdiction expect information from us.
They want to know what we’re doing, want to know why we
are doing things, and more important they want to know
what they should be doing. We also found out that if the
media isn’t kept in the loop, they are going to go out
and start finding stories themselves, finding out
information themselves, that means then that we are
losing control of the message. The message is being
developed by the individual reporters in the media and
that’s going to start confusing our citizens and get the
wrong message to them. We need a coordinated effort for
public information for the safety of the public and the
security of the public and that’s what public
information allows us to do.
Ron Britton, Former NIMS Coordinator, FEMA, Region
10
Public information is for public safety. We really want
that information for people in the environs as well as
people who are part of the response community to know
what the situation is. They need to know that to stay
safe and to perform best. It can also be used to
establish information exchanged with the local public to
know evacuation routes, where the hospitals they should
go to—any number of things that would be of safety
interest to the public. One of the reasons it was
developed was to provide a consistent message so that
different people in different parts of the organization
aren’t reporting just what they are seeing, but that
there is a centralized system that allows that
information to be one-stop shopping and one message that
goes out to the public to keep everyone informed, and
that’s all very, very safety related, and I think that’s
a real key point.
Interconnectivity of NIMS Command and Coordination
Structures
NIMS structures enable incident managers to manage
incidents in a unified, consistent manner.
Interconnectivity of NIMS structures is important to
allow personnel in diverse geographic areas, with
differing roles and responsibilities, and operating
within various functions of ICS and/or EOCs to
integrate their efforts through common organizational
structures, terminology, and processes.
When an incident occurs or threatens, local
emergency personnel manage response using NIMS
principles and ICS.
If the incident is or becomes large or complex,
local EOCs activate.
EOCs receive senior level guidance
from MAC Groups.
A Joint Information Center (JIC) manages
the Joint Information System
(JIS) operations to ensure
coordinated and accurate public messaging among all
levels: ICS, EOC and MAC Group.
If required resources are not available locally, they
can be obtained under
mutual aid agreements from
neighboring jurisdictions, or State, tribal,
territorial, and interstate sources and assigned to
the control of the Incident Commander or Unified
Command.
Federal Support to Response Activities
The Federal Government has a variety of capabilities
and resources to support domestic incidents.
Most incidents are resolved using capabilities
available from the local jurisdiction.
Larger incidents are resolved with support from by
neighboring jurisdictions, or State, tribal,
territorial, and interstate sources.
The Federal Government only becomes involved with a
response:
When state governors or tribal leaders request
Federal assistance and their requests are
approved
When Federal interests are involved
As statute or regulation authorizes or
requires
In most cases the Federal Government plays a
supporting role to state, tribal, or territorial
governments by providing Federal assistance to the
affected jurisdictions.
For example, the Federal Government provides
assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act)
when the President declares an emergency or major
disaster.
In some cases the Federal Government may play a
leading role in response, such as when an incident
occurs on Federal property or when the Federal
Government has primary jurisdiction (such as in a
terrorist attack or a major oil spill).
Lesson 6: Other NIMS Structures and Interconnectivity
Summary
The lesson presented other NIMS Structures and
Interconnectivity.
The lesson specifically discussed the :
Multiagency Coordination Group (MAC Group)
Joint Information System (JIS)
Interconnectivity of NIMS Command and
Coordination Structures
The next lesson will introduce you to Communications
and Information Management.
Lesson 7: Communications and Information Management
This lesson presents an overview of Communications and
Information Management.
Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Identify the four key principles of
communications and information management.
Describe the communications management practices
and considerations.
Identify how incident information is used.
Identify the three concepts related
to Communications Standards and Formats.
What Is NIMS Communications and Information Management?
Effective emergency response depends on
communication—the ability to maintain situational
awareness through the constant flow of information.
What is NIMS Communications and Information Management?
Effective emergency response depends on
communication—the ability to maintain situational
awareness through the constant flow of information.
During and after Hurricane Katrina, communications
systems failed, severely hampering information flow
and response operations. In New Orleans, most of the
city was flooded. The combined effects of wind, rain,
storm surge, breached levees, and flooding knocked out
virtually the entire infrastructure—electrical power,
roads, water supply and sewage, and communications
systems.
[Thomas Stone, Fire Chief, St. Bernard Parish: “We
lost our communications system, and when you are not
able to communicate, you can’t coordinate your
response. You never think that you will lose your
entire infrastructure.”]
