Frequently Asked Questions
Compliance
- NIMS Compliance - Overview
- Sample Executive Orders, Implementation Plan Templates
- Emergency Operation Centers And Plans (EOCs and EOPs)
- NIMSCAST
- NIMS Implementation Activities For Hospital And Health Care Systems
- School Districts, Colleges, And Universities
- NIMS And Federal Preparedness Grants
- Elected Officials And NIMS Training
- Emergency Responder Community
- Compliance Related - General Training
NIMS Compliance - Overview
Q: I still do not understand what NIMS is. Could you explain to me what benefit our small fire department will gain from using NIMS?
A: While most emergency situations are handled locally, when there's a major incident help may be needed from other jurisdictions, the state, and the federal government. The National Incident Management System provides a consistent nationwide template to establish Federal, State, tribal and local governments and private sector and nongovernmental organizations to work together effectively and efficiently to prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size or complexity, including acts of catastrophic terrorism. NIMS benefits include a unified approach to incident management; standard command and management structures; and emphasis on preparedness, mutual aid and resource management.
Q: When we are asked to complete certain NIMS compliance activities in FY 2007 what are the actual dates that local governments are held accountable?
A: Current NIMS Compliance activities are presented at the beginning of each fiscal year, (October 1st) and are expected to be completed by the end of the fiscal year (September 30th). The matrix identifying the FY 2007 NIMS Implementation Activities for State/Territory and Tribal/Local governments were made available on October 25, 2006. Each of these jurisdictions is expected to achieve their respective activities by September 30, 2007.
The National Integration Center (NIC) Incident Management Systems Division is currently redesigning the NIMS Capability Assessment Tool, which, once re-released (in Spring 2007), will act as the preferred tool for use by States, territories, tribal entities, and local governments to assess and report on their NIMS compliance. For more information on the NIMS Capability Assessment Support Tool, visit www.fema.gov/nimscast/index.jsp.
Q: What does it mean for State, territory, tribal, and local governments to be in full compliance with the NIMS?
A: State, territory, tribal and local governments are considered to be in compliance with NIMS for FY 2005 and FY 2006 if they have adopted and/or implemented the compliance activities for those fiscal years. Adoption and/or implementation of these compliance activities have been self-certified by the Governor's office for each State and territory, which includes tribal and local governments. Implementation of and compliance with the NIMS is critical to ensuring full and robust preparedness across our nation. New requirements will be added in FY 2007 and beyond based on lessons learned during disasters, exercises and other events.
Q: What constitutes NIMS compliance in FY2007, which begins on October 1, 2006?
A: NIMS compliance for FY2007 will be achieved by completing the actions outlined in the NIMS Implementation Matrix for States/Territories and Tribal/Local Jurisdictions (October 1, 2006 - September 30, 2007). Beginning in FY07 compliance will no longer be measured by self-certification, but will transition to performance-based questions and a measurement system of "metrics".
Q: Does an annual deadline exist for NIMS compliance?
A: Yes. The deadline for FY2006 NIMS compliance was September 30, 2006. The FY2007 NIMS Compliance Activities began on October 1, 2006, and will conclude on September 30, 2007.
Q: In order to meet NIMS compliance, does it matter which brand of ICS is used (i.e. NIIMS, FIRESCOPE, NWCG)?
A: Yes. The Incident Command System (ICS) structure, as detailed in the NIIMS, Firefighting Resources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies (FIRESCOPE), and National Wildfire Coordination Group (NWCG) documents, serves as the foundation for ICS principles embedded in the current version of NIMS. Considering this origin of the NIMS, released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in March 2004, these ICS curricula (to include but not limited to FIRESCOPE, NWCG and ICS as taught by the National Fire Academy and Emergency Management Institute) are under deliberate revision so that they more accurately reflect and incorporate NIMS ICS.
Phoenix, Arizona Fire Ground Command system, in its current state, is not NIMS compliant.
Q: If a jurisdiction is compliant with the NIIMS (National Interagency Incident Management System), does this mean that we're compliant with NIMS?
A: No. Compliance with NIIMS does not constitute compliance with NIMS. NIIMS, adopted by several federal, state, and local agencies in 1982, served as the basis for today's National Incident Management System (NIMS). Although there are many similarities between the NIIMS and the NIMS; there are some key differences. NIIMS was designed to meet the challenges of wild land fire. The NIMS was designed to address all-hazards challenges. In addition, NIMS possesses an increased emphasis on prevention and preparedness measures.
