Emergency Management

NIMS / ICS Information

NIMS is a comprehensive, national approach to incident management that is applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across functional disciplines. It is intended to:

Be applicable across a full spectrum of potential incidents, hazards, and impacts, regardless of size, location or complexity.
Improve coordination and cooperation between public and private entities in a variety of incident management activities.
Provide a common standard for overall incident management.

NIMS Five-Year Training Plan (2/08)

Contact

NIMS and Training Coordinator

Patrick Dollason

Phone: (843) 746-3803

Email: PDollason@CharlestonCounty.org

Resources

FEMA: NIMS Resource Center

FEMA: National Response Framework

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question: Why do we need NIMS?

Answer: NIMS provides a consistent nationwide framework and approach to enable government at all levels (Federal, State, tribal, and local), the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to work together to prepare for, prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents regardless of the incident's cause, size, location, or complexity.

Consistent application of NIMS lays the groundwork for efficient and effective responses, from a single agency fire response to a multiagency, multijurisdictional natural disaster or terrorism response. Entities that have integrated NIMS into their planning and incident management structure can arrive at an incident with little notice and still understand the procedures and protocols governing the response, as well as the expectations for equipment and personnel. NIMS provides commonality in preparedness and response efforts that allow diverse entities to readily integrate and, if necessary, establish unified command during an incident.

Question: How does NIMS relate to the National Response Framework (NRF)?

Answer: The NIMS and NRF are companion documents and are designed to improve the Nation's incident management and response capabilities. While NIMS provides the template for the management of incidents regardless of size, scope or cause, the NRF provides the structure and mechanisms for national level policy of incident response. Together, the NIMS and the NRF integrate the capabilities and resources of various governmental jurisdictions, incident management and emergency response disciplines, non-governmental organizations, and the private-sector into a cohesive, coordinated, and seamless national framework for domestic incident response.

Question: What are the components of NIMS?

Answer: NIMS Components link together and work in unison to form a comprehensive incident management system.

NIMS Components include:

Preparedness
Communications and Information Management
Resource Management
Command and Management
Ongoing Management and Maintenance

Question: What level of NIMS training is required Elected Officials?

Answer: The National Integration Center (NIC) Incident Management Systems Division strongly recommends that all elected official who will be interacting with multiple jurisdictions and agencies during an incident at the minimum, complete IS-700: NIMS, An Introduction and ICS-100: Introduction to ICS. These courses provide a basic understanding of the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System. Everyone directly involved in managing an emergency should understand the command reporting structures.

Question: Who does NIMS apply to?

Answer: NIMS is applicable to State, tribal and local governments, private sector organizations, critical infrastructure owners and operators, nongovernmental organizations and other organizations with an active role in emergency management and incident response. Elected and appointed officials, who are responsible for jurisdictional policy decisions, must also have a clear understanding of their emergency management roles and responsibilities to better serve their constituency.

Question: ho has to take NIMS and ICS training?

Answer: All Federal, State, Tribal, and Local entities, Private Sector and Nongovernmental personnel with a direct role in emergency management and response must be NIMS and ICS trained. This includes all emergency services related disciplines such as EMS, hospitals, public health, fire service, law enforcement, public works/utilities, skilled support personnel, and other emergency management response, support and volunteer personnel.

Training requirements can be reviewed below.

NIMS / ICS Training

Required & Recommended Training*

*This page will be updated to reflect current requirements according to the NIMS 5 year training plan.

Required, Available Online

The Emergency Management Institute offers numerous online courses that directly support National efforts to train people at all levels on their role in the Framework.

For a complete list of NIMS /NRF courses, please visit:

FEMA National Disaster & Emergency Management University (NDEMU)

Below are the new NIMS compliant courses that follow NIMS guidelines:

IS-100.b (ICS 100) - Introduction to Incident Command System
IS-200.b (ICS 200) - ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
IS-700.a - National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
IS-800.b - National Response Framework, An Introduction

NOTE: Any of the versions of these courses are considered equivalent.