Communications problems are not limited to systems
being destroyed or not functioning. Similar problems
arise when agencies cannot exchange needed information
because of incompatible systems. NIMS identifies
several important features of public safety
communications and information systems.
Communications systems need to be . . .
Interoperable—able to communicate within and across
agencies and jurisdictions.
Reliable—able to function in the context of any kind
of emergency.
Scalable—suitable for use on a small or large scale
as the needs of the incident dictate.
Portable—built on standardized radio technologies,
protocols, and frequencies.
Resilient—able to perform despite damaged or lost
infrastructure.
Redundant—able to use alternate communications
methods when primary systems go out.
Secure—able to protect sensitive or classified
information from those without a need to know.
Regardless of the communications hardware being used,
standardized procedures, protocols, and formats are
necessary to gather, collate, synthesize, and
disseminate incident information. And in a crisis,
life-and-death decisions depend on the information we
receive.
This lesson introduces you to the NIMS Communications
and Information Management component.
Communications and Information Management Introduction
In order to maintain situational awareness, incident
personnel update incident information continually.
Effective incident management relies on flexible
communications and information systems that provide
accurate, timely, and relevant information.
During an incident, this integrated approach:
Links all incident personnel, whether on-scene, in
an EOC, or in another support location
Maintains communications connectivity and
situational awareness
Four key communications and information
systems principles support the ability of
incident managers to maintain this constant flow of
information during an incident:
Interoperability
Reliability, Scalability, and Portability
Resilience and Redundancy
Security
Interoperability
Interoperability: Interoperability
is the capacity for emergency management and response
personnel to interact and work well together.
Interoperable communications systems enable personnel
and organizations to communicate:
Within and across jurisdictions and
organizations
Via voice, data, and video systems
In real time
Reliability, Portability, and Scalability
Communications and information systems should be
designed to be:
Reliable - familiar to users,
adaptable to new technology and dependable in any
situation
Portable - can effectively be
transported, deployed, and integrated to enable
support of incidents across jurisdictions
Scalable - able to expand to support
situations, from small to large scale, and support the
rapid increase in the number of system users
Resiliency and Redundancy
Resilient and redundant communications ensure the
uninterrupted flow of information.
Resiliency - systems can withstand
and continue to perform after damage or loss of
infrastructure
Redundancy - when primary
communication methods fail, duplicate systems enable
continuity through alternate communication
methods
Security
Because some incident information is sensitive,
voice, data, networks, and systems should be secure to
the appropriate level to control access to sensitive
or restricted information.
For example, law-enforcement may discuss
sensitive, personally identifiable or classified
information and must ensure this information is
shielded in accordance with applicable laws.
Additionally, incident communications and information
sharing should comply with data protection and privacy
laws.
Communications Management Characteristics
Incident management personnel must manage incident
communications and information effectively using a
variety of communications methods.
Management procedures should change to use new
technologies and improved methods of exchanging
information.
Standardized Communications Types
Successful communications and information management
requires the use of standard communications types:
Strategic Communications:
High-level directions, including resource priority
decisions, roles and responsibilities determinations,
and overall incident management courses of
action.
Tactical Communications:
Communications among and between on-scene command and
tactical personnel and cooperating agencies and
organizations.
Support Communications:
Coordination of support of strategic and tactical
communications (e.g., communications among hospitals
concerning resource ordering, dispatching, and
tracking; traffic and public works
communications).
Public Communications:
Alerts and warnings, press conferences.
Policy and Planning
All stakeholders should be involved in communications
planning to formulate integrated and interoperable
communications plans, technology and equipment
standards.
Coordinated communications policy and planning
supports effective communications and management of
information.
Communications planning determines:
What communications systems and platforms are
used
Who can use the communications systems
What information is essential
What the technical requirements are for
communications equipment and systems
Agreements
Agreements should be in place between all parties in
a jurisdiction's emergency operations plan to
ensure that the communications elements within
plans and procedures are in effect at the time of an
incident.
Agreements typically specify the communication
systems and platforms that the parties will use to
share information.
Agreements also typically include connection of
networks, data format standards, and cybersecurity
agreements.
Equipment Standards
Communications equipment standards are designed to
produce unified communications systems.
When developing communications systems,
personnel should consider:
The range of conditions under which personnel will
use the systems.
The range of potential system users.
The current nationally recognized communications
standards.
