Contents
What is NIMS?
NIMS stands for National Incident Management System, which is a set of principles, processes, and tools that guide the management of incidents in the United States. NIMS was developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to the 9/11 attacks and the Hurricane Katrina disaster, to provide a common, flexible, and scalable approach to incident management across all levels of government, as well as private and non-governmental organizations.
NIMS is based on the premise that incidents can range from natural disasters, such as floods and wildfires, to human-caused events, such as terrorist attacks and cyberattacks, and that they can vary in size, complexity, and duration. Therefore, NIMS provides a standardized framework that can be adapted to any type of incident, regardless of its scope or severity.
Why is NIMS important?
NIMS is important because it enables effective and efficient coordination and collaboration among all stakeholders involved in incident management. By using NIMS, stakeholders can share information, resources, and responsibilities, and work together to achieve common objectives and minimize the impact of incidents on lives, property, and the environment.
NIMS also enhances the preparedness and resilience of communities and organizations by promoting a culture of continuous improvement and learning from past experiences. NIMS provides guidance on how to plan, train, exercise, evaluate, and revise incident management policies and procedures.
Who are the stakeholders of NIMS?
NIMS is applicable to all stakeholders with incident related responsibilities. These include:
- Federal agencies, such as DHS, FEMA, CDC, FBI, etc.
- State agencies, such as emergency management agencies, public health departments, law enforcement agencies, etc.
- Local agencies, such as fire departments, police departments, emergency medical services, etc.
- Tribal agencies, such as tribal governments, tribal emergency management offices, tribal law enforcement agencies, etc.
- Territorial agencies, such as territorial governments, territorial emergency management offices, territorial law enforcement agencies, etc.
- Private sector entities, such as businesses, utilities, hospitals, media outlets, etc.
- Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as voluntary organizations active in disaster (VOADs), faith-based organizations (FBOs), humanitarian organizations (HOs), etc.
- Individuals and households
How does NIMS work?
NIMS works by providing a common language and structure for incident management. NIMS consists of six components:
- Command and Management: This component defines the roles and responsibilities of incident commanders and other key personnel who are in charge of directing and overseeing incident operations. It also establishes the Incident Command System (ICS), which is a modular and scalable organizational structure that can be adapted to any type of incident. ICS consists of five major functions: command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance/administration.
- Preparedness: This component covers the activities that stakeholders need to undertake before an incident occurs to enhance their readiness and capabilities. It includes developing plans, policies, procedures; conducting training and exercises; acquiring resources; establishing mutual aid agreements; etc.
- Resource Management: This component describes how to identify, request, mobilize, track, and demobilize resources that are needed for incident operations. It also defines the resource typing system, which categorizes resources based on their capabilities, qualifications, and characteristics.
- Communications and Information Management: This component outlines how to ensure effective and reliable communication and information sharing among all stakeholders during an incident. It also defines the common terminology, data standards, and protocols that are used for communication and information management.
- Supporting Technologies: This component covers the use of technology tools and systems that facilitate incident management. It includes geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), remote sensing, alert and warning systems, etc.
- Ongoing Management and Maintenance: This component addresses the activities that stakeholders need to perform after an incident to evaluate and improve their incident management performance and capabilities. It includes conducting after-action reviews, corrective action plans, lessons learned, best practices, etc.
Conclusion
NIMS is a comprehensive and flexible framework that guides the management of incidents in the United States. NIMS is applicable to all stakeholders with incident related responsibilities, as it enables them to coordinate and collaborate effectively and efficiently during an incident. NIMS also helps stakeholders to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents on their communities and organizations.