The principles and concepts of NIMS ICS are the same as the NIIMS ICS, with the exception of the means in which the intelligence function is handled. Under the NIMS ICS, the incident commander has flexibility in where to assign the intelligence and information function (e.g., command staff or operations).
The following is an outline of the six components of NIMS and the five components of the NIIMS:
NIMS
NIIMS
Q: Our 911 center, which receives and dispatches emergency and non-emergency 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 incident response 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 multi-jurisdiction / multi-agency 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 English is not required for internal operations, it is encouraged over 10-codes to promote familiarity within operational procedures used in emergencies.
Q: What is the relationship between NIMS, the NRP, and COOP?
A:
To provide oversight and coordination of this effort, Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 67 established the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as the lead agency for Federal Executive Branch COOP. This authority was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003, and then delegated to the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (FEMA). FEMA's Office of National Security Coordination has been designated as DHS's lead agent for the Federal Executive Branch COOP program. Included in this responsibility is the requirement to formulate guidance and establish common standards for agencies to use in developing viable, executable COOP plans; facilitate interagency coordination as appropriate; and oversee and assess the status of COOP capabilities of Federal Executive Branch agencies. Additionally, each Federal Executive Branch agency is responsible for appointing a senior Federal government executive as an emergency coordinator to serve as program manager and agency point of contact for coordinating agency COOP activities, to include planning, programming, and budgeting for a viable and executable COOP program that conforms to this FPC.
Sample Executive Orders, Implementation Plan Templates
Q: Do you have a sample draft resolution or executive order used to formally adopt the NIMS system?
A: A sample executive order and a sample proclamation are available on the NIMS Web page, www.fema.gov/nims under the NIMS Tools and Templates section. There also is a NIMS Implementation Plan for Federal Departments and Agencies template available on the Tools and Templates page. While these tools are designed for state government or federal agencies, any government agency or department may adapt them to their own use.
Emergency Operation Centers And Plans (EOCs and EOPs)
Q: Can you provide additional guidance regarding NIMS and the Emergency Operation Center?
A: NIMS characterizes Emergency Operations Centers as "multi-agency coordination centers" and, as such, they do not have to be organized around ICS. The NIMS states in the Command and Management chapter (chapter 2, section B) that "EOCs are organized by major functional discipline (fire, law enforcement, medical services, and so on); by jurisdiction (city, county, region, and so on); or, more likely, by some combination thereof." To be compliant with NIMS, states and locals must focus on the core functions to be performed in the EOC (coordination; communications; resource dispatch and tracking; and information collection, analysis and dissemination). "The physical size, staffing and equipping of an EOC will depend on the size of the jurisdiction, resources available and anticipated incident management workload. EOCs may be organized and staffed in a variety of ways." This underscores the inherent flexibility of the NIMS.
Q: In addition to Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs), which subordinate documents must also be NIMS compliant?
A: Any plan, procedure, field guide or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) must support the State, territory, tribal or local EOP and NIMS. SOPs that are not NIMS compliant will only serve to undermine the EOP's compliance with NIMS. While no schedule is proposed for EOP elements, they should be reviewed and revised for NIMS compliance as soon as it is practicable to do so.
Documents to assist users with integrating NIMS into EOPS and SOPs can be found at www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/index.shtm.
NIMSCAST
Q: What is NIMSCAST?
A: The National Incident Management System Compliance Assistance Support Tool (NIMSCAST) is a self-assessment instrument for State, local, tribal, and private-sector and nongovernmental organizations to evaluate their jurisdiction's ability to effectively prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity. The National incident Management System (NIMS) and, by extension, the NIMSCAST is designed to enhance the ability of the United States to manage domestic incidents by establishing a single, comprehensive system for incident management.
In Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-5, Management of Domestic Incidents, the President directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer a unified, national system for managing incidents. The NIMS provides a consistent nationwide approach for Federal, State, local, and tribal governments to work effectively and efficiently together to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate developed the NIMSCAST to contribute to the establishment of a national baseline for compliance by all State, local, and tribal jurisdictions with the NIMS. It will also include readiness metrics and elements that support the national preparedness goal, including standards for preparedness assessments and strategies and a system for assessing the Nation's overall preparedness to respond to major events, especially those involving acts of terrorism.
For more information see www.fema.gov/nimscast/index.jsp
Q: What does the NIMSCAST do?
