FEMA is planning to refresh the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and is seeking comment from stakeholders on a draft.
Created by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), NIMS is a standardized, systematic approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector to manage incidents involving all threats and hazards in order to reduce loss of life, property and harm to the environment.
Input is sought on a recently released draft of the refreshed NIMS, available on the National Engagement web page. FEMA has set a deadline of May 9 for comments. To brief stakeholders on the draft and answer stakeholders’ questions, FEMA is hosting several 60-minute webinars between April 18 through May 2. Information about the webinars is available on the engagement web page. Advance registration is required.
According to FEMA, the draft NIMS:
- Reflects and incorporates lessons learned from exercises and real world incidents and policy updates, such as the National Preparedness System and NIMS-related guidance, including the 2013 NIMS Intelligence/Investigation Function Guidance and Field Operations Guide;
- Reflects progress in resource typing and mutual aid and builds a foundation for the development of a national qualification system;
- Clarifies that NIMS is more than just the Incident Command System (ICS) and that it applies to all stakeholders with roles in incident management across all five mission areas (Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response and Recovery);
- Provides guidance on a common structure and activation levels for operations and coordination centers, including Emergency Operations Centers (EOC), through new Center Management System (CMS) guidance;
- Explains the relationship among ICS, CMS, and Multiagency Coordination Groups (MAC Groups); and
- Enhances guidance on information management processes to improve data collection plans, social media integration and the use of geographic information systems (GIS).