ICS & NIMS FAQs
Q: How Was ICS Developed?
The Incident Command System (ICS) resulted from the obvious need for a innovative solution to the problem of managing rapidly moving wildfires that occurred in California in the early 1970s.At that time, fire officials and emergency managers faced a number of problems:
Each responding agency had different organizational structure and used varying terminology.
Each responding agency had different organizational structure and used varying terminology.Communications modes were inadequate and incompatible.
There were unclear lines of authority and no unified system of coordination.
Objectives were often unclear or unspecified.
Q: Why Was The ICS Developed?
Designing a standardized emergency management system to remedy the problems listed above took several years and extensive field testing. The Incident Command System was developed by an interagency task force working in a cooperative local, state, and federal interagency effort called FIRESCOPE (Firefighting Resources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies). Early in the development process, four essential requirements became clear:1. The system must be organizationally flexible to meet the needs of incidents of any kind and size.
2. Agencies must be able to use the system on a day-to-day basis for routine situations as well as for major emergencies.
3. The system must be sufficiently standard to allow personnel from a variety of agencies and diverse geographic ocations to rapidly meld into a common management structure.
4. The system must be cost effective.
System Works For All First Responders
Though the initial ICS applications were designed for responding to wildland fires, the characteristics of the wildland fire incidents were similar to those seen in many other emergency response situations:They can occur with no advance notice.
They develop rapidly.
There are often several agencies with some on-scene responsibility.
They can very easily become multijurisdictional.
They often have high public and media visibility.
What Was The Evolution of ICS?
ICS applications and users have steadily increased since the system's original development. In 1980, the ICS that was originally developed in California under the FIRESCOPE program made the transition into a national program called the National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS). At that time ICS became the backbone of a wider-based system for all federal agencies with wildland fire management responsibilities.The following agencies and entities, among others, have endorsed the use of ICS:
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). National Curriculum Advisory Committee on Incident Command Systems/Emergency Operations Management Systems recommends adoption of ICS as a multihazard/all- agency system.
FEMA's National Fire Academy (NFA) has adopted ICS as a model system for fire services.
FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Response System, a component of the Federal Response Plan, uses ICS as its on- site management structure.
NFPA Standard 1405 (Land-Based Firefighters who respond to marine vessel fires) was developed at the request of, and in cooperation with, the U.S. Coast Guard and calls for the use of ICS. The U.S. Coast Guard also is incorporating ICS basic structure and management principles into the National Response System used for oil and hazardous material pollution response.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that all governmental and private organizations that handle hazardous materials use ICS.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard
1500 states that all departments should establish written procedures for use of ICS.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules require non- OSHA states to use ICS at hazardous materials incidents.
The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has formally adopted ICS for use by all federal and state wildfire management organizations.
ICS is now widely used throughout the United States by fire agencies and law enforcement. It is also used for many public- safety applications, and for emergency and event management.
Q: What is NIMS?
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is the first-ever standardized approach to incident management and response. Developed by the Department of Homeland Security and released in March 2004, it establishes a uniform set of processes and procedures that emergency responders at all levels of government will use to conduct response operations.The existing Incident Command System (ICS) and Hospital Incident Command System (HEICS) were incorporated within the NIMS plan, and are complimented by additional system elements.
The NIMS enables responders at all levels to work together more effectively and efficiently to manage domestic incidents no matter what the cause, size or complexity, including catastrophic acts of terrorism and disasters.
Q:What are the benefits of the NIMS system?
Standardized organizational structures, processes and procedures;Standards for planning, training and exercising;
Personnel qualification standards
Equipment acquisition and certification standards
Interoperable communications processes, procedures and systems
Information management systems with a commonly accepted architecture;
Supporting technologies - voice and data communications systems, information systems, data display systems, specialized technologies; and
Publication management processes and activities.
Q: We currently use the ICS for our incident response operations. How will our current ICS system relate to the NIMS?
The NIMS utilizes ICS as a standard incident management organization for the management of all major incidents. These functional areas include command, operations, planning, logistics and finance/administration. Additionally, the principle of unified command has been incorporated into NIMS to ensure further coordination for incidents involving multiple jurisdictions or agencies. This unified command component not only coordinates the efforts of many jurisdictions, but also provides for and assures joint decision on objectives, strategies, plans, priorities and public communications.Q:Is current Incident Command System (ICS) training applicable to NIMS?
