What is NIMS? NIMS was developed after the September 11 terrorist attacks and the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons. “The Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the HSPD-5 of 2003 mandated the creation of NIMS” (Jenson, 2011). The National Incident Management System is an all hazards approach to help guide departments and agencies work together to prevent, prepare, respond, recover and mitigate incidents. It is scalable as well as flexible. It is the sister doctrine to the National Response Framework. NIMS is just a template to go by while the NRF provides structure for incident management. NIMS is not meant to stand alone. In 2005 the implementation of NIMS was voluntary, however, as of the beginning of 2006, all levels of government agencies are being mandated to use NIMS. Currently, NIMS is being used in counties all across the United States. Core Components NIMS has five core components. The five core components are: preparedness, …show more content…
A unified approach is required in preparedness. Preparedness should be integrated into the other core components to form an effective system. Preparedness efforts should be coordinated among all agencies and organization within and across jurisdictions. Communications and Information Management Communications is a crucial part of effective emergency management and incident response. NIMS helps to describe the necessary requirements for communications and the need for a common operating picture. Resource Management The flow of resources is also a crucial step in effective emergency management and incident response. NIMS helps to describe and establish a process for effective resource management. Command and Management The structure provided in NIMS for effective command and management is based on the Incident Command System, Multiagency Coordination Systems, and Public Information. This component helps to provide effective and efficient coordination. Ongoing Management and