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The devastation following Hurricane Katrinaunderscores the need for all levels of anorganization to be prepared for a multi-agency rescue response.

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Across the country, firefighters and company offi-cers are huddled around the station computer,frantically working to finish one of the National

Incident Management System (NIMS) incident commandsystem (ICS) online courses. As we all know, the comple-tion of such courses is required for fire departments tobecome fully compliant with the NIMS fiscal year 2006implementation. Although the courses are designed to becompleted by individuals, taking the team approach is notnearly as detrimental as the lack of commitment to NIMSprinciples displayed by many organizations. BecomingNIMS compliant is not merely a box that we check on aform; it is an integral piece of the larger effort in the fireservice to improve service and safety for the communityand for our personnel.

BUT WHY?For months, fire departments across the country havedirected their firefighters and company officers to completethe NIMS online curriculum: ICS-100 (Introduction toICS), ICS-200 (Basic ICS) and FEMA IS-700 (NIMS: AnIntroduction). The lack of adequately trained and experi-enced instructors has forced the fire service to rely on elec-tronic media to present this critical information. Theonline dissipation of NIMS information has gone well.But providing the information without accompanyingdrills and exercises does not afford an adequate and com-plete experience. It’s critical that emergency personnelhave extended opportunities to drill on and exercise theacquired information. These multi-company, battalion-wide and department-wide drills should involve our coun-terparts in law enforcement, public health and publicworks whenever possible. The key to effectively exercisingNIMS/ICS is to train with the same agencies that willrespond in a real emergency.

Although the fire service is making good progress in therace to provide NIMS training to emergency services per-sonnel before the Sept. 30 deadline1, it often seems thosewho receive the information do not fully understand whysuch training is important and how it will affect them.Emergency personnel know it’s necessary to complete NIMStraining; however, without knowing the rationale behindsuch training, their training experience is sometimes mean-ingless. Many individuals are asking their organizations whysuch training is necessary—and they’re justified in doing so.The nation’s emergency services have done a poor job ofexplaining to our members the importance of being NIMScompliant and the benefits NIMS/ICS can bring to theirorganizations and communities.

As someone who has nearly two decades of experi-ence working in and teaching incident management, it’sclear to me there’s a disconnect between those who setforth the standards with a defined purpose and goal andthose responsible for implementing the standards, as wellas training and supervising emergency responders. Manyfirst responders see NIMS/ICS training as just anothercertificate to place in their personnel file, or as anotherrequirement to satisfy the federal government. Example:I recently observed an engine company working togetherto complete the online ICS-200 course. When I askedabout the importance of completing such training, thecompany officer summed it up: “The battalion chiefrequires us to complete these courses so the departmentcan comply with NIMS.” The officer added that com-pleting the training is one component of becoming com-pliant so the department can receive federal grants. Thisofficer’s opinion is not uncommon; first responders oftendon’t recognize how NIMS can improve our operations,and instead tend to see compliance as just one more levelof bureaucracy.

Read on, NIMS resisters: Understanding the rationale behindNIMS might make it easier to comply

By Richard Andring

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When emergency responders don’t appreciate the full impor-tance of NIMS/ICS training, it’s often a reflection of the attitudesand perceptions of superior officers. When high-ranking person-nel speak negatively about NIMS or fail to create productivetraining, exercise and implementation programs, they send themessage to the lower ranks that NIMS proficiency is not impor-tant. First responders may then conclude it’s not worth the effortit takes to establish the system at an incident, or to remain profi-cient in its use.

This lack of commitment often begins at the top of the orga-nization and cascades down to frontline personnel. The benefitsthat NIMS/ICS training can provide must be embraced by seniorleadership and embedded in the organizational culture.NIMS/ICS are proven concepts that provide a safer work envi-ronment for responders, create effective coordination betweenorganizations and lead to better understanding among partners inemergency services—with the ultimate result of improving over-all efficiency within our organizations.

THE NEED FOR NIMS ILLUSTRATEDThe problems we experience at an incident scene can often beattributed to our misuse of the incident management system (orin some cases, failing to use ICS all together). Recently, Iobserved a full-scale mass casualty incident (MCI) field exerciseinvolving more than 100 victims and hazardous materials in anurban setting. The outcome: There was a significant disconnectbetween response agencies and widespread misuse of ICS.