The NIMS recognizes the ICS training as a model for course curricula and materials applicable to the NIMS:ICS-100, Introduction to ICS
ICS-200, Basic ICS
ICS-300, Intermediate ICS
ICS-400, Advanced ICS
The USFA's National Fire Academy and Emergency Management Institute both follow this model in their ICS training curricula. At the local level, agencies may contact the fire department for information and training on ICS.
Q: What does "institutionalizing the use of ICS" mean?
To "institutionalize the use of ICS" means that government officials, incident managers and emergency response organizations at all jurisdictional levels adopt the Incident Command System and launch activities that will result in the use of the Incident Command System for all incident response operations.Actions to institutionalize the use of ICS take place at two levels - policy and organizational/operational.
At the policy level, institutionalizing the ICS means government officials, i.e., governors, mayors, county and city managers, tribal leaders and others:
1. Adopt through the ICS through executive order, proclamation or legislation as the jurisdiction's official incident response system; and
2. Direct that incident managers and response organizations in their jurisdictions train, exercise and use the ICS in their response operations.
At the organizational/operational level, evidence that incident managers and emergency response organizations are institutionalizing the ICS would include the following:
1. ICS is being integrated into functional and system-wide emergency operations policies, plans and procedures;
2. ICS training is planned or under way for responders, supervisors and command level officers;
3. Responders at all levels are participating in and/or coordinating ICS-oriented exercises that involve responders from multi-disciplines and jurisdictions.
While it is not expected that all these activities would be completed in FY 2007, it is expected that where possible they will be and that, at a minimum, planning for such activities would be initiated and actions taken to put them into practice.
Q: How long do jurisdictions have to adopt the NIMS?
The NIC will be developing additional NIMS compliance guidance as time progresses and jurisdictions will be provided resources to help them through the NIMS compliance process. The NIMS should be seen as a living document that will require continuous maintenance by the jurisdictions implementing it.Q: Is the adoption of the NIMS a requirement for Department of Homeland security funds?
As mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5, beginning in FY 2005, adoption of NIMS will be a condition for the receipt of federal preparedness funds, including grants, contracts and other activities.Q: How will jurisdictions be measured, evaluated and assessed?
In the short term, jurisdictions will be considered to be in compliance the NIMS by adopting the Incident Command System and NIMS principles and policies. Other aspects of the NIMS will require additional development and refinement to enable compliance at a future date.Q: How will compliance be measured against NIMS evaluation criteria?
Compliance protocols, standards and guidelines for determining whether jurisdictions are compliant are currently under development.Q: How will jurisdictions be measured against NIMS during the period 2005 to 2009?
The NIC will be developing additional NIMS compliance guidance as time progresses and jurisdictions will be provided resources to help them through the NIMS compliance process. The NIMS should be seen as a living document that will require continuous maintenance by the jurisdictions implementing it.Q: Do NIMS standards currently exist?
Standards are currently being developed specifically for NIMS by the NIC, however, there currently exist several standards for incident command or incident management systems, and these are being reviewed for consideration by the NIC.Q: What is the NIC?
The NIMS Integration Center was established by the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide "strategic direction for and oversight of the National Incident Management System... supporting both routine maintenance and the continuous refinement of the system and its components over the long term."The NIMS Integration Center is a multi-jurisdictional, multidisciplinary entity made up of federal stakeholders and state, local and tribal incident management and first responder organizations. It is situated in the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).The organization of the Center includes the following branches:
Standards and Resources
Training and Exercises
System Evaluation and Compliance
Technology, Research and Development
Publications Management
Q: What national standards will the NIC develop?
The NIC will facilitate the development of national standards needed in a range of areas to increase the effectiveness of incident response operations. For example, it will facilitate the development of national standards to ensure interoperability of equipment and communications and the certification of emergency response and incident management personnel. This means it will work on the development of standardized criteria for the qualification, training and certification of response personnel.Q: Why must organizations conduct National Incident Management System (NIMS) training and exercises?
HSPD-5 requires federal departments and agencies to make adoption of NIMS by state and local organizations a condition for federal preparedness assistance by FY 2005. Organizations and personnel at all governmental levels and in the private sector must be trained to improve all-hazard incident management capability. These organizations and personnel must also participate in realistic exercises to improve integration and interoperability.Q: How will the NIMS Integration Center (NIC) assist jurisdictions in meeting NIMS training and exercise needs?
The NIMS Integration Center will:Facilitate the development of and the dissemination of national standards, guidelines and protocols for incident management training;
Facilitate the use of modeling and simulation in training and exercise programs;
Define general training requirements and approved training courses for all NIMS users, including instructor qualifications and course completion documentation; and
Review and approve, with the assistance of key stakeholders, discipline-specific training requirements and courses.
