National Incident Management System

1. National Incident Management System Dr. Jack W. Snyder Environmental Health Outreach Panel Tallahassee, Florida December 6, 2004

2. snyderj@mail.nlm.nih.gov Dr. Jack W. Snyder Associate Director National Library of Medicine

3. National IncidentManagement System • Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) – 5 (Management of Domestic Incidents) (February 28, 2003) • Initial National Response Plan (September 30, 2003) • National Incident Management System (March 1, 2004) • Letter from DHS to State Governors (September 8, 2004)

4. Homeland Security Presidential Directive - 5 • “To prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies, the U.S. government shall establish a single, comprehensive approach to domestic incident management. In these efforts, with regard to domestic incidents, the U.S. government treats crisis management and consequence management as a single, integrated function, rather than two separate functions. The Secretary of Homeland Security is the principal Federal official for domestic incident management.”

5. Initial National Response Plan • Bridging document between existing, operative federal plans and a “full” NRP • National Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC) is primary hub • Interagency Incident Management Group (IIMG) • Assistant to President for Homeland Security responsible for interagency coordination • Principal Federal Official can represent DHS Secretary at incident and in Joint Field Office

6. National IncidentManagement System • “NIMS strengthens America’s response capabilities by identifying and integrating core elements and best practices for all responders and incident managers. Through a balance between flexibility and standardization, and use of common doctrine, terminology, concepts, principles, and processes, execution during a real incident will be consistent and seamless. Responders will be able to focus more on response, instead of organizing the response, and teamwork and assignments among all authorities will be clearly enhanced.” - Tom Ridge

7. National Incident Management System • “Creates a unified chain of command for federal, state, and local lines of government for incident response” • Mgmt. template for “one mission, one fight” • Attempt to bring consistency to incident mgmt • Implementation required for continued federal assistance for “grants, contracts, and other activities”

8. National IncidentManagement System • First-ever federal attempt at standardized approach and common language • “Principal Federal Official” supercedes “Federal Coordinating Officer” • Key to a safe and secure future? OR Unfunded mandate?

9. Key Features of NIMS • Incident Command System (ICS) • Communications & Information Management • Preparedness • Joint Information System (JIS) • NIMS Integration Center (NIC)

10. Five Essential Functions of ICS • Command • Operations • Planning • Logistics • Finance & Administration

11. INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM • Most incidents are managed locally • Must accord with standard set of ICS organizations, doctrine & procedures • Modular, scalable, interactive management components, measurable objectives • Common terminology, standards, procedures • Should not disrupt existing operations

12. INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM • User friendly and widely applicable • Common terms for organizational functions, resource descriptions & incident facilities • Reliance on incident action plans (IAPs) • Span of control (3 to 7 subordinates) • Pre-designated incident locations & facilities

13. INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM • Comprehensive resource management • Integrated communications enable common situational awareness • Establishment & Transfer of Command • Chain of Command and Unity of Command • Accountability, Deployment, Info Mgmt

14. COMMAND • Single Command IC • Single jurisdiction • IC has sole responsibility for objectives & strategy • Unified Command • Multijurisdictional or multiagency • Joint determination of objectives, strategies, plans

15. COMMAND • Incident Commander plus Command Staff • Public Information Officer • Safety Officer • Liaison Officer • General Staff • Operation Section Chief • Planning Section Chief • Logistics Section Chief • Finance/Administration Section Chief

16. OPERATIONS • Hazard reduction, saving lives, situation control, restoration of normal operations • Section Chief-Branches-Divisions-Groups • Resources • Single Resources (individual items) • Task Forces (any combination) • Strike Teams (set number)

17. PLANNING • Collect-evaluate-disseminate info/intelligence • Units – Resources, Situation, Demobilization, Documentation, Technical Specialists • Develops Incident Action Plan (IAP) • Incident Objectives, Organization Chart • Assignment List, Communication Plan • Logistics Plan, Responder Medical Plan • Incident Map, Health and Safety Plan

18. LOGISTICS, FINANCE • Logistics • Responsible for all support requirements • Units include Supply, Food, Ground Support, Communications, Facilities, Medical • Finance/Administration • Responsible for cost analysis and “burn rates” • Units include Compensation/Claims, Procurement, Cost, and Time

19. Preparedness • Cycle of planning, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, correcting & mitigating • Involves “Organizations” & “Programs” • “Plans” – “Operational Core of Preparedness” • Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) • Procedures – Overview, SOP, FOG & Job Aid • Preparedness Plans • Corrective Action and Mitigation Plans • Recovery Plans

