(1)       Developing a national program for NIMS education and awareness, including specific instruction on the purpose of NIMS and responsibilities of the NIC as set forth in this directive and in strategic or other plans;

(2)         Promoting compatibility between national-level standards for the NIMS and those developed by other public, private, and/or professional groups;

(3)        Facilitating the development and publication of materials (such as supplementary documentation and desk guides) and standardized templates to support implementation and continuous refinement of the NIMS;

(4)        Developing assessment criteria for the various components of the NIMS, as well as compliance requirements and compliance timelines for Federal, State, local, and tribal entities regarding NIMS standards and guidelines;

(5)        Facilitating the definition of general training requirements and the development of national-level training standards and course curricula associated with the NIMS, including the following:

a.          The use of modeling and simulation capabilities for training and exercise programs;

b.            Field-based training, specification of mission-essential tasks, requirements for specialized instruction and instructor training, and course completion documentation for all NIMS users; and

c.             The review and recommendation (in coordination with national professional organizations and Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector, and nongovernmental entities) of discipline-specific NIMS training courses

(6)             Facilitating the development of national standards, guidelines, and protocols for incident management training and exercises, including consideration of existing exercise and training programs at all jurisdictional levels;

(7)           Facilitating the establishment and maintenance of a publication management system for documents supporting the NIMS and other NIMS-related publications and materials, including the development or coordination of general publications for all NIMS users, as well as their issuance via a NIMS publication management system;

(8)           Reviewing (in coordination with appropriate national professional standards-making, certifying, and accrediting organizations and with input from Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector and nongovernmental entities) of the discipline-specific publication management requirements submitted by professional organizations and associations;

(9)           Facilitating the development and publication of national standards, guidelines, and protocols for the qualification and certification of emergency responder and incident management personnel, as appropriate;

(10)            Reviewing and approving (with the assistance of national professional organizations and with input from Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector, and nongovernmental entities), as appropriate, the discipline-specific qualification and certification requirements submitted by emergency responder and incident management organizations and associations;

(11)             Facilitating the establishment and maintenance of a documentation and database system related to qualification, certification, and credentialing of incident management personnel and organizations, including reviewing and approving (in coordination with national professional organizations and with input from the Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector and nongovernmental entities), as appropriate, of the discipline-specific requirements submitted by functionally oriented incident management organizations and associations;

(12)            Establishing a data maintenance system to provide incident managers with the detailed qualification, experience, and training information needed to credential personnel for prescribed "national" incident management positions;

(13)            Coordinating minimum professional certification standards and facilitation of the design and implementation of a credentialing system that can be used nationwide;

(14)            Facilitating the establishment of standards for the performance, compatibility, and interoperability of incident management equipment and communications systems, including the following:

a.                  Facilitating, in coordination with appropriate Federal agencies, standards-making, certifying, and accrediting organizations, and appropriate State, local, tribal, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations, the development and/or publication of national standards, guidelines, and protocols for equipment certification (including the incorporation of standards and certification programs already in existence and used by incident management and emergency response organizations nationwide)

b.                  Reviewing and approving (in coordination with national professional organizations and with input from Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector, and nongovernmental entities) lists of equipment that meet these established equipment certification requirements

c.                  Collaborating with organizations responsible for emergency responder equipment evaluation and testing

(15)                      Facilitating the development and issuance of national standards for the typing of resources;

(16)                      Facilitating the definition and maintenance of the information framework required to guide the development of NIMS information systems, including the development of data standards for the following: incident notification and situation reports, status reporting, analytical data, geospatial information, wireless communications, identification and authentication, and incident reports, including "lessons learned" reports;

(17)                      Coordinating the establishment of technical and technology standards for NIMS users in concert with the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security and recognized SDOs;

(18)                      Integrating into the national R&D agenda, in coordination with the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security, the incident management science and technology needs of departments, agencies, disciplines, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations operating within the NIMS at all levels; and

(19)                      Establishing and maintaining a repository and clearinghouse for reports and lessons learned from actual incidents, training, and exercises, as well as for best practices, model structures, and model processes for NIMS-related functions.

The NIC will review, consider, and publish any changes to the NIMS, subject to the overall approval of the Secretary.

