FEMA’s National Integration Center is seeking public feedback on a number of National Incident Management System (NIMS) Resource Management component documents that enhance interoperability and the effectiveness of mutual aid. This National Engagement Period will conclude at 5:00 p.m. EDT on May 9, 2018. The National Engagement Period provides an opportunity for interested parties to comment on newly developed supplemental guidance.
Today’s release includes:
NIMS Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide and 17 EOC Skillsets to help create a national vocabulary for EOC personnel qualifications, while remaining flexible for the diversity of EOC organization structures
NIMS EOC Director and Division/Group Supervisor (DIVS) Job Titles/Position Qualifications that define minimum qualifications criteria for personnel serving in these positions;
Accompanying Position Task Books (PTB) that identify the competencies, behaviors, and tasks that personnel should demonstrate to become qualified for a these positions.
In late 2015/early 2016, FEMA conducted interviews with more than 100 state, local, tribal, and territorial EOC leaders to better understand current EOC practices in order to develop national guidance. These interviews showed that EOCs vary widely in terms of authorities, mission, and resources.
FEMA recognizes the need for EOC leaders to determine their own organizational structure according to their needs, and is committed to supporting this through flexible guidance and tools.
2017 NIMS describes multiple EOC organization structures. This flexibility is necessary given the diversity of EOCs across the Nation, but creates challenges when attempting to support personnel qualifications for EOCs.
To address the need for flexibility in EOC guidance while providing a way to qualify EOC personnel, FEMA has modified the standard NQS Position Task Book – or PTB – approach and by developing EOC “skillsets” to define tasks performed by EOC personnel.
EOC Skillsets help create a national vocabulary for EOC personnel qualifications, while remaining flexible for the diversity of EOC organization structures. The EOC Skillsets reflect common functions performed by EOCs. EOC leaders can mix and match skillsets, combining them together to form EOC task books that reflect the needs of their EOC.
The two Job Titles/Position Qualifications and accompanying PTBs provide emergency managers and incident workforce personnel with minimum qualifications for the EOC Director and DIVS positions.
To support partner and stakeholder adoption, FEMA is hosting a series of 60-minute webinars to discuss the NQS supporting documents and answer questions related to the foundational guide and supporting tools. All webinars are open to the whole community, including individuals and communities, the private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based organizations, and all governments. The schedule is below. All times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
Webinar #1: Thursday April 12, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Webinar #2: Tuesday April 17, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Webinar #3: Thursday April 19, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Webinar #4: Tuesday April 24, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
To review the documents and for additional webinar information, visit:
https://www.fema.gov/national- incident-management-system/ national-engagement.