NIMS Activities 8 - 13: Key personnel complete NIMS training
Key K-12 school and campus personnel complete, as applicable, NIMS training courses: NIMS: IS-700 NIMS; IS-800 National Response Framework (NRF); IS-100 (including SC, and HE) Introduction to ICS; IS-200 ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents; ICS-300 Intermediate ICS; and ICS-400 Advanced ICS.
PREPAREDNESS: TRAINING
Activities 8-13 - School and campus "key personnel" complete NIMS training.
Key K-12 school and campus personnel complete, as applicable, NIMS training courses: NIMS: IS-700 NIMS; IS-800 National Response Framework (NRF); IS-100 (including SC, and HE) Introduction to ICS; IS-200 ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents; ICS-300 Intermediate ICS; and ICS-400 Advanced ICS.
Association to NIMS
Training is important to comprehensive implementation of at the Federal, State, Tribal and local levels. The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA offers training, through the Emergency Management Institute (EMI), to all officials with emergency response roles and responsibilities.
Implementation Guidance
U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Education recommend all "key personnel" involved in school emergency management and incident response be trained to the concepts and principles of NIMS, Incident Command System (ICS), and the National Response Framework (NRF). Because the process for defining key personnel is complex and schools and IHEs have frequently requested feedback, ED has developed recommendations for consideration when determining who should be trained in which courses. Note, these recommendations are intended as guidance and are not prescriptive. Each entity should develop a tailored NIMS training plan that meets their needs and takes into consideration staffing levels and other resources and assets within the LEA or IHE.
Schools, LEAs, and IHEs should identify key personnel to receive training based on their roles and responsibilities in the overall emergency management program as well as the specific responsibilities related to emergency preparedness, incident management, or response. For training purposes, ED recommends schools, LEAs, and IHEs identify their personnel in the following four categories: 1.) Executive Leaders, 2) General Personnel, 3.) Command Staff, and 4.) Incident Managers.
Definitions of Key Personnel Categories for schools, LEAs, and IHEs
1. Executive Leaders: Executive leaders must be familiar with the comprehensive systems supporting emergency management, even though they may not having a designated role in the incident command system. Executive leaders are often responsible for making financial, administrative, and managerial decisions supporting the school or IHE emergency management program and will likely have very high-level responsibilities before and after an incident, as opposed to command responsibilities in the field during an actual incident response.
Depending upon the unique school, LEA, or IHE, executive leaders may include:
- Institution President
- Superintendent
- Provost
- Chancellor
- Principal
Executive Leaders should take the following two courses:
- G-402 Incident Command System (ICS) Overview for Executives/Senior Officials***
- IS-700: NIMS: An Introduction
2. General Personnel: General personnel with any role in emergency preparedness, incident management, or response. Depending on the school, LEA or IHE campus, general personnel may include:
- Emergency Management (ICS) team members
- Nurses and Health Officials
- School Resource Officers
- School Security Officials
- Counselors, Psychologists, Psychiatrists
- [Information] Technology Specialists
- Bus Drivers
- Administrators
- Educators/Faculty
- Coaches and Athletic Staff
- Facilities, Housing, and Food Preparation Staff
- Campus Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) members
- Resource staff, paraprofessionals, and support personnel
General personnel should take the following TWO courses:
- IS-700: NIMS: An Introduction
- IS-100: Introduction to Incident Command System, OR IS-100.SC: An Introduction to ICS for Schools OR IS-100.HE: Introduction to ICS for Higher Education*
3. Command Staff are personnel assigned to lead any key campus emergency management effort; they have a specific role within the ICS.
Depending on the school, LEA, or IHE, Command Staff may include the following:
- Public information officer
- Safety officer
- Liaison officer
- Any staff that plays a vital role on the operations, planning, logistics, or finance/administration branches of the ICS team for the school, LEA, or IHE.
Command staff should take the following FOUR courses:
- IS-700 NIMS: An Introduction
- IS-100: Introduction to Incident Command System, OR IS 100.SC: An Introduction to ICS for Schools OR IS-100. HE: Introduction to ICS for Higher Education*
- IS-800: National Response Framework, An Introduction**
- IS-200: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
4. Incident Managers: Personnel with a leadership role in command (e.g., district, school or IHE Incident Commander, School Police Chief). These individuals are typically obligated to command and manage incidents that occur on the school or IHE campus in the absence of traditional incident response personnel (local Fire Chief, local Police Chief). These personnel also include those school officials, including school police, who would likely be integrated into a more advanced ICS role (e.g., unified command) should it become necessary.
Depending on the unique school, LEA, or IHE, incident managers would likely include the following personnel:
- Director of School/Campus Security
- School/Campus Chief of Police, School Security Chief
The following additional courses are recommended for Incident Managers:
- ICS-300 Intermediate Incident Command System
- ICS-400 Advanced Incident Command System
Additional considerations for incident managers regarding ICS-300 and ICS-400 courses:
- ICS-300 and ICS-400 may be appropriate for school or IHE campus personnel typically obligated (required) to command and/or manage an incident in the absence of traditional incident commander - for example, Fire and/or Police chiefs.
- ICS-400 may be appropriate for school or IHE campus personnel who would likely be integrated into a more advanced ICS role (unified command)
- K-12 school or IHEs emergency management teams might discuss the need for this training for appropriate campus staff in close consultation with their local community partners. ICS-300 and ICS-400 are not offered online and must be taken in-classroom offered in State, tribal, and local emergency management training programs.
