NIMS/ICS Blogsite

The Incident Management Systems Division Releases the Finalized ICS Core Competencies

As part of our Nation’s efforts to strengthen catastrophic response capabilities in line with the National Incident Management System (NIMS), FEMA’s Incident Management Systems Division has released the finalized Incident Command System (ICS) Core Competencies.

In February 2005, the Incident Management Systems Division (IMSD) gathered together several emergency management organizations to begin collaborating on NIMS implementation. From that meeting it became clear that core competencies for Incident Command System (ICS) positions were necessary. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) took the lead to develop competencies for all ICS positions. In fall of 2005, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) added the development of wildland fire specific position competencies. USFA and NWCG prepared the ICS Competencies for release. These competencies were announced online by FEMA for public comment in April of 2007. The public comment period
ended on March 25, 2007.

In the spring of 2007 the NWCG brought together numerous interagency subject matter expert groups to review the competencies and behaviors and begin revision of NWCG position task books. During these workshops additional edits to the competencies and behaviors were discovered and were proposed and accepted by the Competency Change Management Board
(CCMB). A need was identified to create the CCMB. They met in August 2007 for adjudication of all comments.

The ICS Core Competencies can be found at http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/ics_competencies.shtm. This link also includes important CCMB documents that provide general information,
processes, and key messages.

 National Review of the Five-Year  Training Plan

The National Integration Center’s (NIC) Incident Management SystemsDivision (IMSD) has developed a Five-Year National Incident ManagementSystem (NIMS) Training Plan. The Plan establishes a common nationalfoundation for NIMS training and qualifying emergencymanagement/response personnel. More specifically, the Plan will guideNIMS training activities; support stakeholder training and planning; andserve as a single-source, regularly updated compilation of training within the NIMS national core curriculum.

This national review is intended to provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to comment on the Five-Year NIMS Training Plan. The review period will begin on Monday September 10, 2007 and will close on Tuesday, September 25, 2007. All comments must be submitted during this period. A copy of the Draft Five-Year NIMS Training Plan can be located at the following link: http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/index.shtm

A comment form will also be made available. If you would like to request a comment form, please email NIMSComments@hsi.dhs.gov. While a comment form will help assure clarity and consistency, it is not a requirement. You may also submit your comments directly to the above email address.

Questions and comments on the process can also be directed to the Incident Management Systems Division FEMA-NIMS@dhs.gov or 202-646-7289.

The Incident Management Systems Division Releases Updated Bomb Squad and SWAT/Tactical Team Resource Typing Definitions

As part of our Nation’s efforts to strengthen catastrophic response
capabilities in line with the National Incident Management System (NIMS),
FEMA’s Incident Management Systems Division has released updated resource
typing definitions for Bomb Squad and SWAT resources to be deployed in
mutual aid.

A Law Enforcement working group comprised of Subject Matter Experts
identified equipment, personnel (to include needed training), and vehicles
anticipated to be most commonly requested during an interstate mutual aid
response. The resource typing definitions identify the components and
metrics that clarify the minimum capabilities and type classifications.

After review of comments following a 30 day feedback period, the Bomb
Squad and SWAT/Tactical Team resource typing definitions are now final.
These definitions are a part of the Tier 1 NIMS Resource Typing. For a
guide to Tier 1 and Tier 2 resource typing definitions, please reference
NIMS Guide 0001: National Resource Typing Criteria (NG 0001) located
online at http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/rm/guide.shtm.

The FEMA 508-6 Law Enforcement resource typing definitions are located at:
http://fema.gov/emergency/nims/rm/rt.shtm.

The Incident Management Systems Division Releases Updated Emergency
Medical Services (EMS) Job Titles

As part of our Nation’s efforts to strengthen catastrophic response
capabilities in line with the National Incident Management System (NIMS),
FEMA’s Incident Management Systems Division has released updated EMS Job
Titles.

