FEMA Calls for Public Feedback on National Incident Management System

FEMA's National Integration Center (NIC) has recently created a public forum on the FEMA website to review and update the NIMS (National Incident Management System). The purpose of this system is to identify "concepts and principles that answer how to manage emergencies from preparedness to recovery regardless of their cause, size, location, and complexity." It is intended to better integrate agencies and jurisdictions tasked with emergency response so that they are able to "sustain and deliver the core capabilities needed to achieve a secure and resilient nation." In order to ensure that the NIMS is fulfilling these goals in every community, NIC has been tasked with conducting a review of the system.

Through a partnership with IdeaScale, NIC created "a forum for all stakeholders to like or dislike current ideas and offer substantive feedback regarding major issues or concerns." Stakeholders are free to post about any concerns they may have with the NIMS and this feedback can be liked, disliked, and/or commented on by other group members. This is expected to help NIC incorporate new ideas and changes, as appropriate, into updated drafts of the NIMS.

NIC states that this process is essential in maintaining "the doctrine's currency and consistency with current policy, [incorporating] emergency management best practices, and [identifying] conceptual changes based on a review of NIMS-related literature."

The input gathered from the forum will aid NIC in improving the NIMS in a variety of sectors, including: 1. NIMS relationship to the National Preparedness System 2. Inclusion of Whole Community concepts in the NIMS 3. Expanding the discussion on national mutual aid in the NIMS 4. Expanding the discussion on incident support, coordination, command, and management in the NIMS 5. Inclusion of language on the use of location enabled decision support tools, common location language, and technology into the NIMS 6. Expanding the discussion on emergency communications

In order for all input to be considered in the NIMS review, NIC requests that feedback and comments be submitted within 30 days of the publication of proposed changes on IdeaScale.

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