Fundamentals and Concepts of NIMS

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 environment. To achieve these priorities, incident management personnel use NIMS components incident management personnel use NIMS components in accordance with the three NIMS guiding principles:

• Flexibility
• Standardization
• Unity of Effort

Flexibility: Allows NIMS to be scalable from routine, local incidents through those requiring interstate mutual aid, and 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 organization authorities. NIMS components are adaptable to any type of event or incident.

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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 communications.

Unity of Effort: The principle 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.

Resource Management & Mutual Aid

This component of NIMS describes and provides details on NIMS resource typing, NIMS credentialing, inventorying, and the National Mutual Aid System. It also contains a link to the Resource Typing Library Tool. More information can be found at NIMS Components – Guidance and Tools.

Credentialing: Qualifying and credentialing personnel ensures that the identity and attributes of individuals or members of teams are validated against an established set of minimum criteria and qualifications for specific job titles. The NIMS Guideline for the Credentialing of Personnel can be found at: NIMS Guideline for Credentialing of Personnel.

Typing: Resource typing is defining and categorizing, by capability, the resources requested, deployed, and used in incidents. Resource typing definitions establish a common language and defines a resource’s (for equipment, teams, and units) minimum capabilities. NIMS resource typing definitions serve as the common language for the mobilization of resources.

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Resource Typing Library Tool (RTLT): The RTLT is the online catalogue of all NIMS resource typing definitions and job titles/position qualifications that have been released by FEMA as final publication or interim guidance. The Resource Typing Tool can be found at: Resource Typing Library Tool

Inventorying

Resource owners and providers should inventory and maintain current information on their shareable resources. Resource inventories should be adaptable and scalable. In order to ensure adaptability and scalability, a jurisdiction or entity’s inventory should employ interoperable standards for information sharing. While a resource inventory can be as simple as a paper or electronic spreadsheet, many resource providers use information technology (IT) based inventory systems.

Incident Resource Inventory System (IRIS): The Incident Resource Inventory System (IRIS) is a distributed software tool, provided at no-cost by FEMA. It is standards-based and allows for the seamless exchange of information with other instances of IRIS and with other standards-based resource inventory and resource management systems. IRIS allows users to identify and inventory their resources, consistently with NIMS resource typing definitions, for mutual aid operations based on mission needs and each resource’s capabilities, availability and response time, and share information with other agencies. IRIS stores data locally on the user’s computer or on the user’s network if configured during installation.

To download IRIS to your computer or network, click here.

National Mutual Aid System

The National Mutual Aid System is built upon the integration of all types of mutual aid that are most often described by geo-political boundaries, including: local, intrastate, regional, interstate, tribal, and international mutual aid into a single system. Each level utilizes the level below it to create a unified national system for response to significant incidents. When integrated and working in a unified manner, the system strengthens the overall preparedness and readiness of the Nation.

Mutual aid agreements already exist in various forms among and between all levels of government. These agreements authorize mutual aid between two or more neighboring communities, between all jurisdictions within a state, and between states. Agreements can also be with and between private sector entities, NGOs, and other whole community partners. The emergency management community should consider resources and capabilities across the whole community and develop written agreements that facilitate access to potentially needed resources.

NIMS Command and Coordination Structures

There are four NIMS Structures that enable incident managers to manage and coordinate incident response in a unified, consistent manner. Together these four elements comprise the NIMS Command and Coordinating structures.

Incident Command System (ICS): The Incident Command System (ICS) is a management system designed to enable effective and efficient domestic incident management by integrating a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure. It enables incident managers to identify the key concerns associated with the incident, often under urgent conditions, without sacrificing attention to any component of the command system.

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ICS is normally structured to facilitate activities in six major functional areas:

• Command
• Operations
• Planning
• Logistics
• Intelligence and Investigations
• Finance and Administration

Emergency Operations Center (EOC): Jurisdictions establish Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) to meet their unique requirements and needs, so no two EOCs are designed exactly the same. EOCs are locations where staff from multiple agencies typically come together to address imminent threats and hazards and to provide coordinated support to incident command, on-scene personnel, and/or other EOCs. EOCs may be fixed locations, temporary facilities, or virtual structures with staff participating remotely.

Primary functions of staff in EOCs, whether virtual or physical, include:

• Collecting, analyzing, and sharing information;
• Supporting resource needs and requests, including allocation and tracking;
• Coordinating plans and determining current and future needs; and,
• In some cases, providing coordination and policy direction.

Multiagency Coordination Group (MAC Group): MAC Groups, sometimes called policy groups, are part of the off-site incident management structure of NIMS. 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. They are established and organized to make cooperative multiagency decisions. MAC Groups act as policy-level bodies during incidents, supporting resource prioritization and allocation, and enabling decision making among elected and appointed officials and those responsible for managing the incident (e.g., the Incident Commander).

Joint Information System (JIS): The 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.

The JIS mission is to provide a structure and system for:

• Developing and delivering coordinated interagency messages;
• Developing, recommending, and executing public information plans and strategies on behalf of the Incident Commander or Unified Command, EOC director, or MAC Group;
• Advising the Incident Commander or Unified Command, MAC Group, and EOC director concerning public affairs issues that could affect an incident management effort; and,
• Addressing and managing rumors and inaccurate information that could undermine public confidence.

Communications and Information Management

Effective emergency response depends on communication and the ability to maintain situational awareness through the constant flow of information. 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 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 communication 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.

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