FEMA Seeks Comments on National Incident Management System

One of the things I'm interested in following with a new presidential administration coming in 2017 is what a new group of senior FEMA appointees might come up with to put their fingerprints on how emergency management is done in the nation. I'm thinking that we could just redefine what the terms preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery mean. In fact, why don't we throw out preparedness as a phase of emergency management! Let's lump them all together in one soup bowl and call it resilience. Until that happens, the current administration is trying to update one aspect of the post 9/11 emergency management world. In the "ever evolving" world of emergency management, see the announcement below for an opportunity to provide feedback on NIMS. 

FEMA Seeks Comments on National Incident Management System

Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released the updated National Incident Management System (NIMS) for a 30-day national engagement period. National engagement provides an opportunity for interested parties to comment on the draft updated NIMS, so that it reflects the collective expertise and experience of the whole community. The national engagement period will conclude at 5:00 pm EDT May 9, 2016.

FEMA supports the mission of strengthening the security and resilience of the nation by working to improve the ability of all to manage incidents, events and emergencies. 

NIMS provides a consistent, common approach and vocabulary to enable the whole community to work together seamlessly and manage all threats and hazards. NIMS applies to all incidents, regardless of cause, size, location or complexity.

The draft NIMS:
• Reiterates the concepts and principles of the original 2004 version and the updated 2008 version;
• Reflects and incorporates lessons learned from exercises and real world incidents and policy updates, such as the National Preparedness System, and 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;

Note that while we will continue to track NIMS implementation the adoption of CMS is not mandatory as part of preparedness grants;
• 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).

FEMA is hosting a series of 60-minute engagement webinars to highlight key proposed changes to NIMS and answer participant questions about submitting feedback. All webinars are open to the whole community.

To review the draft of the updated NIMS, and for additional webinar information, visit: https://www.fema.gov/national-incident-management-system/national-engagement. To provide comments on the draft complete the feedback form and submit it to FEMA-NIMS@fema.dhs.gov.