National Incident Management System (NIMS)

While most emergency situations are handled locally, help may be needed from other jurisdictions, as well as state and federal governments during a major incident. The September 11, 2001 attacks revealed certain weaknesses in the nation's response system, thus causing all levels of government to evaluate and improve their response procedures. Many security issues and organizations became part of a single, common homeland security definition with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The National Response Plan (NRP), now the National Response Framework (NRF), was created in 2003 as a single plan that incorporates an all-hazards approach and integrates the domains of awareness, prevention, preparedness, and response. The NRF defines actions to prevent terrorist attacks in the United States, reduce vulnerabilities to natural and human-made hazards, and minimize damage. The NRF provides guidance for all-hazards response and establishes a comprehensive, national approach to domestic incident response. It also describes special circumstances where the federal government will have a larger role—for example, a catastrophic incident where a state would require a significant amount of support.

One of the most critical steps in managing emergences and crises is deciding who should be in charge of the response efforts in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack. When the DHS was created, there were many concerns at the local, state, and federal levels as to who would be in control when a disaster occurred. To help eliminate confusion, President George W. Bush prompted the Homeland Security Presidential Directive No. 5 (HSPD-5) to develop a nationwide approach for the incident command system. As a result of HSPD-5, in March 2004, NIMS was developed to allow responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines to work together and respond to natural and human-made disasters and emergencies, including acts of terrorism. NIMS consisted of knowledge, practices, lessons, and a nationwide incident command approach that involved all government levels regarding emergency management.

NIMS based its framework around the national Incident Command System (ICS) and developed a better command system to help manage disasters regardless of their cause or size. What makes the ICS so effective is that it was designed to handle single-agency support and/or multi-agency support, all under one unified command system. By establishing NIMS, all responders at every government level would be able to collaborate, coordinate, and conduct response recovery operations with minimal disagreements or problems. In order for federal, state, and local governments to coordinate preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery, NIMS is broken up into five key areas: the incident command system, communications and information management, preparedness, the joint information system, and the NIMS integration center.

NIMS is intended to facilitate federal, state, and local coordination and interoperability by providing information on the ICS; multi-agency coordination systems; unified command training; identification and management of resources; qualifications and certifications; and the collection, tracking, and reporting of incident information and incident resources. NIMS is to [Page 439]be used in all incidents, including incidents of national significance that cause the activation of the NRF. NIMS is thought to be beneficial in incidents that both span local boundaries and require federal assistance, because of its focus on seamless transitions and integration of resources. The document provides a common strategy that can be used by all levels of responders, from first responders to federal responders. This strategy includes two main components: standard resource typing (SRT) and standard organizational structure (SOS). The SRT system is intended to allow for the timely acquisition of resources during an incident. The SOS is supposed to facilitate responders nationwide to work together in an organized manner.

...