The EMS Job Titles listed criteria for credentialing EMS Personnel and
were posted on November 9, 2006, for a 45-day review period. During this
period, the EMS Working Group received over 70 comments and questions from
National and State associations, related organizations, and from
individuals with a professional interest in initiatives supporting
resource typing and credentialing. Comments were reviewed and
consideration was given as to how to incorporate valuable feedback.

The Incident Command System (ICS) positions originally featured in the EMS
job title document will no longer be located there. These positions have
been forwarded for appropriate consideration within the Incident
Management working group. These positions include:

1) EMS Transportation Group Supervisor

2) EMS Transportation Unit leader

3) EMS Treatment Unit Leader

4) EMS Triage Unit Leader

5) Medical Group Supervisor

The update job titles are located at:
http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/rm/job_titles.shtm.

These job titles are a part of the National Emergency Responder
Credentialing System which documents minimum professional qualifications,
certifications, training and education requirements that define the
standards required for specific emergency response functional positions.
The National credentialing process is voluntary (i.e.
reflecting only the volunteer participation of a/first responder(s)
willing to be deployed under interstate mutual aid agreements or
compacts). States must establish a program administered by the State
Director (or other Official designated by the Governor) to grant authority
to agencies, organizations or other entities to issue Qualification Cards
for persons to be deployed for interstate mutual aid. For additional
information please see NIMS Guide 0002, March 27,
2007 on National Credentialing Definition and Criteria at
http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/rm/guide_rm.shtm.

IS-706 NIMS INTRASTATE MUTUAL AID COURSE - NOW ONLINE

Course Information: This FEMA, web-based course provides State, local,
and tribal emergency response and coordination personnel an introduction
to NIMS intrastate mutual aid. The course discusses the purpose and
benefits of mutual aid and assistance, the emphasis that NIMS places on
mutual aid and assistance, and explains how to understand mutual aid and
assistance agreements and mutual aid operational plans.

Course Length: The overall length of the course will vary individually.
IS706 takes approximately 2.5 hours to complete.

Course Objectives: After completing the course, participants will be
able to:

* Describe the purpose, benefits, and uses of mutual aid and assistance.

* Explain how mutual aid and assistance agreements relate to NIMS.

* Identify what information should be included in a mutual aid and
assistance agreement.

* Explain the process for developing mutual aid and assistance
agreements.

* Identify the elements of a mutual aid and assistance operational plan.

Course Completion: The course is available at
http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is706.asp. When you have completed
the course, the final examination is available online too. Fill out the
student information and submit the test for scoring. The Emergency
Management Institute’s (EMI) Independent Study Office will notify you
via email of your successful completion of the course and will send you
a course certificate.
Pre-requisite: The prerequisite for this course is IS-700: National
Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction.
Questions: Please contact the course manager, Maria Moore at (301)
447-1501 or maria.moore@dhs.gov.

NIMS ALERT 27-07: Basic Guidance for Public Information Officers (PIOs)

Basic Guidance for Public Information Officers (PIOs)
The Incident Management Systems Division has coordinated with local,
tribal, state, and federal Public Information professionals to develop
NIMS Basic Guidance for Public Information Officers (PIOs). The document
provides fundamental guidance for any person or group delegated PIO
responsibilities during an incident or event where informing the public
is necessary. It contains the NIMS Incident Command System (ICS)
approach to managing the Joint Information System (JIS) during response
operations as well as information management during non-crisis events.
The guidance also addresses actions for preparedness, disaster/emergency
response, Joint Information Centers (JICs), incident recovery, and
federal public information support.

The Incident Management Systems Division has released a draft of the
Basic Guidance for PIOs for a two-week national comment period. All
comments are due to the Incident Management Systems Division by Friday,
September 14, 2007.

