National Incident Management System

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a standardized approach to incident management developed by the United States Department of Homeland Security. The program was established in March 2004, in response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5, issued by President George W. Bush. It is intended to facilitate coordination between all responders (including all levels of government, public, private, and nongovernmental organizations). The system has been revised once, in December 2008. NIMS is the common framework that integrates various capabilities to help achieve objectives.

NIMS defines multiple operational systems, including:

• The Incident Command System
• The Multiagency Coordination System
• The Emergency operations center