In March 2004, the Secretary of Homeland Security, at the request of the President, released the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The NIMS is a comprehensive system that improves tribal and local response operations through the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) and the application of standardized procedures and preparedness measures. It promotes development of cross-jurisdictional, statewide, and interstate regional mechanisms for coordinating response and obtaining assistance during a large-scale or complex incident.
Tribal and local authorities, not federal, have the primary responsibility for preventing, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and disasters. The overwhelming majority of emergency incidents are handled on a daily basis by a single jurisdiction at the local level. It is critically important that all jurisdictions comply with the NIMS because the challenges we face as a nation are far greater than the capabilities of any one jurisdiction; they are not, however, greater than the sum of all of us working together through mutual support. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD- 5), Management of Domestic Incidents, requires all federal departments and agencies to adopt and implement the NIMS, and requires state1 and local2 jurisdictions to implement the NIMS to receive federal preparedness funding.
NIMS compliance should be considered and undertaken as a community-wide effort. The benefit of NIMS is most evident at the local level, when a community as a whole prepares for and provides an integrated response to an incident. Incident response organizations (to include local public health, public works, emergency management, fire, emergency medical services, law enforcement, hazardous materials, private sector entities, non-governmental organizations, medical organizations, utilities, and others) must work together to comply with NIMS components, policies, and procedures. Implementation of the NIMS in every tribal and local jurisdiction establishes a baseline capability that once established nationwide, can be used as a foundation upon which more advanced homeland security capabilities can be built.
Small and/or rural jurisdictions will benefit from a regional approach. In many instances smaller communities may not have the resources to implement all elements of NIMS on their own. However, by working together with other localities in their regions, these jurisdictions will be able to pool their resources to implement NIMS.
