National Incident Management Systems (NIMS)

What is National Incident Management System?

In Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-5, Management of Domestic Incidents, President Bush directed Homeland Security to administer a system that would provide a consistent nationwide approach for Federal, State, local and tribal governments to work efficiently together to prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size or complexity.

NIMS incorporates best-practices currently in use by incident managers at all levels of federal, state, local and tribal governments. The collective input from all incident managers at all levels is vital in the development of effective and comprehensive incident management.

Key purposes for the National Incident Management System are:

• Provide a consistent nationwide approach for Federal, State and local governments to work effectively and efficiently together to prepare for, respond to and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity.
• Provide for interoperability and compatibility among Federal, State and local capabilities by providing a core set of principles, terminology and technology in covering the incident command system; multi-agency coordination systems, unified command, training, identification and management of resources.

Use of the Plan will lessen vulnerability, update response capabilities, reduce incident impacts and allow affected areas to recuperate quickly, effectively and efficiently.

Who must conform to NIMS Practices?

Federal and State Government as well as counties, cities, towns and tribal agencies.