C.     Coordination with DHS Offices and Organizational Elements

The NIC Director will coordinate all activities with other affected DHS elements or offices as they relate to applicable statutes, HSPDs or other relevant authorities as deemed necessary by the Secretary or the NIC Director.

6.    Policy & Procedures

A.  NIC Organization and Personnel

(1)  The approved Strategic Plan for the NIC's establishment, operation, and expansion is set forth at Tab A, which is incorporated in this Directive by reference.

(2)  The structure of the NIC is illustrated in Tab A.  The NIC will consist of an Office of the NIC Director and the following functional branches:

a.                  Publications Management Branch;

b.                  Standards and Resource Branch;

c.                  Training and Exercises Branch;

d.                  System Evaluation and Compliance Branch; and

e.                  Technology/R&D Branch 

(3)  Initial staff for the NIC organization will consist of the types and numbers of detailed employees from relevant DHS offices as illustrated in Tab B.  Heads of DHS organizational elements or offices listed in the chart will arrange for detail of appropriate staff to the NIC.  All details of DHS personnel or staff indicated in Tab B will be without reimbursement to the detailing office.

 

(4)  EP&R will provide administrative support to the NIC, including provision of facilities and office space and equipment for the NIC Director and associated staff.

(5) The NIC Director will report to the Secretary through the Under Secretary for EP&R.   

(6) Any details of employees or officers from other federal agencies to the NIC will be subject to the procedures set forth in MD #3130.1, Employee Details.   

B.  Committees

(1)   As outlined in Tab A, a NIC Advisory Committee or subcommittee will be established within the existing Homeland Security Advisory Committee structure, in a manner consistent with and to the extent permitted by that committee's procedures.  The committee is intended to operate independently from internal NIC processes, will be inquisitive during reviews of pending standards and guidelines, and will engage in innovative development of standards and guidelines to address NIMS issues.  The committee will encourage participation by and take advantage of the resources of subject matter experts from Federal, State, local and Tribal government as well as the private sector.

(2)   To meet its responsibilities, the NIC may establish such additional committees and working groups as determined necessary by the NIC Director.  Committees shall be established and managed as provided in MD # 2300, Committee Management.

 C.  NIC Funding and Budgetary Matters 

(1) As outlined in Tab A, funding for NIC activities will be absorbed by the various DHS activities or organizational elements at inception, but future budgetary projections or planning for the NIC organization and activities shall be considered, evaluated and included as a separate line item in DHS or EP&R budgetary or planning documents or materials, as determined by NIC Director and the Under Secretary for EP&R in consultation with the Under Secretary for Management.

(2) Resources of other federal agencies, including details of personnel, may be requested as deemed necessary by the NIC where the cooperating or contributing agency's mission overlaps or is related to the NIC's roles and missions, or where a federal agency possesses unique capabilities or assets needed for accomplishment of the goals or mission of the NIC.

D.  Questions or Concerns Regarding NIC   

(1) Questions or concerns regarding this directive should be addressed to the Office of the NIC Director.

TAB A

NIMS Integration Center (NIC)

Concept of Operations and Staffing Plan

NIMS Integration Center (NIC)

Concept of Operations and Staffing Plan

Introduction 

This document provides a concept of operations and staffing plan for the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Integration Center (NIC). Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-5 requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a mechanism for ongoing coordination which will "provide strategic direction for and oversight of the NIMS, supporting both routine maintenance and the continuous refinement of the system and its components over the long term."  To this end, the NIMS requires the establishment of a multi-jurisdictional, multi-disciplinary NIC.  Accordingly, the NIC will include mechanisms for direct participation from and/or regular consultation with other Federal departments and agencies; State, local, and tribal incident management entities; emergency responder and incident management professional organizations; and pertinent private sector and nongovernmental organizations   

The process for managing and maintaining the NIMS must ensure that all users and stakeholders-including various levels of government, functional disciplines, and private entities-are given the opportunity to participate in NIC activities and programs.  To accomplish this goal, the NIC will incorporate a multi-jurisdictional, multi-disciplinary perspective and will maintain appropriate liaison with private organizations. 