* Completion of course IS-100.SC: Introduction to the Incident Command System for Schools, or IS-100. HE: Introduction to ICS for Higher Education, both constitute completion of course IS-100. These courses were specifically designed to provide ICS training within a K-12 school-based or IHE-based context. There are additional versions of the IS-100 course that have been modified to meet the specific roles and responsibilities of professions in other disciplines. All IS-100 courses use the same curriculum and provide examples and learning activities unique to each discipline. Therefore, completion of any of these IS-100 courses by school and IHE emergency management personnel also constitutes completion of IS-100.
** A new course IS-800.: National Response Framework has replaced the previously existing IS-800, National Response Plan training. If personnel have completed the previous version of this course, they do not need to take the replacement course in order to be considered compliant. However, it is recommended they complete the updated course in order to have the same information as their partners.
*** G-402 Incident Command System (ICS) Overview for Executives/Senior Officials is not typically required for DHS compliance and does not fulfill mandatory training requirements for Key Personnel under NIMS. However, the Department of Education has received feedback from the field that this course can be very useful for helping senior leaders understand the overall process of NIMS and ICS. Accordingly, for the purposes of the REMS and EMHE grant administration, the school or IHE emergency management team may use its discretion to recommend this course to executive personnel in place of IS-100: Introduction to Incident Command System. Also, for the purposes of the REMS and EMHE discretionary grants and the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA) performance indicator calculations, Project Directors and Project Evaluators may include this course in their determination of average number of courses completed by key personnel provided the course administration is compliant with NIMS. The G-402 course may be downloaded http://training.fema.gov/STCourses/crsdesc_spec.asp?courseid=G402.
NOTE: The preceding guidance was intended to support schools and IHEs in their efforts to be compliant with the minimum NIMS requirements for training of key personnel. However, schools and IHEs may determine that additional courses offered through FEMA and EMI as well as their State and local emergency management partners are applicable and beneficial, and may pursue these additional training opportunities, as well.
NIMS courses are administered and accessible in multiple formats.
1. Instructor-Led Courses
Schools and campuses can work with their community partners to identify a qualified instructor to conduct training. The NIC Incident Management Systems Division developed and provides guidance in the Five-Year NIMS Training Plan, "Course Summaries" (Appendix C). These summaries clearly state course objectives, discussion topics, and minimum requirements for instructional time and instructor qualifications per course. This guidance does not preclude any State, tribal, or local partner from maintaining more restrictive instructor qualifications. Any agency or organization sponsoring NIMS training is responsible for ensuring that the materials being taught adhere to the guidelines provided. The sponsoring organization must also verify the qualifications of the instructors based on the guidance provided by the NIC. Additionally, the certificates of course completion are also the responsibility of the sponsoring agency or organization. The Five-Year NIMS Training Plan is accessible at http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/NIMSTrainingCourses#item5.
2. On-line, Independent Study (IS) Courses
Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is one of FEMA's training branches and develops training materials supporting NIMS, and ICS, and additional emergency management training materials. EMI offers numerous online, independent study courses that are free and include certificates of completion. The IS- 100, 200, 700, and 800 courses are all available online as Independent Study (IS) courses offered through EMI at http://training.fema.gov/IS. (NOTE: ICS-300 and ICS-400 are not available online and must be taken in the classroom.)
3. State Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agencies
Local or State Emergency Management Agencies often offer training in a classroom setting. School emergency management officials should contact their partners for details on course schedules and logistics. To complete ICS-300 and ICS-400, personnel should contact their local or State emergency management agency for course dates and locations in their area.
Additional Training Opportunities
FEMA offers additional NIMS-related and school and IHE emergency management courses, online and in the classroom that may provide additional support to K-12 and IHE emergency management teams.
Additional relevant independent study courses include:
- IS-139 Exercise Design
- IS-197.SP Special Needs Planning Considerations for Service and Support Providers (recommended for school and IHEs
- IS-362: Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools
- IS-701: NIMS Multi-Agency Coordination System (recommended for heads of school and IHE campus emergency management planning programs and ICS Teams)
- IS-702: NIMS Public Information System (recommended for school and IHE campus Public Information Officers)
- IS-703: NIMS Resource Management (recommended for heads of school and IHE campus emergency management planning programs and ICS Teams)
- IS-706 NIMS Intrastate Mutual Aid - An Introduction (recommended for heads of school and IHE campus emergency management planning programs and ICS Teams)
Additional relevant classroom courses include:
- G-290 - Basic Public Information Officers Course and the Advanced Public Information Officers Course (E-388). The basic course is conducted by the States and the advanced course is delivered at the Emergency Management Institute, in Emmitsburg, MD.
- E361 - Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools (formerly E362 Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools Train-the-Trainer) The course is conducted by the States and the advanced course is delivered at the Emergency Management Institute, in Emmitsburg, MD.
- L363 Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Higher Education
Note to REMS and EMHE Grantees: These courses do not fulfill mandatory training requirements for key personnel under NIMS. However, for the purposes of the REMS and EMHE grants programs and the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA) performance indicator calculations, if the individual key personnel has already completed all of the NIMS training requirements, grantees may include these courses in their determination of average number of courses completed by key personnel.
Sample activities demonstrating that schools or IHE key personnel are completing required NIMS training courses:
- Creating a NIMS Training program outlining key personnel by roles and responsibilities alongside courses to be completed;
- Monitoring the number of National Incident Management System (NIMS) course completions for key personnel; and
- Documenting training achievements (e.g., key personnel completing required courses) in the emergency management program documents.
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