A.
CONCEPTS and PRINCIPLES.
The process for managing
and maintaining the NIMS ensures that all users and stakeholders—including various levels of
government, functional disciplines, and private entities—are
given the opportunity to participate in NIMS Integration Center
activities. To accomplish this goal, the NIMS Integration Center
will be multijurisdictional and multidisciplinary and will maintain
appropriate liaison with private organizations.
The NIMS management and maintenance process relies heavily on
lessons learned from actual incidents and domestic incident management
training and exercises, as well as recognized best practices
across jurisdictions and functional disciplines.
B.
STRUCTURE AND PROCESS.
The Secretary of Homeland Security will establish and administer
the NIMS Integration Center. Proposed changes to the NIMS will
be submitted to the NIMS Integration Center for consideration,
approval, and publication. The Secretary has ultimate authority
and responsibility for publishing revisions and modifications
to NIMS-related documents, including supplementary standards,
procedures, and other materials, in coordination with other Federal,
State, local, tribal, and private entities with incident management
and emergency responder responsibilities, expertise, and experience.
TOP
C. Responsibilities
The NIMS Integration Center will be further responsible for
•
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developing a national
program for NIMS education and awareness, including specific
instruction on the purpose and content of this document
and the NIMS in general;
|
•
|
promoting compatibility between
national-level standards for the NIMS and those developed
by other public, private, and/or professional groups;
|
•
|
facilitating the development
and publication of materials (such as supplementary documentation
and desk guides) and standardized templates to support
implementation and continuous refinement of the NIMS;
|
•
|
developing assessment criteria
for the various components of the NIMS, as well as compliance
requirements and compliance timelines for Federal, State,
local, and tribal entities regarding NIMS standards and
guidelines;
|
•
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facilitating the definition
of general training requirements and the development of
national-level training standards and course curricula
associated with the NIMS, including the following:
-
|
the use
of modeling and simulation capabilities for training
and exercise programs
|
-
|
field-based training,
specification of mission-essential tasks, requirements
for specialized instruction and instructor training,
and course completion documentation for all NIMS
users
|
-
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the review and recommendation
(in coordination with national professional organizations
and Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector,
and nongovernmental entities) of discipline-specific
NIMS training courses
|
|
| • |
facilitating the development
of national standards, guidelines, and protocols for incident
management training and exercises, including consideration
of existing exercise and training programs at all jurisdictional
levels; |
| • |
facilitating the establishment
and maintenance of a publication management system for documents
supporting the NIMS and other NIMS-related publications and
materials, including the development or coordination of general
publications for all NIMS users, as well as their issuance
via a NIMS publication management system; |
| • |
reviewing (in coordination with
appropriate national professional standards-making, certifying,
and accrediting organizations and with input from Federal,
State, local, tribal, private-sector and nongovernmental
entities) of the discipline-specific publication management
requirements submitted by professional organizations and
associations; |
| • |
facilitating the development
and publication of national standards, guidelines, and protocols
for the qualification and certification of emergency responder
and incident management personnel, as appropriate; |
| • |
reviewing and approving (with
the assistance of national professional organizations and
with input from Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector,
and nongovernmental entities), as appropriate, the discipline-specific
qualification and certification requirements submitted by
emergency responder and incident management organizations
and associations; |
| • |
facilitating the establishment
and maintenance of a documentation and database system related
to qualification, certification, and credentialing of incident
management personnel and organizations, including reviewing
and approving (in coordination with national professional
organizations and with input from the Federal, State, local,
tribal, private-sector and nongovernmental entities), as appropriate,
of the discipline-specific requirements submitted by functionally
oriented incident management organizations and associations. |
| • |
establishment
of a data maintenance system to provide incident managers
with the detailed qualification,
experience, and training information needed to credential
personnel for prescribed “national” incident
management positions; |
| • |
coordination of minimum professional
certification standards and facilitation of the design and
implementation of a credentialing system that can be used
nationwide; |
| • |
facilitating the establishment
of standards for the performance, compatibility, and interoperability
of incident management equipment and communications systems,
including the following:
-
|
facilitating,
in coordination with appropriate Federal agencies,
standards-making, certifying, and accrediting organizations,
and appropriate State, local, tribal, private-sector,
and nongovernmental organizations, the development
and/or publication of national standards, guidelines,
and protocols for equipment certification (including
the incorporation of standards and certification
programs already in existence and used by incident
management and emergency response organizations nationwide)
|
-
|
reviewing and approving
(in coordination with national professional organizations
and with input from Federal, State, local, tribal,
private-sector, and nongovernmental entities) lists
of equipment that meet these established equipment
certification requirements
|
-
|
collaborating with organizations
responsible for emergency responder equipment evaluation
and testing
|
|
| • |
facilitating the development
and issuance of national standards for the typing of resources; |
| • |
facilitating
the definition and maintenance of the information framework
required to guide
the development of NIMS information systems, including the
development of data standards for the following: incident
notification and situation reports, status reporting, analytical
data, geospatial information, wireless communications, identification
and authentication, and incident reports, including “lessons
learned” reports; |
| • |
coordinating the establishment
of technical and technology standards for NIMS users in concert
with the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the
Department of Homeland Security and recognized SDOs; |
| • |
integrating
into the national R&D agenda, in coordination with
the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department
of Homeland
Security, the incident management science and technology
needs of departments, agencies, disciplines, private-sector,
and nongovernmental organizations operating within the NIMS
at all levels; and |
| • |
establishing and maintaining
a repository and clearinghouse for reports and lessons learned
from actual incidents, training, and exercises, as well as
for best practices, model structures, and model processes
for NIMS-related functions. |
<< Chapter
VI - SUPPORTING TECHNOLOGIES
Appendix A - THE INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM >>
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