We welcome your thoughts and ideas on the following topics, which address expanding the discussion on incident support, coordination, and management in the NIMS:
Incident Support Concepts, Coordinating Structures & Multiagency Coordination Systems
The current NIMS provides significant doctrine on the Incident Command System (ICS), which addresses command and management issues, but relatively little on incident support, unified coordinating structures and multi-agency coordination. The inclusion of coordination language would strengthen the scalability and flexibility of the NIMS to address national-level coordination as well as command and management for a large scale, complex, or catastrophic incident. Please share your ideas on how to expand the NIMS to incorporate the coordination and management required for large scale, complex and catastrophic incidents.
Including the Private Sector and other Non-Governmental Stakeholders in Incident Management
The NIMS language on Command Authority, Unified Command, and Area Command is currently geared toward government participants in Unified Command. However, Unified Command is a structure that should use a whole community approach. Please share your thoughts on best practices for non-government participants in the Unified Command.
Including the Private Sector and other Non-Governmental Stakeholders in Incident Support & Coordination
The NIMS language on incident support and coordination is currently geared toward government participants in multiagency coordination systems (MACS) and other multiagency coordination environments such as the Emergency Operation Center (EOC). This discussion should be expanded to include the role of private sector and other non-governmental stakeholders in coordination structures including: the Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (MitFLG); Emergency Support Function Leadership Group (ESFLG); Recovery Support Function Leadership Group (RSFLG); Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR) sectors; and Business Emergency Operations Centers (BEOC). Please share your ideas on how best to include private sector and non-governmental stakeholders within NIMS coordination structures.
Public/Private Relationships in Preparing for and Responding to Incidents
The NIMS currently includes language on the importance of pre-disaster and mutual aid agreements to meeting resource requirements and managing incidents. However, indications from the NIC’s initial literature review and research indicate that informal relationships are also important during a disaster. Developing relationships with local non-governmental organizations, private sector representatives, and other groups such as those formed during preparedness activities or through inclusion in coordinating structures like the Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (MitFLG) can be highly valuable. Please share your thoughts on establishing public-private relationships concerning incident management and what guidance would be helpful in achieving these partnerships.
Please feel free to comment on or discuss any or all of these topics. We look forward to hearing from you!