The need for durable equipment.
Training
Training and exercises that employ interoperable
communications systems and equipment enable personnel
to understand their capabilities and limitations
before an incident.
Incident Information
During an incident, timely and accurate information
assists decision making at all levels.
Information is used for many functions within ICS,
EOCs, MAC Groups, and JIS, including:
Aiding in planning
Communicating with the public, including emergency
protective measures
Determining incident cost
Assessing the need for additional involvement of
non-governmental organizations or private sector
resources
Voices of Experience: Prompting Effective Communications
Click on an image to learn about each person's
perspectives on Prompting Effective Communications.
Click on the image to hear this Voice of Experience
perspective on Prompting Effective Communications:
Click on the image to hear this Voice of Experience
perspective on Prompting Effective Communications:
Voices of Experience: Prompting Effective Communications
Kristy Plourde, Emergency Management Specialist,
U.S. Coast Guard
We have HF, UHF, and VHF, all these different
frequencies and radios and radio frequencies and
what’s neat about NIMS is NIMS is helping push
everyone to change and establish better
intercommunications. In the past we just kind of said,
well, too bad they don’t have the right radio with us
so we’ll just do this little inefficient method of
communication by calling ashore and having the guy
talk to the other guy and then have him radio back to
have the boat come over and pick us up. That’s very
inefficient and it’s very wrong, and we just kind of
wave our arms and go, oh, it’s just too bad. What NIMS
is doing is pushing it and saying, hey, change, have
this good intercommunications, have systems,
electronic systems that support, you know,
interfrequency variations, and establishing common
frequencies that everyone can use.
Daryl Lee Spiewak, Former Emergency Programs
Manager, Brazos River Authority, TX
One of the difficulties that we’ve had in
coordinating response is the different radio systems
and the different pieces of equipment—whether it is
part of the Internet, computer programs, telephones,
cell phones, satellite phones, whatever. If you can’t
talk to each other, you are not going to be able to
work together. So, part of the interoperability is
making sure that our equipment is compatible. We can
talk. The second part of equipment compatibility is
that the equipment works together. You can’t take a
firetruck that has a 6-inch hose and try to put it to
a fire hydrant that operates with a 4-inch connector.
So if I take my truck from my facility and I bring it
out to help you, if I can’t get the water pumped in,
if I can’t hook our systems together, we’re not going
to be able to work in a coordinated effort. Second
thing is interoperability between people and
organizations. Part of that is the verbal
communications where I say something, use a particular
term, and it means the same thing to you. If the terms
that I use mean different things to different people,
we’re going to have a hard time communicating and
doing what needs to be done to accomplish our mission.
So, it’s a little bit of both. The equipment, the
people, and then how do people work together within
the organization to accomplish those objectives and
get the mission done.
Lesson 7: Communications and Information Management Summary
The lesson presented an overview of Communications
and Information Management.
The lesson specifically discussed the:
Key Principles of Communications and
Information management
Communications and Information Management
Characteristics
Elements of Incident Information
Communication Standards and Format
The next lesson will provide a summary of the
information introduced in this course along with
additional resources.
Lesson 8: Course Summary
Congratulations! You should now be able to
demonstrate a basic understanding of NIMS
concepts, principles, and components.
The course specifically discussed:
NIMS Overview
Fundamentals and Concepts of NIMS
NIMS Resource Management
NIMS Management Characteristics
Incident Command System (ICS)
Emergency Operations Centers (EOC)
Other NIMS Structures and Interconnectivity
Communications and Information
Management
The next few visuals will describe
additional documents and resources that can provide
assistance with understanding NIMS and its
components.
Related NIMS Documents and Resources
FEMA has developed a variety of documents and
resources to support NIMS implementation.
The SAFECOM Web site
provides the emergency response community with
information, best practices, and resources for
meeting communications and interoperability
needs.
Printable Resources
Prior to leaving this course you may want to print
or download the following documents for future
reference.
NIMS Summary
NIMS is a comprehensive nationwide framework
developed through a consensus process based on
incident management best practices proven by thousands
of responders.
NIMS is about unifying how we respond.
In time of crisis, our communities and country count
on us to be able to work together as a team. We all
must commit to a common way of doing business. And
that way of doing business is NIMS.
"As NIMS continues to mature, its purpose remains the
same: to enhance unity of effort by providing a common
approach for managing incidents." Brock Long, FEMA
Administrator