While most emergency situations are handled locally, when there’s a major incident help may be needed from other jurisdictions, the state and the federal government. NIMS was developed so responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines can work together better to respond to natural disasters and emergencies, including acts of terrorism. NIMS benefits include a unified approach to incident management; standard command and management structures; and emphasis on preparedness, mutual aid and resource management.

Fact Sheet: NIMS Essential Standards List (PDF 19KB)

NIMS Basic: Concepts and Principles, Systems and Processes

The NIMS Basic series describes the concepts and
principles, systems and processes, responsibilities and required
capabilities associated with the major components of the National
Incident Management System. The series consists of nine guides to NIMS
components, as follows:

  • NIMS Introduction and Overview (PDF 54KB, TXT 20KB)
  • Command and Management (PDF 112KB, TXT 52KB)
  • Preparedness (PDF 57KB, TXT 22KB)
  • Resource Management (PDF 53KB, TXT 18KB)
  • Communications and Information Management (PDF 38KB, TXT 15KB)
  • Supporting Technologies (PDF 37KB, TXT 10KB)
  • Ongoing Management and Maintenance (PDF 44KB, TXT 14KB)
  • Incident Command System (PDF 132KB, TXT 64KB)
  • Resource Typing (PDF 95KB, TXT 13KB)

NIMS Smart Practices (PDF 22KB, TXT 6KB)

National Emergency Responder Credentialing System (PDF 17KB, TXT 3KB)

Credentialing FAQs (PDF 48KB, TXT 10KB)

Federal Preparedness Grant Programs (PDF 25KB, TXT 5KB)

This information was provided by federal departments and
agencies to the NIMS Integration Center regarding their preparedness
funding programs with state and local entities, including cooperative
agreements, memorandums of understandings, grants and contracts. We are
making this preliminary list available to help state and local entities
identify funding streams that may be affected in connection with NIMS
implementation requirements. This should not be considered a definitive
list of federal preparedness grants and agreements.

NIIMS-NIMS Comparison (TXT 5KB)

Institutionalizing the Use of ICS (PDF 44KB, TXT 2KB)

NIMS and the Incident Command System (TXT 26KB)

This paper is intended to provide an historical perspective
on the development of ICS, explain how NIMS ICS works, describe how it
is different from previous systems, and discuss the future of NIMS ICS
training.