The NIMS Integration Center

www.feme.gov/nims

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Department of Homeland Security

December 2005

I.  Fact Sheet

NIMS TRAINING GUIDELINES FOR FY 2006: IS-700, IS-800, ICS-100—400

PERSONNEL REQUIRED TRAINING

 

Entry level first responders & disaster workers

Federal/State/Local/Tribal/Private Sector & Non-governmental personnel to include:

  1. • Emergency Medical Service personnel
  2. • Firefighters
  3. • Hospital staff
  4. • Law Enforcement personnel
  5. • Public Health personnel
  6. • Public Works/Utility personnel
  7. • Skilled Support Personnel
  8. • Other emergency management response, support, volunteer personnel at all levels

 

  1. • FEMA IS-700: NIMS, An Introduction
  1. • ICS-100: Introduction to ICS or equivalent

First line supervisors

Federal/State/Local/Tribal/Private Sector & Non-governmental personnel to include:

Single resource leaders, field supervisors, and other emergency management/response personnel that require a higher level of ICS/NIMS Training.
  1. • FEMA IS-700: NIMS, An Introduction
  1. • ICS-100: Introduction to ICS or equivalent
  1. • ICS-200: Basic ICS or equivalent

Middle management

Federal/State/Local/Tribal/Private Sector & Non-governmental personnel to include:

Strike team leaders, task force leaders, unit leaders, division/group supervisors, branch directors, and multi-agency coordination system/emergency operations center staff.
  1. • FEMA IS-700: NIMS, An Introduction
    1. • FEMA IS-800: National Response Plan

(NRP), An Introduction*

  1. • ICS-100: Introduction to ICS or equivalent
  2. • ICS-200: Basic ICS or equivalent
  3. • ICS-300: Intermediate ICS or equivalent (FY07 Requirement)

Command and general staff

Federal/State/Local/Tribal/Private Sector & Non-governmental personnel to include:

Select department heads with multi-agency coordination system responsibilities, area commanders, emergency managers, and multi-agency coordination system/emergency operations center managers.
  1. • FEMA IS-700: NIMS, An Introduction
  2. • FEMA IS-800: National Response Plan

(NRP), An Introduction

  1. • ICS-100: Introduction to ICS or equivalent
  1. • ICS-200: Basic ICS or equivalent
  2. • ICS-300: Intermediate ICS or equivalent (FY07 Requirement)
  3. • ICS-400: Advanced ICS or equivalent (FY07 Requirement)

II.  Why do we have to do this stuff??  Here is the answer:

From: Allan     
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2006 11:13 AM
To: ARES Members Macomb County
Subject: PERSPECTIVE: Katrina OPS Observations

 

I believe that this article from the recent ARES email from the ARRL is very important for all of us to read. The times are changing and we need to understand that fact from the perspective of the agencies we support. I think this article pretty much sums it up.

PERSPECTIVE: KATRINA OPS OBSERVATIONS

[On the eve of hurricane season here in Dixie, the following are the timely observations of Daisy Crepeau, KT4KW, and Ray Crepeau, K1HG, who were deployed to Hancock County , Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina, and to Palm Beach County , Florida , in the wake of Hurricane Wilma last season. - ed.]

Training: No longer is the ham with an HT adequately able to respond.

Nor is the ham with mobile equipment or even a radio equipped "jump kit." Amateur operators need to be adequately trained. The ARRL ARECC courses should be required, period. FEMA training, consisting of courses ICS 700, 800, 100, and 200 also should be required. Hams need to understand and be able to operate under the Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

Training to operate under extreme stress is needed.

We saw a new ham arrive who didn't understand that two-way radio communication required releasing the PTT button to hear the other party. This individual also needed a crash course in the phonetic alphabet. An extreme case perhaps, but such operators were liabilities, not assets. Proper training and credentialing would prevent this.

Credentialing: FEMA, most state Emergency Management departments, law enforcement agencies, and even the Red Cross do not recognize hams with a local badge. The ARRL supports the local EC as the point person for Amateur Radio emergency operations, but the reality is that most disasters are going to encompass more than the local area.

ARESMAT [ARES Mutual Assistance agreements] is the right idea but few ECs have built the necessary relationships with others outside their locales. 

Resource Typing: We need a system of Amateur Radio "resource types"

that FEMA (or anyone needing communications support) can request when needed. See the work of the World Radio Relay League and their idea of "Amateur Radio Communications Teams" (ARCT) <http://www.emcomm.org> and <http://www.wrrl.org>. FEMA is in the process of specifying "resources." We need to be in that system. 

Deployment Tasking: Pre-departure briefings covering assignments, duties and responsibilities in the deployed area, and conditions there, should be plainly explained and understood.  When we went to Mississippi we were sent to the wrong place and spent half a day finding where we were to go.

Message Handling: Passing messages from point A to point B is the primary mission during emergency responses. Hams are the worst at relaying messages. Butchering of messages passed to the EOC or to action personnel occurred in Mississippi . So, message handling training is absolutely necessary: The radiogram format gets the job done.