Firefighters from departments across the country were called to respond to HurricaneKatrina, demonstrating the need for all first responders to be proficient in NIMS/ICS.

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Clearly, fire, EMS and law-enforcement personnel had receivedsome level of NIMS/ICS training. Equally as clear: They had nottrained together, and their approach and implementation ofNIMS/ICS was parochial at best.

As each agency arrived on scene, its supervisors set up sepa-rate command structures on opposite sides of the incident.Formal communications were not in place between fire and lawenforcement for nearly 45 minutes, and each agency functionedindependently. Although the agencies may have believed theywere functioning in the appropriate manner, those of us whostepped back from the incident and examined the entire pictureobserved a scene of complete chaos. The agencies’ isolated deci-sions created overall dysfunction.

Although this incident was a planned exercise, the cost ofsuch mistakes in a real-world situation could be immense. Due tothe lack of cooperation between the responding agencies, manyEMS and law-enforcement personnel were unaware that haz-ardous materials had been spilled. This created multiple problemsbecause first responders were not adequately equipped to beworking in contaminated areas. Personnel walked through haz-ardous materials and transmitted the materials throughout thescene. Victims became contaminated and spread the contami-nants throughout ambulances and eventually to receiving hospi-tals. Lack of communication also precipitated a long delay in thetransportation of victims.

Field exercises are essential for preventing disconnect between agencies during areal-life incident. Such training can also help first responders understand why it’sso important to master NIMS/ICS concepts.

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One of the main lessons learned from this staged incident:NIMS/ICS training should be incorporated into every facet offirst-responder emergency culture. It’s not enough to merelycomplete the online courses. High-ranking personnel mustembrace the importance of NIMS concepts and display this com-mitment to personnel at all levels of the organization. They mustalso create training opportunities that teach NIMS/ICS conceptsand provide first responders ample opportunity to drill on andexercise the skills they have learned. Although the training Iobserved was fraught with errors and miscommunication, thosewho participated should be applauded for their efforts to test thesystem and obtain corrective feedback. The actors in trainingdrills always go home at the end of the day. With repeated train-ing, these agencies can address their mistakes and ensure that realvictims in a real incident—and the responding personnel—alsogo home safe. Like all emergency workers, the personnel werestriving to do an excellent job; to do so, they must possess thecorrect tools and experience. NIMS/ICS training gives firstresponders a tool to implement in all circumstances.

AN EXEMPLARY EXAMPLEAs I conduct ICS training sessions across the country, I amrepeatedly surprised by the lack of ICS knowledge at all levels,from the rookie firefighter to the fire chief. Although this lack ofknowledge has been acceptable in some ways up to this point, it

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During mass casualty incidents, interagency cooperation and communication iscritical to ensuring hazardous materials are not transmitted throughout the scene.

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cannot continue. Recent manmade and natural disasters are graveand solemn reminders of the need for preparedness. No area ofthe country is immune to these large-scale incidents, and it isbecoming commonplace to deploy responders across state linesand even across the country. An excellent example: HurricaneKatrina. Fire service resources and emergency personnel werepulled from far-reaching areas of the country to aid in theresponse and recovery efforts.

NIMS/ICS provides the framework for the way incidentsshould be managed, uses common response terminology and createsthe opportunity for genuine cooperation among organizations. Afew agencies have gone beyond mere compliance and taken thechallenge head on; they actively train to become successful at usingthe guidelines and criteria set forth in NIMS. Agencies that strive toexceed NIMS standards should be applauded; they are workingbeyond what is expected and their efforts will ultimately save lives.

