NIMS, or the National Incident Management System, is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. NIMS was created on February 28, 2003, when Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5, "Management of Domestic Incidents" was issued. NIMS benefits the United States by working to standardize the process of responding to emergencies wherever they occur. It also reviews past incidents and responses to develop best practices for the prevention of, responses to and mitigation of future incidents. An incident can include any emergency, from natural disasters to airplane crashes or terrorist activities.
Standardized Incident Management
One benefit of NIMS is that it provides a comprehensive framework that helps local, state, tribal and federal agencies prepare for and handle incidents regardless of the incident's cause, geographic reach or complexity. Components of the framework include standardized "doctrines, concepts, principles, terminology, and organizational processes," according to the National Incident Management System handbook.
Standardization produces compatibility and interoperability among the agencies responding to an incident, ensuring the smooth flow of information and resources. A high level of standardization is achieved through training, including distance learning, face-to-face training and role playing during simulated incidents.
Response Coordination
Most emergencies occur on a local level, such as tornadoes or chemical spills, but some, such as hurricanes or earthquakes, can have regional impacts. In some instances, coordination is required among more than one responding agency, including governmental and nongovernmental organizations and the private sector. Each brings specialized knowledge and resources to help during an incident.
Each incident requires fast assessment, response planning and establishment of facilities and communications for responders and those impacted by an incident. The NIMS framework and templates benefit the response process by integrating each agency's activities, slotting them into the incident management organization in the most efficient manner possible to gain quick results and reduce duplication. Communications flow up, down and across the incident management organization, allowing for changes in the response plan to be implemented quickly.
Best Practices
In addition to response efforts, incident management involves prevention, mitigation of effects once an incident has occurred, and efforts to ensure short- and long-term recovery from an incident when the initial response has been completed. A benefit of NIMS is that it uses information from past incidents to drive better prevention, response, mitigation and recovery activities in the future.
NIMS promotes the development of new technologies and methods to support better implementation of incident-management activities. The incident management framework and templates allow a collective view of how an incident was handled from start to finish, drawing on information provided by all responding agencies. For example, NIMS has studied the response to Hurricane Katrina, a 2005 natural disaster that impacted the Gulf Coast, highlighting the importance of faster responses after a hurricane and the need to provide adequate shelter, food and water for people who have lost access to their homes, temporarily or permanently.
References
- Federal Emergency Management Agency: National Incident Management System
- Department of Homeland Security: Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5
- Federal Emergency Management Agency: National Incident Management System Handbook
- NIMS Online: Learning From Mismanagement During a Crisis: The Criticisms of the Response to Katrina
