National Incident Management System Provides Collaboration Between Governments

Through its design, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a mechanism for effective and efficient collaboration between federal, state, tribunal and local governments. This is particularly important for those state-level agencies as they work together to prevent, or manage, domestic incidents (“NIMS”, 2004). An integral part of the NIMS is the Incident Command System (ICS), which provides a system of critical interface between different responding agencies, or jurisdictions that are suddenly required to work together in order to respond to an incident (“NIMS”, 2004). While state governments are not required to participate in NIMS, upon review of the NISM and the ICS, it is clear that adoption of the NIMS, as well as the implementation of the ICS model, will greatly benefit state-level Homeland Security procedures for a variety of reasons. By participating in the NIMS, and adopting the ICS, state-level agencies will create a common communication and information management system, provide for efficient management of resources, and facilitate multi-agency coordination.

II. Overview of NIMS and ICS.

The NIMS is the product of a collaborative government effort to improve the nation’s collective responses to domestic incidents. According to FEMA (2004), the NIMS provides a standardized framework for incident management, “regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity” of the incident. The ICS has five major functions:

1. Command

2. Operations

3. Planning

4. Logistics; and

5. Finance and administration

(“NIMS”, 2004).

Through these functions, the ICS establishes generic processes, procedures and systems to “improve interoperability” between different departments (“NIMS”, 2004). Further, because it is scal...

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...e delivery methods include, “classroom instruction, field training, independent study, and distance learning” (“NIMS”, 2004). In order to participate, state-level agencies need only to contact their representative state emergency management training office to register (“NIMS”, 2004). This makes the process relatively easy.

FEMA reminds state-level agencies of the importance of participating in the National Incident Management System and Incident Command System. The creation of a common communication and information management system, as well as the provision of a system for the efficient management of resources, is key to insuring that agencies are prepared in the event of an incident. Additionally, should that incident require a multi-agency response, participation in NIMS and ICS will provide for an efficient and effective method to coordinate such activity.