The NIMS management and maintenance process relies heavily on lessons learned from actual incidents and domestic incident management training and exercises, as well as recognized NIMS component best-practices across jurisdictions and functional disciplines. 

The Secretary of Homeland Security will establish and provide strategic direction for the NIC.  Proposed changes to the NIMS will be submitted to the NIC for consideration, approval, and publication.  The Secretary has ultimate authority and responsibility for publishing revisions and modifications to NIMS-related documents including supplementary standards, procedures, and other materials, in coordination with other Federal, State, local, tribal, and private entities with incident management and emergency responder responsibilities.

Roles and Responsibilities of the NIC

The NIMS identifies the following list of nineteen additional responsibilities that must be carried out by the NIC as part of ongoing management and maintenance of the NIMS and its components: 

·        developing a national program for NIMS education and awareness, including specific instruction on the purpose and content of this document and the NIMS in general;

·        promoting compatibility between national-level standards for the NIMS and those developed by other public, private, and/or professional groups;

·        facilitating the development and publication of materials (such as supplementary documentation and desk guides) and standardized templates to support implementation and continuous refinement of the NIMS;

·        developing assessment criteria for the various components of the NIMS, as well as compliance requirements and compliance timelines for Federal, State, local, and tribal entities regarding NIMS standards and guidelines;

·        facilitating the definition of general training requirements and the development of national-level training standards and course curricula associated with the NIMS, including the following:

-        the use of modeling and simulation capabilities for training and exercise programs

-        field-based training, specification of mission-essential tasks, requirements for specialized instruction and instructor training, and course completion documentation for all NIMS users

-        the review and recommendation (in coordination with national professional organizations and Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector, and nongovernmental entities) of discipline-specific NIMS training courses

·        facilitating the development of national standards, guidelines, and protocols for incident management training and exercises, including consideration of existing exercise and training programs at all jurisdictional levels;

·         facilitating the establishment and maintenance of a publication management system for documents supporting the NIMS and other NIMS-related publications and materials, including the development or coordination of general publications for all NIMS users, as well as their issuance via a NIMS publication management system;

·        reviewing (in coordination with appropriate national professional standards-making, certifying, and accrediting organizations and with input from Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector and nongovernmental entities) of the discipline-specific publication management requirements submitted by professional organizations and associations;

·        facilitating the development and publication of national standards, guidelines, and protocols for the qualification and certification of emergency responder and incident management personnel, as appropriate;

·        reviewing and approving (with the assistance of national professional organizations and with input from Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector, and nongovernmental entities), as appropriate, the discipline-specific qualification and certification requirements submitted by emergency responder and incident management organizations and associations;

·        facilitating the establishment and maintenance of a documentation and database system related to qualification, certification, and credentialing of incident management personnel and organizations, including reviewing and approving (in coordination with national professional organizations and with input from the Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector and nongovernmental entities), as appropriate, of the discipline-specific requirements submitted by functionally oriented incident management organizations and associations.

·        establishment of a data maintenance system to provide incident managers with the detailed qualification, experience, and training information needed to credential personnel for prescribed "national" incident management positions;

·        coordination of minimum professional certification standards and facilitation of the design and implementation of a credentialing system that can be used nationwide;

·        facilitating the establishment of standards for the performance, compatibility, and interoperability of incident management equipment and communications systems, including the following:

-        facilitating, in coordination with appropriate Federal agencies, standards-making, certifying, and accrediting organizations, and appropriate State, local, tribal, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations, the development and/or publication of national standards, guidelines, and protocols for equipment certification (including the incorporation of standards and certification programs already in existence and used by incident management and emergency response organizations nationwide)

-        reviewing and approving (in coordination with national professional organizations and with input from Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector, and nongovernmental entities) lists of equipment that meet these established equipment certification requirements

-         collaborating with organizations responsible for emergency responder equipment evaluation and testing

·        facilitating the development and issuance of national standards for the typing of resources;

·        facilitating the definition and maintenance of the information framework required to guide the development of NIMS information systems, including the development of data standards for the following: incident notification and situation reports, status reporting, analytical data, geospatial information, wireless communications, identification and authentication, and incident reports, including "lessons learned" reports;

·        coordinating the establishment of technical and technology standards for NIMS users in concert with the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security and recognized SDOs;

·        integrating into the national R&D agenda, in coordination with the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security, the incident management science and technology needs of departments, agencies, disciplines, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations operating within the NIMS at all levels; and

·         establishing and maintaining a repository and clearinghouse for reports and lessons learned from actual incidents, training, and exercises, as well as for best practices, model structures, and model processes for NIMS-related functions.

