National Incident Management System (NIMS)
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life and property and harm to the environment. NIMS works hand in hand with the National Response Framework (NRF). NIMS provides the template for the management of incidents, while the NRF provides the structure and mechanisms for national-level policy for incident management.
Incidents begin and end locally, and are managed on a daily basis at the lowest possible geographical, organizational, and jurisdictional level. However, there are instances in which successful incident management operations depend on the involvement of multiple jurisdictions, levels of government, functional agencies, and/or emergency responder disciplines. These instances require effective and efficient coordination across this broad spectrum of organizations and activities.
Flexibility and Standardization
The components of NIMS are adaptable to any situation. This flexibility is essential for NIMS to be applicable across the full spectrum of potential incidents. NIMS also provides a set of standardized organizational structures that improve integration and connectivity among jurisdictions and disciplines, starting with a common foundation of preparedness and planning.
NIMS Components
- Preparedness
- Communications and Information Management
- Resource Management
- Command and Management
- Ongoing Management and Maintenance
For questions about NIMS complaincy or available training, contact us.
Additional information from FEMA: Click on the tabs to open/close.
A critical tool in promoting the nationwide implementation of NIMS is a well-developed training program that facilitates NIMS training throughout the nation, growing the number of adequately trained and qualified emergency management/response personnel. Closely related to the training, core competencies will form the basis of the training courses’ learning objectives and personnel qualifications that validate proficiency.
Released in February 2008, the Five-Year NIMS Training Plan describes the operational foundations of these efforts; defines NIMS core competencies, training courses, and personnel qualifications as part of the National Training Program for NIMS; assembles and updates the training guidance for available NIMS courses (organized as a core curriculum); and lays out a plan for (at that time) the next five years to continue development of the National Training Program.
The Five-Year NIMS Training Plan compiles FEMA’s existing and ongoing development of NIMS training and guidance for personnel qualification. Previous guidance on NIMS training has been updated and is issued as appendixes of this document. The National Training Program for NIMS will develop and maintain a common national foundation for training and qualifying emergency management/response personnel. To accomplish this, the Five-Year NIMS Training Plan describes a sequence of goals, objectives, and action items that translates the functional capabilities defined in NIMS into positions, core competencies, training, and personnel qualifications.
- Read the entire Five-Year NIMS Training Plan (PDF)
- Click here to learn more about required NIMS courses
- Click here for links to NIMS courses that may be available
Fiscal Year |
Compliance Requirement |
|---|---|
FY2008 |
Complete IS-700; IS-800 Complete ICS-100; ICS-200 Complete ICS 300 Complete ICS Position-Specific Training - Practicum*
|
FY2009 |
Complete IS-700; IS-800; ICS-100; ICS-200 Complete ICS-300; ICS-400 Complete ICS Position-Specific Training - Practicum*
|
FY2010 |
Complete IS-700; IS-800; ICS-100; ICS-200 Complete IS-701; IS-702; IS-703; IS-704 Complete ICS-300; ICS-400 Complete ICS Position-Specific Training - Practicum*
|
FY2011 |
Complete IS-700; IS-701; IS-702; IS-703; IS-704; IS-705; IS-706; IS-707; IS-800; ICS-100: ICS-200 Complete ICS-300; ICS-400 Complete ICS Position-Specific Training - Practicum* Complete EOC Position-Specific Training - Practicum*
|
FY2012 |
Complete IS-700; IS-701; IS-702; IS-703; IS-704; IS-705; IS-706; IS-707; IS-800; ICS-100: ICS-200; Complete ICS-300; ICS-400; ICS/EOC Course Complete ICS Position-Specific Training - Practicum* Complete EOC Position-Specific Training - Practicum*
|
Courses need only be taken once. New courses are to be added every year. This table illustrates the cumulative coursework to have been taken by the fiscal year indicated; new courses are denoted in bold text.
*Stakeholders are not required to complete ICS Position-Specific Training (or EOC Position-Specific Training in future years) for NIMS compliance. However, the completion of ICS Position-Specific Training is required for those stakeholders who desire to be credentialed as part of the national credentialing system. |
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Q. How does NIMS relate to the National Response Framework (NRF)?
A: The NIMS and NRF are companion documents and are designed to improve the Nation’s incident management and response capabilities. While NIMS provides the template for the management of incidents regardless of size, scope or cause, the NRF provides the structure and mechanisms for national level policy of incident response. Together, the NIMS and the NRF integrate the capabilities and resources of various governmental jurisdictions, incident management and emergency response disciplines, non-governmental organizations, and the private-sector into a cohesive, coordinated, and seamless national framework for domestic incident response.
Q. What is the role of Elected and Appointed Officials during an incident?
A: Elected and appointed officials are responsible for ensuring the public safety and welfare of the people of that jurisdiction. Specifically, these officials provide strategic guidance and resources during preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. Elected or appointed officials must have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities for successful emergency management and response. At times, these roles may require providing direction and guidance to constituents during an incident, but their day-to-day activities do not focus on emergency management and response. Their awareness of NIMS is critical to ensuring cooperative response efforts and minimizing the incident impacts.
Q: Our 911 center, which receives and dispatches emergency and nonemergency 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?
A: Yes. When engaged in a multiagency/multijurisdictional incident using ICS, plain language is required. The value of using 10-codes for simplicity and speed is lost when members of the response team are unaware of their meanings, as may occur in a multiagency/multijurisdiction response event. As 10-codes used in one jurisdiction or agency are not the same as those used in another, it is important that responders and incident managers use common terminology to prevent misunderstanding in an emergency situation. While plain language is not required for internal operations, it is encouraged over 10-codes to promote familiarity within operational procedures used in emergencies.
Read more NIMS FAQs on FEMA's website
Q: Who has to take NIMS and ICS training?
A: Stakeholders will define the emergency management and response personnel within their jurisdiction, agency, or organization who require ongoing training. This includes all emergency services-related disciplines such as EMS, hospitals, public health, fire service, law enforcement, public works and utilities, skilled support personnel, and other emergency management response, support, and volunteer personnel, as follows:
Entry Level:
- FEMA IS-700: NIMS, An Introduction
- ICS-100: Introduction to ICS or equivalent
First Line, Single Resource, Field Supervisors:
- IS-700.A, ICS-100, and ICS-200: Basic ICS or its equivalent
Middle Management: Strike Team Leaders, Division Supervisors, EOC Staff, etc.:
- IS-700.A, IS-800.B NRF, ICS-100, ICS-200, and ICS-300
Command and General Staff; Area, Emergency, and EOC Managers:
- IS-700.A, IS-800.B NRF, ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-300, and ICS-400
Q: What about elected and appointed officials?
A: The National Integration Center strongly recommends that all elected officials who will be interacting with multiple jurisdictions and agencies during an emergency incident at the minimum complete IS-700: NIMS, An Introduction and ICS-100: Introduction to ICS. These courses provide a basic understanding of the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System. Everyone directly involved in managing an emergency should understand the command reporting structures, common terminology, and roles and responsibilities inherent in a response operation.
Q: I've tried logging on NIMSCAST and my password doesn't work. What can I do?
A: If you have received a temporary password, you will need to log into your account within 24 hours and change your password. If it has been more than 24 hours since you received your password, you can have a new password e-mailed to you by clicking on the "lost or forgotten password" option on the NIMSCAST login page. Remember, new passwords must be at least eight characters long and must contain at least one of each of the following: lowercase character (a-z); uppercase character (A-Z); special character (!, @, #, $, %, etc ...); and a digit (0-9). Be sure to input your password exactly - it is case sensitive.
Read more NIMS FAQs on FEMA's website
