CRA's TRAINING IN NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (NIMS) AND THE NATIONAL RESPONSE PLAN (NRP)

Communities and jurisdictions must confront a broad range of threats and hazards, whether natural, manmade, or technological. Plans were developed by different authorities and for varying contingencies, with different objectives and command/control structures.  As communities across the nation have these assorted threats and hazards, response and recovery efforts have become a patchwork of special-purpose plans. 

The creation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the National Response Plan (NRP), as mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-5, has provided a single, comprehensive Federal, State, regional, local, and tribal government strategy for incident management, and, more specifically, for response to and recovery from any of these incidents.

CRA actively instructs National Incident Management Courses and incorporates its mastery of this topic to assist clients in developing NIMS-compliant plans. CRA's NIMS training instructors are currently developing a NIMS training course for the Puerto Rico Police Department.

As the primary government strategy for joint operations, NIMS provides a core set of concepts, principles, terminology, and technologies covering:

The National Response Plan (NRP) is the vehicle by which Federal assistance will be conveyed to State, regional, local, and tribal incident management officials. The NRP is a consolidated version of individual Federal agency response plans, the Federal Response Plan, and the Concept of Operations Plan. When applicable, the NRP will allow for direct implementation of Federal incident management responsibilities, as well as provide a Principal Federal Official to represent the Department of Homeland Security Secretary.

Together, NIMS and NRP provide a standardized framework to ensure that Federal, State, regional, local and tribal governments, the private sector, and other non-governmental organizations work together to support domestic incident management, regardless of cause, size, or complexity of the incident.

States and local jurisdictions are seeking assistance with compliancy, in an effort to remain eligible for further grant funding. CRA, because of its intimate knowledge of the NIMS and NRP framework, assists clients through associated compliance and eligibility issues. For example, CRA assists in the establishment, implementation, and maintenance of a consistent Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program that identifies the need for revising or establishing new training, communication, equipment, and interoperability programs, policies or procedures.

CRA support is provided in, but not limited to, the following formats:

As part of a comprehensive overall emergency response strategy, the decisive response and recovery capabilities regarding the potential consequences of a manmade, technological, or natural disaster/incident must be evaluated. These capabilities will demand an extraordinary level of information management and emergency operations planning and coordination at all levels of government. The flow of information during response and recovery phases of an incident are essential in maintaining incident and operational awareness and in ensuring that proper measures are implemented. CRA is expert in all of these areas and can help greatly strengthen readiness capabilities in both terrorist prevention and emergency response preparedness.

Click here to obtain specific course information or phone Paula Seidman at (703)-535-5205.