The National Incident Management System (NIMS)

The CPG 101 incorporates the concepts of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) into the planning guide. NIMS is the result of Homeland Security Directive Five. The directive came from President Bush February 28, 2003. The goal of NIMS was to offer a necessary foundation for emergency management to identify, prepare, respond and recover in any emergent situation. The approach and vocabulary established with NIMS remains the same nationwide to ensure consistency.

After September 11, 2001, the Department of Homeland of Security was formed in response to the terrorist attacks. Out of the birth of the agencies formed, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) was created to allow clear allocation of resources and a systematic approach to emergency management. The system can be effective in many responses where many levels of government and response are imminent to respond to the disaster. Many of these agencies are emergency management, police, fire, health, and EMS from all levels of government. NIMS can be used on any type of incident and of any size or scope in nature.

The whole world observed as the administration responders appeared incapable to provide essential protection from the effects of nature. The deprived response results from a failure to accomplish a number of risk factors (Moynihan, 2009). The dangers of a major hurricane striking New Orleans had been measured, and there was sufficient warning of the threat of Katrina that announcements of emergency were made days in advance of landfall (Moynihan, 2009). Nonetheless, the responders were unsuccessful to change this information into a level of preparation suitable with the possibility of the approaching disaster. Federal responders failed to recognize the need to more actively engage (Moynihan, 2009). These improvements include improved ability to provide support to states and tribes ahead of a disaster; developed a national disaster recovery strategy to guide recovery efforts after major disasters and emergencies; and the Establishment of Incident Management Assistance Teams in which these full time, rapid response teams are able to deploy within two hours and arrive at an incident within 12 hours to support the local incident commander (FEMA,

The President of the United States of America issued the Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-5 on February 28th, 2003 for managing Domestic incidents like terrorist attacks. The HSPD-5 helped create the National Incident Management System (NIMS), (Homeland Security, 2004). The use of the Incident Management System and Incident Command System can help manage the response to an attack involving Weapons of Mass Destruction among many other emergencies. These systems allow for coordination to be used in a proper and efficient manner. Without a system in place communication and coordination can fall apart and the response will not be prompt as it needs to be to protect lives and infrastructure.

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),

(2006). National Response Framework. Retrieved from http://ct2learn.com/els/resources/documents/department-homeland-security-national-response-framework/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS). (2008). National Incident Management System (NIMS).

This paper will explain an overview perspective of the September 11th attacks, as well as examine the response of local emergency personnel to this incident. I will discuss the lack of coordination amongst emergency personnel, and also analyze the connection between this event and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). This paper will also reveal the challenges faced due to interoperability and the ways in which improvements were made and improvements many believe still need to be made.

After the horrific attacks on September 11th, 2001, The United States had a new mission at hand. They needed to repair their procedures of responding to natural disasters or massive attacks. They needed to create a system that would ensure that everyone, from local law enforcement to the top guy in the federal government, were in sync and on the same page for training purposes and during actual national incidents. The American government did a review of the 2001 attacks and discussed what caused the issue, what steps or procedures were carried out, and what could have been done in order to correct any faults that might of taken place. One of the main issues discovered, was all the different agencies, departments, and private sectors

The overwhelming extent of disruption and destruction at all levels of emergency management, and all levels of government particularly during the preparedness and response phases, made Hurricane Katrina a catastrophe. Prior to the 2005 hurricane, the National Response System underwent restructuring which produced both intended and unintended outcomes, which later on, became apparent during the response to Hurricane Katrina. In addition, the National Incident Management System structure implied, but did not define, an information flow that would ensure a common situational awareness at all levels of the distributed decision network. As a result, this lead to a communication breakdown between the federal, state, and local government and prevented

These three living documents work hand-in-hand, continuously evolving to improve consistency and account for changing conditions. The National Preparedness Goal, as of 2011, sets the vision and overall policy for nationwide preparedness. The National Incident Management System provides the template for managing incidents at all levels, while the National Response Framework gives structure to national-level incident management and response policy. (pg. 2)

FEMA works with many agencies for disaster management. Once a federal emergency has been declared, the National Response Framework (NRF) take effect to assist specific needs from disaster with focuses on response and short-term recovery (Stanhope & Lancaster 2014, p 256). National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a proactive approach to guide all departments to reduce loss of life and property and harm to environment (Stanhope & Lancaster 2014, p 256). Since 2003, FEMA became part of U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and by 2007 FEMA responded to more than 2700 presidentially declared disasters to help communities

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.

NIMS is a uniform set of processes and procedures that emergency responders at all levels of government will use to conduct response operations. NIMS helps improve cooperation and interoperability among organizations. The framework is adaptable and accessible. It encourages all hazards preparedness. NIMS enables a variety of organizations to contribute successfully in emergency management and incident response. NIMS creates uniform professional emergency management and incident response practices.

It is also designed as a standard, cooperate tool used for managing incidents. “The concepts contained herein provide for a flexible but standardized set of incident management practices with emphasis on common principles, a consistent approach to operational structures and supporting mechanisms, and an integrated approach to resource management” (Department of Homeland Security, 2015). The NIMS has several functions that work in collaboration to provide the necessary tools for response efforts. These functions include: NIMS Doctrine Supporting Guides and Tools; Training; Resource Management and Mutual Aid; Implementation Guidance and Reporting; NIMS Alerts; FEMA NIMS Regional Contacts; and Incident Command System Resources. These functions work together to produce the Department of Homeland Security’s effective emergency response strategy.

Today, the Incident Command System (ICS) is a major component of NIMS and is widely used in emergency management response. However, this was not always the case. According to David A. McEntire and Gregg Dawson, authors of the article, “The intergovernmental Context,” ICS was originally developed by the fire service in 1970. Its purpose was to assist in the command of wildfire events. It was unique because it standardized operations, yet offered flexibility so that it could be used on any number of events, regardless of size or type (McEntire & Dawson, 2007, p. 63).