National Incident Management System
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is our nation's first standardized management approach to incident response. It unifies federal, state, and local lines of government in their actions to respond to any type of homeland security incident, whether a natural disaster or a terrorist attack.
As agencies at all levels of government work toward establishing policies, plans, and procedures to comply with the standards of NIMS, they need the consultation of proven experts in emergency response. Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) offers a highly specialized team with vast experience in national security and emergency preparedness.
ORAU is on the forefront of helping several organizations integrate the NIMS requirements into their processes and procedures:
Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP)
ORAU employees are assisting CSEPP in integrating NIMS into its training and exercise components. Our support includes assessing and applying technology that can enhance communication and coordination within CSEPP using NIMS standards, guidelines, and protocols as a model. Two examples include:
- Deployment of a Web-based regional patient tracking system called WeB-MEDIS
- Design, development, and delivery of a course that teaches participants to develop "virtual status boards" to provide a regional common operating picture in emergencies.
For more information on our support of CSEPP, visit the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education site.
Mobile Joint Information Center
A mobile JIC is a requirement of NIMS. ORAU personnel have developed a needs assessment and components guide that helps officials determine mobile communication response capabilities.
California Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program
As part of our direct operational support to HSEEP, ORAU's staff work with state officials to integrate NIMS throughout the exercise design and execution process. Important NIMS integration activities take place as training opportunities during exercise conferences, seminars, and workshops. These initiatives will aid California in gaining NIMS compliancy as required.