One such organization is the Seattle Fire Department (SFD).For the past six months, the SFD’s leadership has been trainingside-by-side with their counterparts in law enforcement. Thecity’s fire service and law enforcement leaders recognize the vitalimportance of educating all levels of their departments and thenensuring each level receives similar training to establish a com-mon set of objectives that aid in the mitigation of both everydayand large-scale incidents. I find admirable their dedication andwillingness to not only work side-by-side, but to consistently drilland exercise together. In addition to the required ICS-100, ICS-200 and FEMA IS-700 courses, their training has included theNational Fire Academy Command and General Staff course andthe U.S. Fire Administration All-Hazard Incident ManagementTeam, Incident Commander and Planning Section Chief courses.Their ultimate goal: Creating several Incident ManagementTeams (IMT) that will respond to events in the Seattle metro areaand stand by for deployment outside of the city and the state.

The SFD has applied NIMS concepts and processes in its day-to-day responses, its planning efforts for such annual events as the

Leaders from the Seattle Fire Department and the Seattle Police Department traintogether regularly to establish and review a common set of response objectives forboth everyday and large-scale incidents.

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Mardi Gras and Sea Fair celebrations and its disaster preparednessefforts. The city of Seattle has been effective at the most essentialaspect of full NIMS compliance: Its personnel not only possess anoutward commitment, but they also believe in the importance ofNIMS concepts, which directly effects their operations.

BEYOND LARGE INCIDENTSThe essential role of NIMS/ICS information and implementationis most easily understood in the context of large disasters and inci-dents. But NIMS principles can be effectively implemented andused in everyday situations, too. This is especially evident when youobserve independent agencies productively working togethertoward common goals and objectives. How do we nurture such rela-tionships? Lt. Steve Turcott of the Washington State Patrol believesthe key lies in spending time with individuals from other agenciesand jurisdictions. Turcott says even simple actions such as having acup of coffee with someone from another agency can help build thefoundation for interagency cooperation during critical incidents.The essence of NIMS/ICS training is the ability to work side-by-side effectively with all emergency personnel.

In many day-to-day encounters where interagency cooperationis essential, such as cooperation between firefighters and law-enforcement personnel, individuals leave the scene wondering whythe other organization did not do its job properly. Firefighters andpolice often function separately, even when working within a fewfeet of each other. This approach usually leaves both parties frus-trated and discouraged, and it represents the area where NIMS canmake its greatest impact. The NIMS philosophy stresses the impor-tance of interagency relationships and understanding each other’sroles. This approach is justified by the fact that agencies typicallybecome more productive and effective when their members formpositive interagency relationships.

NIMS/ICS is not designed solely for large-scale disasters; it is in the day-to-dayencounters between agencies that NIMS can have its greatest impact.

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IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT MONEYAll agencies are aware of the importance of becoming NIMScompliant in order to receive federal funding. Money was tied tocompliance to ensure all emergency service organizations com-pleted the courses and received indispensable information.Although federal dollars present an incentive, they should not bethe driving force behind becoming NIMS compliant. As emer-gency personnel, we are well aware of the large-scale catastrophesand disasters that have occurred in the past few years. We are notimmune to more of these tragedies, which will eventually impactevery corner of the nation. NIMS/ICS will prepare all firstresponders to handle such events by working together. Just asimportant, NIMS/ICS creates a framework in which everydaysituations and emergencies can be handled safely and efficiently.I’ve witnessed both the successes and failures of multi-agencyresponses, so I know how important it is for all levels of the orga-nization to take NIMS compliance seriously. Ultimately, NIMSwill help us provide better service to our communities andensure our emergency service providers go home at the end ofthe day.

Richard Andring, CFO, EFO is a consultant and NIMS/ICS training specialist for WilandAssociates LLC in Selah, Wash. The former chief officer for the Yakima (Wash.) Fire Department,he has 35 years of experience in emergency services. Andring is an accredited fire serviceinstructor; he has taught for the National Fire Academy and the U.S. Fire Administration andserved as a subject matter expert for the National Fire Academy and the National WildfireCoordinating Group. He can be reached at richard@wilandassociates.com.

NOTES1. Fiscal year 2006 NIMS requirements must be completed by Sept. 30, 2006. All first

responders must complete ICS-100 (Introduction to ICS) and FEMA IS-700 (NIMS: AnIntroduction); first-line supervisors must also complete ICS-200 (Basic ICS). You canobtain NIMS training guidelines at www.fema.gov/nims.