[KYHAM] Incident Command System and NIMS

[Ron Dodson]

I have been looking for a point of reference for those of us with 
lots of ICS training behind us as to where we stand now that NIMS 
is coming into play.  I finally located a reference in a position 
paper produced by OHS on the subject.  As it is 9 pages long, I 
have attached only the part we are concerned with here...

For anyone needing ICS that is NIMS compliant to hold them over 
until this fianlly is resolved, I suggest the home study course
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/downloads/IS195Comp.PDF  which 
has been declared NIMS compliant.

Ron, KA4MAP
SEC Ky

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What is NIMS ICS?

With the exception of the way the intelligence function is 
handled, the principles and concepts of NIMS (National Incident 
Management System) ICS are the same as the FIRESCOPE and NIIMS 
(National Interagency Incident Management System) ICS.

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ICS as taught by Homeland Security

One of the first steps for becoming compliant with the NIMS 
requires states and local governments to institutionalize the use 
of ICS (as taught by Homeland Security) across the entire 
response system. This means that ICS training must be consistent 
with the concepts, principles and characteristics of the ICS 
training offered by the various DHS training entities.  ICS 
training courses need not be taught by a DHS
employee or at a DHS facility, although they can be. 
Organizations that are developing ICS training courses should be 
sure to review their materials and revise them if they are not 
consistent with DHS concepts and principles.

Responders who have already been trained in ICS do not need 
retraining if their previous training is consistent with DHS 
standards. Since NIMS ICS is based on FIRESCOPE and NIIMS, any 
training developed or provided by FIRESCOPE and NIIMS is 
consistent with NIMS ICS.

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The Future of NIMS ICS Training



Over time, the NIMS Integration Center will continues to define 
the critical components of NIMS ICS, and training providers 
should update their courses accordingly. With so many training 
bodies and companies offering ICS training, it will be impossible 
in the near term for the Center to certify each training program 
as "NIMS ICS compliant."  But, the Center will provide NIMS ICS 
training and make the training materials available to others
who offer ICS training.

More specific ICS modules, such as those developed by FIRESCOPE 
to facilitate the use of ICS in situations other than wildland 
fires, should be reviewed and updated to become additional 
components of NIMS ICS training. The FIRESCOPE ICS modules 
include Multi-Casualty,Hazardous Materials, High-rise, 
Wildland/Urban Interface, and Urban Search and Rescue 
applications. As groups like the NWCG and FIRESCOPE
update their ICS training modules, the NIMS Integration Center 
will be an active participant. Those ICS modules can form the 
basis for a suite of ICS training materials in which responders 
from all disciplines and at all levels of government can learn 
how to fit into the ICS structure and how to work with other 
responders.

Updates and revisions to existing ICS training modules should 
include the modifications necessary to allow for multiple methods 
of delivery. To ensure that all responders adopt and use ICS, we 
must provide ICS training in numerous ways. Classroom 
instruction, field training, independent study and distance 
learning are all valuable training methods.  The more materials
and options that the Center and its partners, the training 
providers, can provide, the more responders will be trained to 
use ICS. ICS training also should encourage and support 
integrated training opportunities, where law enforcement, fire, 
public health, emergency medical, emergency management, and 
public works personnel from a jurisdiction are trained together 
on using ICS.  While the response disciplines may need specific 
tools and training to understand how they fit into the ICS 
structure, everyone should learn the same incident command system.