A: The NIMSCAST was originally designed for primary response agencies as a comprehensive self-assessment support tool. Since it went live in January 2005, the NIMSCAST has also been used by agencies with secondary or support functions to primary agencies. The NIMSCAST allows users to assess the current status/level of their respective jurisdictions or organization's incident preparedness against the requirements outlined in the NIMS. Using the NIMSCAST, as a method of identifying weaknesses in incident preparedness, will assist agencies to become compliant with NIMS by the end of FY 2006 as required by the FY2006 NIMS Compliance Activities for State/Territory and Tribal/Local jurisdictions. As a self-assessment support tool, the NIMSCAST not only aids users to become compliant with the NIMS, but also supports agencies in seeking to enhance and maximize the effectiveness of their incident preparedness as a central point for identifying and acquiring resources.
Q: Why do States and locals need a NIMS Self-Assessment?
A: Jurisdictions at all levels of government, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations must implement the requirements established in the NIMS in order to apply this comprehensive national approach. The NIMSCAST assists in that compliance by allowing agencies to assess their current capabilities and determine what additional actions and resources are needed to effectively participate in the NIMS. Additionally, HSPD-5 requires Federal Departments and agencies to make adoption of the NIMS by State and local organizations a condition for Federal preparedness assistance. The NIMSCAST will facilitate the adoption of the NIMS by State, local, and tribal governments in order to meet the requirement established in HSPD-5. Some jurisdictions have developed their own methods for tracking and assessing their capabilities.
Q: How is the NIMSCAST assembled?
A: The NIMSCAST is a compilation of statements based directly upon requirements found in the NIMS. All questions are in a "Yes/No" format. Each Chapter of NIMS is broken down by sections that include compliance requirements. The language found in NIMS that outlines the requirement(s) accompanies each question in the NIMSCAST.
Q: How do I attain a login and password to use the NIMSCAST?
A: The NIMSCAST is a voluntary, web-based self-assessment system that will allow users to assess their preparedness and response capabilities and NIMS compliance status. There are two sides to the NIMSCAST: the official permission based and the non-permission based. The official permission based side is set up by a state or local emergency management or Homeland Security agency. The administrator creates the account and assigns the user by entering in the user's email address. The NIMSCAST then sends the user an email with a link to create a permanent password. Once all of the assessment questions have been answered the user can submit for rollup to their parent agency in the NIMSCAST. This information will be rolled up into a national database, providing a baseline indication of the level of NIMS compliance nationally.
The non-permission based side is for those agencies that want to complete an assessment but do not need to "roll up" or submit to another local or state emergency management or homeland security agency. The user can create an account by clicking on "Create an Account Outside the Official Permission Based System" located in the log in box on the right hand side of the page of the NIMSCAST. The user can answer all of the same questions in the assessment as a user on the official permission based but can not submit it. If at anytime a user determines that their assessment does need to be rolled up or submitted they can contact their local or state emergency management or homeland security agency for permission on the official permission side.
A user, regardless of the type of account they have, can not look at other accounts unless they are assigned as a user or there is sub-accounts listed under their primary account.To login to the system go to www.fema.gov/nimscast
Q: I have forgotten or misplaced my password. Where can I reset my password?
A: Go to the NIMSCAST home page and click on "Reset My Password" located in the login box on the right hand side of the screen. Enter in your email address and a link will be emailed to the user with a link to create a new password. The password link is only good for 24 hours. If the user has not clicked on the link within 24 hours of the request, please return to Reset My Password.
Remember, new passwords must be at least eight characters long and must contain at least one of each of the following:
Q: I requested a temporary password and still have not received it?
A: At times, email from the National Integration Center (NIC) Incident Management Systems Division is considered spam. Try checking your email account's spam folder. Also, if you have spy-ware or security software on your computer it can also prevent email from reaching the requestor. If you believe this to be the case for you, please turn the program off temporarily and then click on "Reset My Password". Once you receive the email, you can turn the spy ware or security software back on.
If your email is received through a business server, please check with your information technology department to verify if email from the National Integration Center (NIC) Incident Management Systems Division is being blocked.
Q: Will the NIMSCAST be modified in the future?
A: The current NIMSCAST assesses an agency or department's compliance against the NIMS document released in March 2004. An upgraded version of the NIMSCAST is currently in development and scheduled for release in Spring 2007. The upgraded version will not only improve current features of the NIMSCAST but will specifically allow users to assess their compliance against the FY07 matrices for State, territory, tribal and local jurisdictions. The NIMSCAST will become the preferred tool to measure compliance within all 56 states and territories.
NIMS Implementation Activities For Hospital And Health Care Systems
School Districts, Colleges, And Universities
Q: Are school districts required to be NIMS compliant? Has there been any clarification as to the need for public school district personnel to take any NIMS courses?
