National Incident Management System
Compliance Assurance Support Tool
(NIMCAST)

Access NIMCAST online at:
http://www.fema.gov/nimcast/

(from FEMA - NIMS Integration Center)
About NIMCAST
The National Incident Management System Capability Assessment Support Tool (NIMCAST) is a self-assessment instrument for State, local, tribal, and private-sector and nongovernmental organizations to evaluate their jurisdiction's ability to effectively prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity. The National incident Management System (NIMS) and, by extension, the NIMCAST are designed to enhance the ability of the United States to manage domestic incidents by establishing a single, comprehensive system for incident management.

Background
In Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-5, Management of Domestic Incidents, the President directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer a unified, national system for managing incidents. The NIMS provides a consistent Nationwide approach for Federal, State, local, and tribal governments to work effectively and efficiently together to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity.

The NIMS incorporates the best practices currently in use by incident managers at all levels and represents a core set of doctrine, concepts, principles, terminology, and organizational processes to enable effective, efficient, and collaborative incident management at all levels. HSPD-5 requires all Federal Departments and agencies to adopt the NIMS and to use it in their individual domestic incident management and emergency prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation programs and activities, as well as in support of those actions taken to assist State, local, or tribal entities.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate developed the NIMCAST to contribute to the establishment of a national baseline for compliance by all State, local, and tribal jurisdictions with the NIMS. It will also include readiness metrics and elements that support the national preparedness goal, including standards for preparedness assessments and strategies and a system for assessing the Nation's overall preparedness to respond to major events, especially those involving acts of terrorism.

HSPD-8, National Preparedness, provides that the primary mechanism for delivery of Federal preparedness assistance will be awards to the States. Federal preparedness assistance will support State and local entities' efforts, including planning, training, exercises, interoperability, and equipment acquisition for major events as well as building capacity for prevention activities such as information gathering, detection, deterrence, and collaboration related to terrorist attacks.

Authorities

• Homeland Security Act of 2002.
• Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-5, Management of Domestic Incidents.
•Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-8, National Preparedness.
•Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Incident Management System, March 1, 2004.

Why Do We Need a Self-Assessment?
Jurisdictions at all levels of government, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations must implement the requirements established in the NIMS in order to apply this comprehensive national approach. The NIMCAST assists in that compliance by allowing incident and resource managers to assess their current capabilities and determine what additional actions and resources are needed to effectively participate in the NIMS.

Additionally, HSPD-5 requires Federal Departments and agencies to make adoption of the NIMS by State and local organizations a condition for Federal preparedness assistance. The NIMCAST will facilitate the adoption of the NIMS by State, local, and tribal governments in order to meet the requirement established in HSPD-5.