20. Preparedness • Training & Exercises – NIMS Integration Ctr. • Personnel Qualification & Certification • Equipment Certification • Mutual Aid Agreements • Publication Management

21. Resource Management • Personnel-teams-facilities-equipment-supplies • Establish-activate-dispatch-deactivate/recall • CONCEPTS: Uniform methods-mutual aid-credentialing-coordination • PRINCIPLES: Advance planning-identification-ordering-categorizing-pre-incident agreements-acquisition procedure-MIS-tracking systems

22. Essential Resource Management Processes • Must Identify, Type, Certify, Credential, Inventory, Identify Requirements, Order, Acquire, Mobilize, Track, Report, Recover, and Reimburse • Must Establish NIM Resource Typing System & Nat’l Typing Protocol with Data Elements & Definitions

23. Communication & Information Management • Common Operating Picture Accessible Across Jurisdictions and Functional Agencies • Common Terminology, Communications and Data Standards, and Systems Interoperability • NIMSIC Framework Guides Info Systems with: • Documented Policies (pre-incident, integration, networks, use of technology) • Interoperability Standards (notification, status, analytical data, geospatial info, wireless, ID & authentication, nat’l database of incident reports

24. Supporting Technologies • Interoperability, Compatibility, Support, Standards, Needs Assessments and Priorities, Strategic R&D Planning • Three Principal Activities: • Operational Scientific Support (event-driven) • Technical Standards Support (based on performance measurement, consensus with SDOs, test and evaluation by objective experts, technical guidelines for training emergency responders) • R&D to solve operational problems

25. Standards Development Organizations • National Institute of Justice • Nat’l Institute for Standards and Technology • Nat’l Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health • American National Standards Institute • American Society for Testing and Materials • National Fire Protection Association

26. Ongoing Management & Maintenance • NIMS Integration Center – Responsibilities: • Education & awareness • Compatibility of standards • Publication of guidance and templates • Assessment criteria, compliance requirements & timelines • Training requirements, standards, guidelines, protocols & curricula

27. Ongoing Management & Maintenance • NIMS Integration Center – Responsibilities: • Publication management system • Review of discipline-specific PM requirements • Credentialing standards for ER & IM personnel • Credentialing documentation & database system • Establishing standards for performance, compatibility, and interoperability of IM equipment and systems

28. Ongoing Management & Maintenance • NIMS Integration Center – Responsibilities: • Develop national standards for typing of resources • Facilitate info framework and coordinate establishment of technical/technology standards for NIMS users • Establish repository and clearinghouse for reports, “lessons learned,” best practices, model structures, and model processes for NIMS-related functions

29. DHS Letter to Governors • Outlines major steps in FY 2005 “to become compliant with NIMS” • Incorporate NIMS into existing training programs and exercises • Ensure that fed preparedness funding supports NIMS implementation at state and local levels • Incorporate NIMS into Emergency Operations Plans (EOP)

30. DHS Letter to Governors • Promote intrastate mutual aid agreements • Coordinate and provide technical assistance to local entities regarding NIMS • Institutionalize the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) • Complete NIMS Awareness Course (IS 700) at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is700.asp

31. DHS Letter to Governors • Formally recognize the NIMS and adopt the NIMS principles and policies • Establish a NIMS baseline by determining which NIMS requirements are already met • Establish a timeframe and develop a strategy for full NIMS implementation

32. DHS Letter to Governors • FY 2005 – attempt to comply fully with NIMS • FY 2006 – leverage assistance to reach full NIMS compliance • FY 2007 – fed assistance conditioned upon full NIMS compliance • For assistance, see http://www.fema.gov/nims

33. Critique of NIMS • “Another unfunded mandate . . .” • “Feds are moving too fast to implement . . .” • “System lacks clarity . . .” • “Insufficient training and funding, especially for police . . .” • “Implementing 518 measurable requirements by FY 2006 is Herculean . . .” (NIMSCAST) (see 69 (108) Fed Reg 31626 et seq.) • “How will compliance be determined?”

34. Critique of NIMS by Cohen, et al.(Am J Pub Health 2004;94:1667-1671) • “The present expansion of BT preparedness programs will continue to squander health resources, increase the dangers of accidental or purposeful release of dangerous pathogens, and further undermine efforts to enforce international treaties to ban biological and chemical weapons. The PH community should acknowledge the substantial harm that BT preparedness has already caused, and develop mechanisms to increase our PH resources and to allocate them to address the world’s real health needs.”