Organization of Emergency Management Functions, Organizations, and Activities

Modern emergency management in America is organized and conducted by the guidance provided within the concepts of several key systems. These systems allow for a “systematic, proactive approach” to managing incidents of all types and scopes. The key systems that provide this guidance are the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS). These two systems, along with the National Response Framework (NRF), work “hand in hand” to provide a flexible, robust, all-hazards response capability to emergency management personnel and organizations (DHS, 2008, p. 1).

The Relationship between the NRF, ICS, and NIMS

The NRF “provides the structure and mechanisms for national-level policy for incident management,” while NIMS “provides the template for the management of incidents,” with the ICS supplying a modular system of command and control for protocol for incident management under the concepts of NIMS (DHS, 2008, p. 1, 91). With NIMS and ICS both providing formal guidance for incident management, it is important to address the ways in which each system organizes the various functions, organizations, and activities of emergency management.

Organization of NIMS Components

NIMS provides a system of components that are designed to be an integrated framework for the management of incidents nationwide. The components of NIMS are: preparedness, communications and information management, resource management, command and management, and ongoing management and maintenance. The preparedness component consists of specific methods for operational preparedness necessary to ensure efficient response and management capabilities with an all-hazards approach. The elements contained within the scope of this component consist of “planning; procedures and protocols; training and exercises; personnel qualifications, licensure, and certification; and equipment certification.” The fundamental principles of preparedness under NIMS are to develop a unified approach to emergency response and incident management that applies to all organizations and all types of incidents, and to “establish and sustain necessary capabilities to execute a full range of emergency management and incident response activities” (DHS, 2008, p. 9-10).

The second component of NIMS is communications and information management. This component focuses on the use of communications and information systems that are flexible and allow for a constant flow of information during response functions. The principles of this component are an emphasis on “the need for and maintenance of a common operating picture; interoperability; reliability, scalability, and portability; and resiliency and redundancy of any system and its components” (DHS, 2008, p. 23).

The next NIMS component is resource management. This component is based on the understanding that properly managed resources, such as personnel, teams, facilities, equipment, and supplies, are necessary for an efficient emergency response to an incident. The underlying concepts of this are to: maintain consistency in the methods of resource identification, acquisition allocation and tracking; to standardize the classification of the resources needed in incident responses; the integrated coordination of resources; incorporating the use of available resources from all available sources into incident planning and response; including communications and information management elements into response management; and the use of “consistent training, licensure, and certification standards” in resource management (DHS, 2008, p. 31-2).

Command and management is the fourth component of NIMS. This component is based on the premise that “the Incident Command System (ICS), Multiagency Coordination System (MACS), and Public Information are the fundamental elements of incident management” because “These elements provide standardization through consistent terminology and established organizational structures” (DHS, 2008, p.45). These systems and this component of NIMS are founded on the following characteristics of incident management: common terminology, modular organization, management by objectives, incident action planning, manageable span of control, incident facilities and locations, comprehensive resource management, integrated communications, establishment and transfer of command, chain of command and unity of command, unified command, accountability, dispatch and deployment, information and intelligence management (FEMA, 2009, p. 2).

The last of the NIMS components is “ongoing management and maintenance.” The elements of this component are the National Integration Center (NIC) and Supporting Technologies. The NIC is the mechanism that was established under Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 to ensure “the ongoing management and maintenance of NIMS, including regular consultation with other Federal departments and agencies; State, tribal, and local stakeholders; nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and the private sector.” Supporting Technologies are the strategic research and development (R&D) elements of this component, and are based on the principles of interoperability and compatibility, technology support, technology standards, broad-based requirements, and strategic R&D planning (DHS, 2008, p. 79-80).

Organization of ICS Components

The ICS is comprised of “five major functional areas: Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration. (A sixth functional area, Intelligence/Investigations, may be established if required.)” (DHS, 2008, p. 91). A separate section that was included under the original Incident Management System was the Safety Section, but this responsibility is tasked under the command area in the NIMS ICS standards (Perry & Lindell, 2007, p. 393).

There are four support sections that fall under the command element of the ICS. These are the Operations section, which “deals directly with all operational activities at the incident site,” and the Planning section, which “demands units for resources, situation, demobilization, documentation, and technical specialists.” Additionally, there are the Logistics section, which is the “support mechanism for the incident response,” and oversees the functions of staging, accountability, rehabilitation, and resources, and the Finance/Administration section, which is responsible for procurement, cost recovery, liability, and risk management (Perry & Lindell, 2007, p. 391-2).

Federal, State, Local, and Industry Roles in Emergency Management

The lead agency in federal emergency management is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA’s role is American emergency management is to “plan, prepare, and respond to disasters in a way that functionally coordinates, or helps to coordinate, the provision of federal resources, human-power, and equipment possessed by “other” federal departments, agencies, and offices.” The act of actually delivering the assistance in nationally declared disasters is not FEMA’s responsibility. Rather, that is done through coordination with other entities from all levels of government and the private sector (Sylves, 2008, p. 136).

The federal government has, in the past two decades, further formalized its working relationships with the state governments through many new federal-state agreements and Performance Partnerships. These preemptive arrangements are vital to an efficient an integrated disaster response for numerous reasons. First, they allow for an effective and coordinated deployment of federal response capabilities when necessary and requested by the governor(s) of the affected state(s). Also, since all disasters start and end as local incidents, these agreements are integral in ensuring that the local and state governments have systems in place to be able to receive the appropriate federal assistance when needed (Sylves, 2008, p. 136).

A part of the collaborative national disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery assets that is often left out when addressing emergency management planning considerations is the role that industry in the private sector can play in all of these phases. Private sector entities can help to “ensure appropriate risk reduction strategies, adequate measures for implementation of protection and security measures, and a liability and insurance regime that takes proper account of the needs of the community and business sector alike.” The potential partners in this arena also possess “a large untapped potential to help provide skilled services in form of technical manpower or in-kind donations of goods or services for preparedness & emergency response phase of disaster management” (Srinivas, n.d.).

The structure and framework provided by the NRF, NIMS, and ICS, as well as the innumerable assets available throughout all levels of both the public and private sector provide emergency managers in America with a plethora of options for dealing with all phases of emergency planning and response. It is vital to this nation’s homeland security that the personnel and agencies entrusted with these responsibilities are knowledgeable, cognizant, and enthusiastic about exploiting each and every one of these options in preparing for and responding to incidents in the future.

References

Department of Homeland Security (DHS). (2008). National incident management system. Retrieved February 11, 2014, from http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/NIMS_core.pdf

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). (2009). Incident management handbook. Retrieved February 11, 2014, from http://www.aphis.usda.gov/emergency_response/downloads/hazard/Incident%20Management%20Handbook6-09.pdf

Perry, R. W., & Lindell, M. K. (2007). Emergency planning. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Srinivas, H. (n.d.). Disaster management: a role for the private sector. Retrieved February 11, 2014, from http://www.gdrc.org/uem/disasters/dm-privatesector.html

Sylves, R. (2008). Disaster policy & politics. Washington, DC: CQ Press.