Standards & Technology

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as required under Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-5. NIMS provides the framework for organizations to work together to prepare for, protect against, respond to, and recover from the entire spectrum of all-hazard events.

The National Integration Center (NIC) Incident Management Systems Division (IMSD) unit leads the effort to establish and implement NIMS nationwide. NIMS is a framework that provides guidelines and principals to first responders in effort to achieve a single nationwide system for managing incidents.

One of the primary responsibilities of IMSD is to identify guidelines, protocols and standards that will help emergency responders and managers from all levels of government organize effective responses to emergency incidents and hazards, natural disasters and terrorism. As such, IMSD adds depth to NIMS by reviewing and adopting existing consensus standards related to incident management for voluntary adoption and implementation at the state and local level in support of NIMS.

IMSD works with the standards community (i.e., Standard Development Organizations (SDO's), DHS Science & Technology Directorate, National Institute of Science and Technology, etc.) to facilitate, encourage, recommend, and help amend existing standards to be NIMS compliant.

NIMS Standards
NIMS Testing & Evaluation
NIMS Technology