A: NIMS provides a consistent nationwide framework and approach to enable government at all levels (Federal, State, tribal, and local), the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to work together to prepare for, prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents regardless of the incident's cause, size, location, or complexity.

Consistent application of NIMS lays the groundwork for efficient and effective responses, from a single agency fire response to a multiagency, multijurisdictional natural disaster or terrorism response. Entities that have integrated NIMS into their planning and incident management structure can arrive at an incident with little notice and still understand the procedures and protocols governing the response, as well as the expectations for equipment and personnel. NIMS provides commonality in preparedness and response efforts that allow diverse entities to readily integrate and, if necessary, establish unified command during an incident.

A: NIMS Components link together and work in unison to form a comprehensive incident management system. NIMS Components include:

• Preparedness
• Communications and Information Management
• Resource Management
• Command and Management
• Ongoing Management and Maintenance

A: NIMS is applicable to State, tribal and local governments, private sector organizations, critical infrastructure owners and operators, nongovernmental organizations and other organizations with an active role in emergency management and incident response. Elected and appointed officials, who are responsible for jurisdictional policy decisions, must also have a clear understanding of their emergency management roles and responsibilities to better serve their constituency.

A: The NIMS and NRF are companion documents and are designed to improve the Nation's incident management and response capabilities. While NIMS provides the template for the management of incidents regardless of size, scope or cause, the NRF provides the structure and mechanisms for national level policy of incident response. Together, the NIMS and the NRF integrate the capabilities and resources of various governmental jurisdictions, incident management and emergency response disciplines, non-governmental organizations, and the private-sector into a cohesive, coordinated, and seamless national framework for domestic incident response.

A. All Federal, State, Tribal, and Local entities, Private Sector and Nongovernmental personnel with a direct role in emergency management and response must be NIMS and ICS trained. This includes all emergency services related disciplines such as EMS, hospitals, public health, fire service, law enforcement, public works/utilities, skilled support personnel, and other emergency management response, support and volunteer personnel. Click here for training requirements.

A. The National Integration Center (NIC) Incident Management Systems Division strongly recommends that all elected official who will be interacting with multiple jurisdictions and agencies during an incident at the minimum, complete IS-700: NIMS, An Introduction and ICS-100: Introduction to ICS. These courses provide a basic understanding of the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System. Everyone directly involved in managing an emergency should understand the command reporting structures.

This page will be updated to reflect current requirements according to the NIMS 5 year training plan.

Required, Available Online

The Emergency Management Institute offers numerous online courses that directly support National efforts to train people at all levels on their role in the Framework. (Complete list of NIMS /NRF courses) Emergency Management Institute

Below are the new NIMS compliant courses that follow NIMS guidelines.

• IS-100.b - (ICS 100) Introduction to Incident Command System
• IS-200.b (ICS 200) ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
• IS-700.a National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
• IS-800.b National Response Framework, An Introduction

Note: Any of the versions of these courses are considered equivalent.

Required, Classroom Only

• IS-300 (G300) Intermediate Incident Command
  Prerequisites; IS- 100,200,700,800
• IS-400 (G400) Advanced Incident Command
  Prerequisites; IS- 100,200,300,700,800

For courses offered by Charleston County Emergency Management Contact:
Jackie Ong: jong@charlestoncounty.org or (843)746-3800

Required Online Courses

• IS-29: Public Information Officer Awareness
  It is recommended for Tribal, Local and State public information officers.
• IS-703.a NIMS Resource Management Course
  It is recommended for government, private-sector, and nongovernmental organization individuals and teams who are charged with working together in a network to manage resources during domestic incidents.
• IS-706 NIMS Intrastate Mutual Aid - An Introduction
  It is recommended for State, local, and tribal emergency response and coordination personnel.
• IS-2200: Basic Emergency Operations Center Functions
  It is recommended for Federal, state, local and tribal emergency managers; first responders to include incident commanders from all emergency management disciplines; private industry personnel responsible for coordination activities during a disaster; and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) personnel.

Federal/State/Local/Tribal/Private Sector & Non-governmental personnel to include:

Additional Training Assets

• U.S. Fire Administration
• Emergency Management Institute Training
• The South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) training web site also offers courses for the responders within the state: http://www.scemd.org/training/index.html
• The SC State Fire Academy also offers a selection of courses: http://www.scfa.state.sc.us