Required Online Courses

IS-29 - Public Information Officer Awareness* *It is recommended for Tribal, Local and State public information officers.
IS-703.a - NIMS Resource Management Course* *It is recommended for government, private-sector, and nongovernmental organization individuals and teams who are charged with working together in a network to manage resources during domestic incidents.
IS-706 - NIMS Intrastate Mutual Aid*, An Introduction *It is recommended for State, local, and tribal emergency response and coordination personnel.
IS-2200 - Basic Emergency Operations Center Functions* *It is recommended for Federal, state, local and tribal emergency managers; first responders to include incident commanders from all emergency management disciplines; private industry personnel responsible for coordination activities during a disaster; and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) personnel.

Required, Classroom Only

IS-400 (G400) - Advanced Incident Command* *Prerequisites; IS-100, -200, -300, -700, -800
IS-300 (G300) - Intermediate Incident Command* *Prerequisites; IS-100, -200, -700, -800

For courses offered by Charleston County Emergency Management Contact:

Jackie Ong

Phone: (843) 746-3800

Email: JOng@CharlestonCounty.org

Training Requirements*

*Federal/State/Local/Tribal/Private Sector & Non-governmental personnel to include:

Entry Level First Responders & Disaster Workers

Audience

Required Training

Required

Emergency Medical Service personnel
Firefighters
Hospital staff
Law Enforcement personnel
Public Health personnel
Public Works/Utility personnel
Skilled Support Personnel
Other emergency management response, support, volunteer personnel at all levels

Reccommended

Elected Officials

FEMA IS-700 NIMS An Introduction
ICS-100 Introduction to ICS or equivalent

First Line Supervisors

Audience

Required Training

Required

Single resource leaders, field supervisors and other emergency management/response personnel that require a higher level of ICS/NIMS Training
Public Information Officers: FEMA IS-702a National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) Public Information Systems

FEMA IS-700B NIMS An Introduction
FEMA IS-706 NIMS Intrastate Mutual Aid - An Introduction
FEMA IS-800C National Response Framework (NRF) An Introduction
ICS-100 Introduction to ICS or equivalent
ICS-200 Basic ICS or equivalent

Mid-Level Management

Audience

Required Training

Required

Including strike team leaders, task force leaders, unit leaders, division/group supervisors, branch directors, and; personnel of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). Emergency operations center staff
Public Information Officers: FEMA IS-702a National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) Public Information Systems

FEMA IS-700B NIMS An Introduction
FEMA IS-703a NIMS Resource Management Course
FEMA IS-706 NIMS Intrastate Mutual Aid - An Introduction
FEMA IS-775 EOC Management and Operations
FEMA IS-800C National Response Framework (NRF) An Introduction
ICS-100 Introduction to ICS or equivalent
ICS-200 Basic ICS or equivalent
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS or equivalent

Command & General Staff

Audience

Required Training

Required

Command and general staff, select department heads with multi-agency coordination system responsibilities, area commanders and emergency managers
Public Information Officers: FEMA IS-702a National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) Public Information Systems

FEMA IS-700 NIMS An Introduction
FEMA IS-703a NIMS Resource Management Course
FEMA IS-706 NIMS Intrastate Mutual Aid - An Introduction
FEMA IS-775 EOC Management and Operations
FEMA IS-800 National Response Framework (NRF) An Introduction
ICS-100 Introduction to ICS or equivalent
ICS-200 Basic ICS or equivalent
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS or equivalent
ICS-400 Advanced ICS or equivalent

Additional Training Assets

SCEMD Training Resources* *This site also offers courses for the responders within the state
SC State FIre Academy

Locate Browser Version

NIMS / ICS Information

Contact

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

NIMS / ICS Training

Required & Recommended Training*

Required, Available Online

Required Online Courses

Required, Classroom Only

Training Requirements*

Entry Level First Responders & Disaster Workers

First Line Supervisors

Mid-Level Management

Command & General Staff

Additional Training Assets