  The NIC will be established in two phases beginning in March 2004.

 

Phase I (March-May 2004)

Organization

The Office of the Director and five functional branches will provide direct oversight for the ongoing management and maintenance of the NIMS and its major components utilizing an integrated approach. The five functional branches of the NIC include the following:

·        Publications Management Branch;

·        Standards and Resource Branch;

·        Training and Exercises Branch;

·        System Evaluation and Compliance Branch; and

·        Technology/R&D Branch.

Responsibilities 

In Phase I, the NIC will focus on the following activities:

·        Receive and broker initial feedback and questions on the NIMS;

·        Facilitate the development and delivery of NIMS awareness training, education, and publications;

·        Coordinate training and provide initial guidance and tools to Federal, State, local, and tribal entities on understanding, implementing, and complying with the NIMS (with a focus on those aspects of the NIMS with which states must be compliant by October 1, 2004);

·        Identify existing capabilities, initiatives, and resources that support the NIMS and the NIC;

·        Identify the process by which revisions to the NIMS are recommended, approved, and posted; 

·        Further define the organizational structure, collaborative processes, outreach mechanisms, and support requirements of the full NIC;

·        Establish the NIC Advisory Committee, functional working groups, and associated program and product input, review, vetting, and approval processes;  

·        Develop internal operating guidance and procedures and bring on additional staff; and 

·        The NIC Director will coordinate all activities with other affected DHS elements or offices as they relate to applicable statutes, HSPDs or other relevant authorities as deemed necessary by the Secretary or the NIC Director. 

Structure and Process 

The initial core staff of the NIC will be comprised of detailees from DHS directorates and headquarters staff offices. This initial core staff will leverage existing personnel billets, capabilities, programs, and contracts across DHS directorates and staff offices to the maximum extent possible in support of NIC activities and programs. Initial program responsibilities will be accomplished through task or function-specific working groups with cross-DHS, interagency, and multi-jurisdiction participation. The chiefs of the NIC functional branches will monitor and manage working group progress and report frequently on project/product status to the NIC Director. Work products will be staffed through appropriate DHS directorates and staff offices, Homeland Security Council Policy Coordination Committees, intergovernmental fora, and the NIC Advisory Committee (see below) prior to formal consideration and approval by the Secretary. The NIC Advisory Committee, using established Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) subcommittees and working groups, will source Federal, State, local, tribal, and functional discipline subject matter expertise for the purposes of product review and vetting. The NIC Advisory Committee will provide counsel to the functional working groups as well as to the NIC Director and the Secretary.  Existing EP&R infrastructure and administrative systems will support the NIC in accomplishing its day-to-day activities. The NIC Director will coordinate all HSPD-8-related activities with the Director of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness and other DHS offices.

 

Staff Augmentation and Processes 

As Phase I progresses, the NIC will evolve to a robust, fully integrated center building up from initial staffing, organizational elements, and infrastructure.  The Office of the Director and the five functional branches will incorporate additional DHS employees, interagency detailees and liaisons, and State, local, and tribal government representatives as determined through further external stakeholder vetting and coordination during Phase I.  The reliance on an interagency, multi-jurisdictional working group structure to maximize existing capacities will remain a focal point of the Center's operations.  Tasking will be assigned to NIC functional branches and working group leads by the NIC Director based on subject matter expertise as a means to accomplish NIMS tasks and generate NIMS-related products.

Phase II (Beginning June 2004)

Responsibilities

In Phase II of the NIC implementation, the fully staffed Office of the Director and functional branches will be responsible for refining and implementing all NIC roles and responsibilities as specified in the NIMS.  The chart below matches these roles and responsibilities with the NIC functional branch that will coordinate their refinement and implementation.