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Lessons Learned From The NIMS

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Introduction The events of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (9/11) resulted in far-reaching changes in emergency management doctrine and practices. After 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) used lessons learned from 9/11 and other previous disasters and developed the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in 2004 (FEMA, 2017, p iii). NIMS was developed by DHS to strengthen coordination and collaboration between all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector during incidents of all sizes and scopes. The NIMS guidebook states, “Originally issued in 2004, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a consistent nationwide template to enable partners across the Nation …show more content…

Hurricane Katrina that flooded and destroyed entire sections of the City of New Orleans in 2005 is a prime example of the enormity of resources necessary to respond to catastrophic disasters and the consequences that can happen if lifesaving resources are not staged prior to the storms arrival and do not reach the impacted areas in the disaster zone immediately after the disaster. After the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, and other past large-scale disasters, FEMA doctrine began to focus on a whole community approach to emergency management (FEMA, 2016). The severity of impacts disasters can have on communities can overwhelm local government resources and thus requires a whole community response that includes all levels of government, local government partners in the non-profit and private sectors, as well as the faith-based community. “This all-inclusive whole community approach focuses efforts and enables a full range of stakeholders to participate in national preparedness activities and to be full partners in incident response, including emergency management practitioners, first responders, and community leaders” (FEMA, 2016, p 5). However, for local emergency managers to implement a whole community approach, partnerships with community organizations, private businesses, and the local faith-based community must be established before a large-scale incident occurs. The next section of this paper will discuss coordination and collaboration through the practice of the Incident Command System

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