Q: What role does the NIC have in determinig emergency response personnel NIMS qualification and certification?
Under NIMS, preparedness is based on national standards for qualification and certification of emergency response personnel. Managed by the NIC, standards will help ensure that the participating agencies' and organizations' field personnel possess the minimum knowledge, skills and experience necessary to perform activities safely and effectively.Q: Will NIMS training be one of the NIMS-related standards?
Yes. The standards will include training, experience, credentialing, currency and physical and medical fitness. Personnel who are certified to support interstate incidents will be required to meet national qualification and certification standards.Q: What NIMS training is currently available to jurisdictions?
The Emergency Management Institute (A DHS/FEMA component) has developed a Web-based course that is titled "The National Incident Management System, an Introduction." The course is available free of charge to U.S. residents via the FEMA training website http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is700.asp.The course describes the purpose, principles, key components and benefits of NIMS. Also included in the course are on-line "Planning Activity" tools that help the user to measure how compliant his/her organization is with NIMS.
Q: Our 911 center, which recieves and dispatches all emergency and non-emergency calls has told us that we may not use 10-codes at all. I gather we must use plain language when using NIMS ICS. Is that correct?
According to the NIMS: "Incident communications are facilitated through the development and use of a common communications plan and interoperable communications processes and architectures. This integrated approach links the operational and support units of the various agencies involved and is necessary to maintain communications connectivity and discipline and enable common situational awareness and interaction."
The ability to communicate within ICS is absolutely critical and using standard or common terminology is essential to ensuring efficient, clear communication. ICS requires the use of common terminology; that is, the use of plain English. Common terminology in communications is necessary to support mutual aid and the infusion of new responders coming to an event so they will be able to communicate with one another. All exercises that responders participate in should feature plain English commands so they can function in a multi-jurisdiction environment. Field manuals and training should also be revised to reflect the plain English standard. That said, it is the intention of the NIMS Integration Center to take a practical common sense approach to this, and not cut off funding to a city because we hear of first responder who happens use ten codes.
Q: What is the Resource Typing System?
The NIC has developed a national Mutual Aid Glossary of Terms and Definitions as well as Resource Typing definitions for some of the most commonly used resources during a response. Resource typing is an integral component of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). It enhances the ability of emergency responders to find needed resources during a disaster. In compliance with NIMS and in support of the Incident Command System (ICS), the Resource Typing Definitions and Mutual Aid Glossary of Terms and Definitions also help promote common terminology of descriptions, standards, and types of local, state and federal response assets.Resource typing definitions provide emergency managers with the information they need to request and receive the resources they need during an emergency or disaster. Typed definitions for 120 response resources have been completed. Like the Glossary, the Resource Typing Definitions will be continuously updated, revised, and expanded.
Eight groups representing key functional disciplines consisting of federal, state and local specialists were part of the effort to develop the definitions. Resources are classified by 'Category' which refers to function and 'Kind,' to include teams, personnel, equipment, and supplies. Information about level of capability is referred to as 'Type,' which is a measure of minimum capabilities to perform the function. Type I implies a higher capability than Type II. The metrics shown for each resource are measurements of standards and are applicable to like resources.
Q: What is the National Mutual Aid and Resource Management System Initiative?
The National Mutual Aid and Resource Management System is an initiative undertaken by the Department of Homeland Security through the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) Integrations Center (NIC) and the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA), in cooperation with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). This system will enhance emergency readiness and response at all levels of government through a comprehensive and integrated system that will allow a jurisdiction to augment response resources if needed. The system will allow emergency management personnel to identify, locate, request, order and track outside resources quickly and effectively. It will allow them to obtain information on specific resource capabilities, location, cost and support requirements.The key concepts of the National Mutual Aid and Resource Management System include:
The use of pre-incident agreements (including mutual aid, Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), and others) by donor and requesting jurisdictions.
Protocols for documenting and inventorying disaster response resources in terms of categories, kinds, components, metrics and typing definitions;
A national deployable inventory of pre-identified credentialed, categorized and capability-typed resources. These resources would be entered into the system voluntarily by federal, state, tribal or local authorities, non-government, and/or private sector entities participating in mutual aid disaster response operations.
An Automated Resource Management System (ARMS) to access and search the inventory/catalog to locate, request, order, and track resources requested by incident management personnel in need of assistance.
The initiative fosters a process for typing and inventorying federal, state and local resources. Officials at all levels currently are participating in the initiative and they are consulting key emergency management organizations and associations throughout the process.