Recognition: The Red Cross is mandated by the federal government to manage shelter care and mass feeding of disaster casualties. The ARRL has many MOUs with a number of different agencies both federal and private. But in the real world they don't mean a thing. The Red Cross prefers to use persons who have been through their training sequences. FEMA couldn't care less about hams in spite of an MOU. And the list goes on and on. The ARRL needs to become recognized as a "Non Government Organization" (NGO), which will be called upon. When it hits the fan, FEMA will call for Amateur Radio resources to establish communication links, and not commercial entities. -- Ray Crepeau, K1HG, and Daisy Crepeau, KT4KW

III. So what do we do, Joe?

Hi Bob,

 

Please put the attachments on the APRS/ARES/RACES website. NIMS 700 & ICS 100 must be completed by SEP 30 for those working in emergency communications with other agencies. To get the new RACES cards in 2007, NIMS 800 & ICS 200 must be completed by Jan 1, 2007

.

The attachments here should be printed out. The summary sheets have the correct answers. Then each individual puts  the correct answers on the paper answer sheets.

After this, they go to the FEMA website & transfer the answer from their pre-answered paper to the keyboard.

 

I need the e-mail from FEMA that confirms that they passed &/or a copy of their certificate that will come in the mail about 2 weeks later.

 

If some are finding this difficult, then we could consider a class to go over this. For most people, they could in one night go on the internet & complete all 4 courses. Recommended order is:

 

    1. NIMS 700  (See Attachments Below) http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is700.asp
    2. ICS 100    http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is100.asp
    3. ICS 200    http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is200.asp
    4. NIMS 800  (See Attachments Below) http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is800.asp
 
        Thanks & 73,  de Joe, K8YZA

Attachments:

FEMA Courses/IS-700 NIMS Course Summary.pdf

FEMA Courses/IS-700 Final Exam .pdf

FEMA Courses/IS-800 FRP Course Summary .pdf

FEMA Courses/IS-800 Final Exam .pdf

Webmaster's observation.  Having just gone through the above procedure for the IS-700 NIMS Course, I found review of the Course Summary a mind-numbing experience.  While you can read the summary and pass the test following the above procedure, you will know very little about NIMS a week later.  It is well worth taking the FEMA IS-700 Course at the FEMA Virtual Campus website which presents a neat learning environment with videos and sound files and periodic review questions to see if you are still awake.  Just click the New Student link at login, signup, and learn.  The test is administered by clicking on a link at the end of Lesson 8.

Amateurs Need To Learn More

We as amateur should never become complacent with our training or preparation for the future, or do we? Once again 911 (September 11, 2001) is bringing to light the need for communications to be done with plain language. Amateurs who plan on helping during an emergency event need to update their training. Amateur Radio is a commodity that will be needed and used during an incident; therefore we need to be fully trained. FCC Rule 97.1 Basis and purpose states; (a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications. For the past three years we have had the opportunity to take the three courses offered us by the ARRL provide by a grant from Homeland Security. While this was an excellent way for us to learn communications skills for passing traffic and the roles of leadership in the ARRL it has definitely left us unable to communicate with other entities, police and fire departments. So, we will need to step up to the plate and take a couple of additional courses, which are free of course.

As Section Manager (SM), I leave the training of ARES personnel to the Section Emergency Coordinator, Ron Dodson, KA4MAP, who for the past 8 plus years has done an exemplary job. This article is not meant to take from him any of his responsibilities but just to give an overall view from where I sit as SM and a District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) for District 7. District 7 has been given notice by District Emergency Coordinator Rick Watkins, Area 7, that by October 1, 2005 all responding personnel will have to be IS-700 (National Incident Management System) certified. Now you ask, what is IS-700 NIMS and where can it be found? IS-700 NIMS is a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) course that is free to the public. It can be found on the Internet at:

 http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslist.asp

I have asked the amateurs in District 7 to send me a copy of the e-mail that will be sent to them congratulating them on passing the course. When they receive their certificate from FEMA, send me a copy either by e-mail or snail mail. Each county Director will receive a copy of this certificate for their files and future use.

Director Watkins has also asked, but not made mandatory the need for IS-195 (Basic Incident Command System). This is a good course to take if you’re not familiar with the command system in an emergency response situation. This course also gives us a good start on IS-700. Knowing who is who in an emergency situation will save you time. Know why they wear the vest they wear and what their responsibilities are and who they report to.

Big Brother, the Federal Government, in the near future will probably be asking us (better stated by telling us) to take IS-800 (National Response Plan). I found this to be an interesting course and one that will take a little time. But all of these courses should be able to be finished in the time allotted.

Amateur Radio operators are never finished learning when it comes to providing a public service. Remember, not only does our family depend on us, but our neighbors and friends also. How much time will you take to become proficient in emergency communications?

73

John D. Meyers, NB4K
Kentucky Section Manager