Introduction
The acronym NIMS stands for the National Incident Management System in emergency management. It is divided into sub-components: Command and Management, Resource Management, Ongoing Management, Maintenance, and Communications and Information Management (United States Government FEMA, 2017). On the other hand, the Incident Command System (ICS) is a method for managing incidents with several hazards (New Additions, 2021). ICS is comprised of three different aspects: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and environmental components. Interagency between NIMS and ICS assures that involved agencies’ protocols connect to the four phases of emergency management to have effective interagency communication and collaboration during critical events.
Components of NIMS Protocols and Phases of Emergency Management
The NIMS protocols are a crucial part of all four stages of emergency management. Mitigation strategies are all about avoiding or lessening the impact of an occurrence. To reduce the blow of a disaster, communities must conduct risk assessments and plan contingency, as mandated by the NIMS protocol. For example, actions related to preparedness include vulnerability assessments and the training of workers in disaster response procedures (United States Government FEMA, 2017). Due to this, NIMS details precisely what a community needs to do in advance to be ready for catastrophes. Protecting lives and property after a disaster and setting up aid for evacuees are examples of response operations that typically get underway immediately after an emergency. After immediate dangers have been eliminated, the community may begin the recovery process, which will continue until life has returned to normal.
During the Mitigation phase, the Command’s attention is on drills and practice. Training exercises ensure that personnel will be able to minimize the loss of life during any scenario (United States Government FEMA, 2017). There is also the option of more long-term measures to lessen the severity of catastrophes. For instance, areas in need of improvement must be identified and corrected before a disaster may occur (Sylves, 2019). These actions are intended to boost the Preparedness phase. During this step, capabilities for appropriate responses are planned, developed, and honed. Operations and Planning collaborate throughout readiness to establish reaction strategies and schedules for maintaining equipment (National Response Framework, 2021). Supply management includes keeping essentials like food, gasoline, and medicine on hand. These stocks must be kept current lest they get stale before they are required.
The primary responsibility of the Command during the Response phase is incident scene management and allocating duties to responders. Immediate mission objectives that involve human lives are the primary emphasis of Operations. Information from any available resources must be rapidly gathered to make effective plans and issue up-to-date warnings (Sylves, 2019). Logisticians ensure nothing is wasted or overworked while complying with all rules and regulations. The Recovery phase sees an increase in Command’s emphasis on rebuilding. Resource allocation must occur according to the Planning Department and be conveyed after the full assessment of damages has been conducted.
Effective Interagency Communication and Collaboration in the NIMS and ICS Protocols
An essential component of efficient interagency communication and collaboration is the compatibility between NIMS and ICS protocols. The NIMS serves as the foundation for this collaboration, and the ICS is the organizational structure employed for execution (United States Government FEMA, 2017). To succeed in any of the four phases of emergency management, efficient communication, and collaboration need compatibility between the agencies involved, as well as their total commitment to following the instructions.
Starting with the Mitigation phase, organizations must talk to one another and work together to establish a shared knowledge of the potential threats they face. Responsibilities must be apparent and well-documented in the necessary protocols during this step. Dissemination of this information is the key to the proper scheduling of activities in critical situations. Resource assessment and allocation plans are the primary components of the Preparedness phase. The clarity and accuracy of protocols must be tested through training to raise the organizations’ readiness.
The efficiency of the Response phase is the direct outcome of the synchronization of ICS and NIMS protocols throughout the past two steps. Interagency communication and collaboration ensure proper resource allocation, scheduled evacuation support, and efforts that are being made to reduce damage and save lives. Throughout this stage, a shared direction is essential for response activities. A central agency for data collection and dissemination of relevant information enables all involved organizations to operate at full capacity. The Recovery stage relies on proper documentation of damages that occurred as the result of a disaster and assessing the costs of their repair (United States Government FEMA, 2017). The involved agencies must communicate with each other to convey complete documentation of the aftermath. This step is crucial as it ensures that all resources for the affected are evenly distributed.
Impact of U.S. Presidential Disaster Declarations
The NIMS and ICS protocols are initiated immediately after a presidential disaster declaration. A presidential disaster declaration is made through president-governor interchanges that reveal the need for immediate action (Sylves, 2019). After this proclamation is issued, each agency participating in response to the emergency will begin establishing its own NIMS and ICS protocols. Additionally, the presidential declaration enables interagency coordination, communication, and cooperation through sharing crucial to NIMS protocol to ensure working together during an emergency. The presidential proclamation also allows interagency contact and cooperation within ICS protocols to aid in organizing response assets and managing the response’s stages between involved agencies in rescuing.
Conclusion
Whenever an emergency occurs, the NIMS and the ICS need effective interagency coordination, communication, and cooperation, all of which can be achieved through proper protocols. When dealing with an emergency, this ensures that each of the four phases of emergency management has a positive outcome. On the other hand, successful interagency collaboration is only possible in the presence of a presidential statement that authorizes the development of NIMS and ICS protocols.
References
National response framework. (2021). National Response Framework | FEMA.gov. Web.
New additions. (2021). Office of Justice Programs. Web.
Sylves, R. T. (2019). Disaster policy and politics (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
United States Government FEMA. (2017). Fema National Incident Management System (3rd ed.).