A: Since school districts are an integral part of local government, their use of NIMS should be achieved in close coordination with other components of the local government. School districts are not traditional response organizations and more typically are recipients of first responder services provided by fire and rescue, emergency medical and law enforcement agencies. This traditional relationship should be acknowledged in achieving NIMS compliance within an integrated local government plan for NIMS compliance. School district participation in local government's NIMS preparedness program is essential to ensure that first responder services are delivered to schools in a timely and effective manner. Accordingly, school districts that receive federal preparedness funds must require that the appropriate personnel take the IS-700 NIMS introductory course by Sept. 30, 2006, in order to receive FY 2007 preparedness grants. However, it would be useful for all staff and teachers likely to be involved in emergency activities should the need arise, to take the IS-700 NIMS introductory course, including those districts that do not receive preparedness funding at this time.
The following hyperlink to the Department of Education's summary of frequently asked questions regarding FY 2006 NIMS requirements for schools includes a checklist that schools can use to chart their progress towards supporting the implementation of NIMS based on the FY 2006 compliance activities: www.ercm.org/views/documents/HH_NIMS.pdf.
Q: Are public universities, colleges and community colleges required to comply with the NIMS requirements? What about colleges that don't have a police agency but may provide shelters through their local county emergency management office?
A: Colleges and universities are not first response organizations; however they are important components of the communities in which they are located. The National Integration Center (NIC) Incident Management Systems Division highly recommends NIMS compliance at the community level, including NIMS and ICS training, exercises and evaluation. All educational institutions should be involved in a community's emergency planning process. And those persons with emergency responsibilities at the university should work with the community's emergency response community and be knowledgeable about NIMS and ICS. However, universities that do receive federal preparedness grants and do have law enforcement/police components, those police personnel that would play a direct role in an emergency response with other emergency services organizations must have IS-700 NIMS, An Introduction; IS-800 NRP, An Introduction; as well as ICS-100 and ICS-200 training. Both these courses are available at no cost online at www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslist.asp.
NIMS And Federal Preparedness Grants
Q: What grants are included in the term "preparedness funding"?
A: Grant making agencies that offer preparedness grant funding are the
All future federal preparedness grants will be contingent upon NIMS compliance by the end of FY 2006. To be considered NIMS compliant, the recipient of the funds must have adopted and/or implemented the FY 2005 and FY2006 compliance activities.
Q: Do NIMS requirements also pertain to those jurisdictions that would participate in the Public Assistance Grants after a Presidential Disaster Declaration?
A: Eligibility to receive public assistance funding following a disaster is not based on NIMS compliance. Preparedness funding is used strictly for those activities that would prepare an agency or jurisdiction to respond to an incident. Funds received as a result of a Presidential Disaster Declaration are awarded to assist a community in returning to a pre-disaster state.
Elected Officials And NIMS Training
Q: Is NIMS training required of chief elected and/or appointed officials?
A: Yes. All elected and/or appointed officials directly involved in emergency operations should successfully complete IS-700 NIMS: An Introduction, ICS-100 and ICS-200. Otherwise, at the minimum, local chief elected and appointed officials should complete IS-700. These courses are available at training.fema.gov/emiweb/IS/crslist.asp.
Q: What do elected and appointed officials need to do promote NIMS implementation?
A: Elected and appointed officials play an important leadership role in the NIMS implementation process. The benefit of NIMS is most evident at the local level, when a community as a whole prepares for and provides an integrated response to an incident. Chief elected and appointed officials need to be involved in all aspects of NIMS implementation to include the following:
NIMS requires all Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs), and standard operating procedures/ guidelines (SOPs/ SOGs) to incorporate NIMS components, principles and policies, to include emergency planning, training, response, exercises, equipment, evaluation, and corrective actions. Chief elected and appointed officials in a community need to be directly involved in these NIMS preparedness elements, especially the elements dealing with exercising community emergency management policies, plans, procedures and resources.
Emergency Responder Community
Q: Are the NIMS requirements for volunteer emergency responders?
A: Yes. All emergency responders, regardless of their volunteer or career personnel status, are required to complete the NIMS Implementation and Training Requirements as outlined in the FY2006 Implementation and Training Guidance released in Fall 2005. At a minimum, all personnel with a direct role in emergency preparedness, incident management or response must complete this training. IS-700 NIMS: An Introduction is a Web-based awareness level course that explains NIMS components, concepts and principles.
