The National Incident Management System

The current communication systems between first responders and other emergency officials have many existing problems. The first issue in communication between first responders is the inability to communicate over a completely wireless system. Wireless communication systems allow first responders to communicate, no matter the situation in which they are thrown. Communication through wireless systems are also more efficient, due to the updated technology that is used for wireless systems. First responders are also unable to communicate with exactly who they want,

All forms of social media and functions will be in communications plans and strategies. Emergency management will constantly be adapting to new technologies. There can no longer be media avoidance by emergency officials. Emergency agencies must accept the expanded role of communications in all four phases of emergency management and embrace it as a valuable tool in meeting the needs of the

As stated earlier, the 9/11 attacks revealed the indomitable spirit of the US and awakened a sleeping giant, which was very reminiscent of the US response following the attacks by the Japanese on US forces in Hawaii. Both 9/11 and Pearl Harbor attacks galvanized the American people into action and caused the government to heavily invest resources to combat enemies of the US; the Axis enemies during World War II and “the terrorists”, wherever they may be located, following 9/11. One of the first NIST deficiencies to be corrected were the operational protocols for intra- and inter-agency communication. This, in part, has been addressed in the Incident Command System (ICS) since the purpose of ICS is to integrate operations between public safety entities at all levels of government.

The National Incident Management System is a systematic guideline on how to effectively plan, mitigate, respond and recover, from significant incidences especially those that encompass diverse interest and involves all levels of governments. It works hand in hand with the National Response Framework, which provides structure for incident management while NIMS provide the guide for all departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work flawlessly during incident management to reduce loss of life and property (U. S. Department of Homeland Security, 2008). The core aspect of the National Incident Management System during incident response is the Incident Command System (ICS),

Since these happen on a very rare basis, they usually do not feel as comfortable with responding to these type of incidents. Nonetheless these events are happening more often then not, and first responders must be knowledgeable, non complacent, a caught up to speed on the procedures for reacting to more severe circumstances. During any mainstream event that becomes fatal and tragic, the general public expect emergency personnel to be there simultaneously and start evaluating the situation. The preservation of life and reduction of injury are their top priority, however, they must be well trained in this area, and have coordinated sources and command control. (Walsh, 2012)

In everyday life communication is one of the most important aspects to receiving information. The information is not just verbal but reading or visual as well. Every morning we wake up and turn on the tv or sit down and read the newspaper. We begin to absorb the information and this continues throughout the day. The fire service no different. We rely on good communication to get our message across. Although, sometimes we fail to effectively use our communications well. This is not only at the company level, but as well in informing the public. I was once told, "information is power" and I certainly agree. Although, the key is to have effective and accurate information. Within the Incident Command System among the Command Staff rests a very

49). In order for all of the leaders of the different infrastructures to be successful at eliminating or mitigating such attacks they will need a common form of communication as all of their systems have been proven to affect each other. One tool to help eliminate such communication barriers is the National Incident Management System (NIMS). This system “is a standardized management plan that provides a core set of concepts for incident command and multi-agency coordination during emergency response” (Kamien, 2012, p. 486). With such systems as NIMS the government realized that no one system can work without the other and if one fails they all fail causing wide spread panic and various other hurdles for emergency responders to respond to. It is up to the government to realize that our world is no longer ran manually, but rather digitally so that we can better prepare for possible cyber attacks on our key critical infrastructures.

In September of 2001, the worst terrorist tragedy that has ever occurred on American soil, and quite possibly in the world, rocked the foundations of the United States of America. The unimpeded destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center led many to wonder how an event of such magnitude could not have been foreseen and prevented. Later, many sources led us to believe that it was not that the information was not there, but rather, it was the inability of intelligence communities and law enforcement agencies to communicate the data among themselves that resulted in the greatest security breach in American history. To combat this inability to coordinate use of data and information, the Defense Advanced

Emergency services face vast difficulties in the operations field when handling emergency situations, whether it comes from handling a minor accident to a catastrophic catastrophy. Many of the difficulties do not come from the actual incident, but instead they arise from forming a rescue team containing different agencies and people. For the benefit off all individuals participating, it is imperative that there be a unified command structure in place to effectively coordinate and oversee the tasks that need to be accomplished. The need of a unified command was seen from the hardships faced in incidents, bringing forth the development of the Incident Command System that was designed to be used in an array of conditions, to bring all

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) was established by the federal government in 2004 after the inappropriate response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11s showed that reorganization was needed for dealing with disaster matters (FEMA, n. d.). Thus, NIMS provides a unique template for all levels of government, the NGOs, and the private to work together in order to reduce the loss of life, damage to properties by preparing for, responding to, mitigating , and recovering from any disaster (FEMA, n. d.). According to Lindell, Prater, and Perry, NIMS is dynamic and applies to planned events as no-notice events and forecasted events (2007). For FEMA (n. d.), NIMS components are adaptable to any situation, from routine events to those requiring

As preparedness is the foundation to the National Preparedness System (NPS), the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is the common approach for managing incidents with concepts that provide for flexible but standardized sets of incident management practices; and provides the template for the management of incidents and operations in support of “all five National Planning Frameworks”. (FEMA NIMS 2015). The NIMS established the standardization of incident management protocols and procedures that all Federal, State, and local responders should use to conduct and coordinate response actions. Furthermore, the NIMS sets forth a “core set of doctrine, concepts, principles, terminology and organizational processes to enable effective, efficient,

As the Disaster Coordinator for the city I am responsible for ensuring the public safety and welfare of the citizens within the city's jurisdiction. This requires me to have a full understanding on my role and responsibilities for managing disaster response and employing resources in order to save lives, protect property, the environment. Additionally I’m tasked to preserve the less tangible but equally important social, economic and political structures. My first reaction was to alert the regional Joint Terrorism Task Force to prepare them for possible activation. Next it is vital to gain situational awareness and develop a Common Operating Picture (COP). This COP is the who, what, where, when and how as it relates to the incident. Situational awareness starts at the incident site and includes continuous monitoring of reporting channels to gain

Unfortunately, a disaster can affect any number of communities anywhere and at any time. Seemingly, the public in these areas can have diverse backgrounds with different expectations, especially during a crisis. Therefore, the emergency management professionals need to be able to understand how to communicate with these various groups during hostile conditions. Moreover, the information needs to be

Common terminology can reduce the language barriers and it will allow for individuals from a variety of countries to work together and communicate with each other during an incident. For example during Kashmir earthquake in 2005 the country had to recourse to international help, and a lot of countries responded and they have sent resources, equipment, supplies and professionals to help in the disaster management. the professionals were from multiple countries and they speak multiple language and here we can see the importance of the common terminology by helping them to work together and to communicate to each other

Today’s technology has enabled communication to various parts of the world a 24-hour service, which means that, in any emergency response circumstance, there will always be a continuous claim for information (Haddow & Haddow, 2013).