The draft can be located at the following link:
http://www.dhs.gov/xprepresp/publications/

If you would like to request a comment form, please email
FEMA-NIMS@dhs.gov. While a comment form will help assure clarity and
consistency, it is not a requirement. You may also submit you comments
directly to that email address.

It is the intent of the Incident Management Systems Division to make
this guidance document both valuable and user-friendly to PIOs at all
levels of government and positions in the ICS structure. To this end,
the Division welcomes specific comments and general feedback regarding
the content and layout of the document.

Reviews: Thus far, we have been receiving glowing reviews for the NIMS/ICS Pro Edition DVD. These have come from a number of sources, but perhaps most importantly for us, we have been getting great comments from the experts who so graciously interviewed for the project. While this might not seem like a “Big Deal”, these experts are often the harshest critics, and the most demanding.  Also, we have just recently made it possible for customers to add their own reviews to our web site, so please feel free to check it out by clicking on the DVD Box cover at http://www.nimsvideo.com

NIMS Bulletins: I have been making some recent adjustments on the site in order to make it easier to people to find what they might be looking for. Currently, all NIMS Integration Center bulletins are being moved into pages under the News category found in the right column. This will make it easier to find prior bulletins without the need to scroll through multiple blog entries.

The Incident Management Systems Division Releases the draft Emergency Responder Field Operating Guide (ERFOG)

The Incident Management Systems Division is developing an Incident Command System (ICS) Emergency Responder Field Operating Guide (ERFOG). The purpose of the ERFOG is to assist emergency response personnel in the use and application of NIMS ICS during incident operations. This Guide contains the NIMS ICS approach to managing response operations for any incident, regardless of cause, sizes, type, or complexity.

This NIMS ICS approach allows for a standardized management system that is both flexible and scalable for use when responding to all hazards and in preparation for planned events. The Incident Management Systems Division has released a draft of the ERFOG for a 30 day national comment period.

All comments are due to the Incident Management Systems Division by Friday, June 23, 2007. The draft can be located at the following link: http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/index.shtm If you would like to request a comment form, please email FEMA-NIMS@dhs.gov. While a comment form will help assure clarity and consistency, it is not a requirement.

You may also submit you comments directly to that email address. It is the intent of the Incident Management Systems Division to make this ERFOG both valuable and user-friendly to the incident commander and emergency personnel in the field. To this end, the Division welcomes specific comments and general feedback regarding the content and layout of the Guide.

Welcome to the NIMS/ICS Pro Edition Blogsite. While the title of this blog may seem boring, we have a lot to share about our experiences in getting this project completed and out to market. From beginning to end, we were fortunate to meet some incredible people and travel to some terrific locations.

If you think that all training videos are dry, lack imagination and should be buried beyond the inner core of the earth, think again. That was our view, so we did something different. Check out our video excerpts on the website. The clips are provided in Flash, Quicktime and Windows formats to ensure maximum compatibility.

As an emergency services professional with over 30 years combined experience, I hated training videos as much as anyone. In my mind, the only useful purpose they performed was providing some nap time. In order to produce something different, we felt that it was important to develop something that was compelling and interesting.

Recognizing that effective emergency management required cooperative participation from all types of emergency responders, we sought out a variety of viewpoints. We realized that we needed to utilize top industry professionals with compelling stories and experiences to draw from, and we sought out great video and music to accompany the lessons. We also shot this production documentary style never knowing for sure what we were going to have in the end, but we are happy with the result and think you will be as well.

Some of the stories we will share on this blog will involve the places we visited and the interviews we conducted. We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to interview the commanders from the FDNY who managed the WTC attack of September 11, 2001., an Assistant City Manager from Oklahoma City during the Murrah Federal Building bombing, police officers who responded to the Columbine High School Shooting, a Type 1 National Incident Management Team, and the former Director of the NIMS Integration Center (NIC).

The incredible individuals and organizations who aided us, were critical to the success of this program. We are forever indebted to them.

Brian Couzens, President
Advanced Safety Products, Inc.