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.
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C.
Responsibilities
The NIMS Integration
Center will be further responsible for
•
|
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;
|
•
|
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
|
-
|
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:
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|
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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