Q: What does NIMS mean for IT managers in police departments?
A: IT managers in police departments and in local government can play an important support role in the implementation of NIMS. The NIMS is out nation's incident management system. The NIMS integrates best emergency management practice, procedures, and systems utilized by emergency management professionals across the nation into a national framework for incident response. The benefit of NIMS is most evident at the local level, when a community as a whole prepares for and provides an integrated response to an incident. Information technology in police departments and local government can provide important supporting capabilities essential to implementing and continuously refining the NIMS.
IT initiatives that support NIMS implementation include:
Information technology systems must be able to work together and should not interfere with one another when multiple jurisdictions, organizations and functions come together to respond to an incident. It is important the IT managers in a local jurisdiction work together to ensure interoperability and compatibility through the use of common communications and data standards, digital data formats, equipment standards, and design standards.
Q: What kind of support exists for these IT managers, in terms of implementing the system?
A: It is important that IT managers in police departments and local governments work with department heads, local emergency management and state emergency management to determine technology support requirements prior to an event. IT managers should reach out to emergency management personnel in the community to formulate information technology requirements ... such requirements could include:
Compliance Related - General Training
Q: How will the state deliver the NFA and EMI Courses? Can individuals who completed the EMI course also instruct the fire course? Why do they (the instructors who completed either course) have to take both to be a lead instructor for both?
A: Instructors who complete the L-449 ICS TTT (EMI Version) are qualified to serve as lead instructors or unit instructors for the EMI version of ICS-300 and ICS-400 Training (assuming they meet all other ICS instructor requirements). Instructors who have completed the LL-449 ICS TTT (EMI Version) are qualified to serve as unit instructors for the USFA ICS-300 and ICS-400 training without having to specifically complete the USFA TTT. USFA requests that unit instructors (who have completed the LLL-499 TTT) participate in the conduct of USFA ICS-300 and ICS-400 as a unit instructor before serving as the lead instructor in USFA ICS-300 and ICS-400 course. USFA feels that there are some unique course specific components in the USFA programs that require the instructor to first serve as a unit instructor. We are attempting to avoid multiple versions of future ICS courses. It is our intent to have only one version of NIC approved all-hazards ICS position specific training that can be delivered through all training mechanisms nationwide.
Q: How can our state handle delivery of ICS 300 & 400? We already planned to run 2 L-449 (using EMI material) equivalent courses in our state, with or without FEMA contracted instructors and add the successful candidates to an ICA database as we have for the OGT approved AWR-160 WMD Awareness course. We also have 3 ICS-300 courses schedules in the near future through the Northeast Counter-drug Training Center (NCTC) managed by our state's Dept. of Military and Veteran Affairs. Our State Fire Academy has already completed 3 ICS TTT pilot programs and plans to roll the program out through the local level fire training system in October.
A: The National Integration Center (NIC) Incident Management Systems Division is urging all states to take advantage of all existing emergency management delivery systems to conduct the ICS-300 and ICS-400 training.
Q: CDP and other organizations are conducting 100 & 200 courses; however the states don't receive course completion data. Currently the Consortiums, at our request, send completion numbers to us, but not names. Only if a person sends in a certificate would the course completion be placed in our Training Management System. How can we obtain lists of those who completed these courses?
A: We currently do not collect data for course completions. ICS training (100, 200, 300, 400) does not have to be completed using FEMA courses. As long as the training meets the ICS objectives outlined in the NIMS National Standards Curriculum Training Development Guidance the NIC approves of the training. Approval of the training falls to the sponsoring organization. The NIC does not review and approve all ICS training courses nationwide. Vendor courses, alone, probably number in the thousands. However, we have spent the better part of the past year working with EMI to improve their course completion data system. Our intent is for all training organizations across the nation to be able to view, print-out, and down-load NIMS course completion data from a single website. We continue to work with EMI on this issue and hope to have an appropriate resolution soon.
Q: Will the NIC approve the "NIMS for Executive" G-402 course so that municipal, county, and state officials won't have to take the full-blown ICS-100 and IS-700 courses?
A: G-402 is intended to be a brief overview of ICS for executives. It can be used to brief new chief elected officials or at conferences, etc. It does not replace the completion of IS-700 or ICS-100. IS-700 will be updated sometime in the near future. If you have previously taken IS-700, you will not have to take it again.
Download Plug-in
Some of the links on this page require a plug-in to view them. Links to the plug-ins are available below.
Adobe Acrobat (PDF)Last Modified: Monday, 20-Oct-2008 08:29:41 EDT