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The
Incident Command System is a standardized management tool for meeting the
demands of small or large emergency or non-emergency situations. It
evolved following a series of catastrophic fires in California's urban
interface in the 1970s when it was determined that response problems were
far more likely to result from inadequate management than from any other
single reason. The ICS represents "best practices" and has become the
standard for emergency management in the U.S.
The ICS is a key element
of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). As stated in NIMS, “The
ICS is a management system designed to enable effective and efficient
domestic incident management by integrating a combination of facilities,
equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a
common organizational structure, designed to enable effective and
efficient domestic incident management. A basic premise of ICS is that it
is widely applicable. It is used to organize both near-term and long-term
field-level operations for a broad spectrum of emergencies, from small to
complex incidents, both natural and manmade. ICS is used by all levels of
government – federal, state, local, and tribal – as well as by many
private-sector and nongovernmental organizations. ICS is also applicable
across disciplines. It is normally structured to facilitate activities in
five major functional areas: command, operations, planning, logistics, and
finance and administration.”
The Incident
Command System (ICS) is critical to the success of emergency operations
such as this. All managerial and volunteer personnel involved in an
emergency animal shelter should be familiar with
ICS.
ICS
Resource Center Home Page (FEMA)
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/ICSResource/index.htm
This is an excellent starting point to learn about the ICS structure. It
contains links to the following topics:
1. ICS Review Document
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/ICSResource/assets/reviewMaterials.pdf
This
23-page document provides a concise description of the ICS including
definitions, functions, organizational structure, position descriptions,
etc. It is highly recommended.
2. ICS Training Materials and Opportunities - http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/ICSResource/ICSResCntr_Training.htm
The Emergency
Management Institute (EMI) offers more than 40 independent study courses
for people who have emergency management responsibilities and the general
public. For most courses, you will need to download and print the
materials. Others are interactive and can be taken directly over the
internet on the NETC Virtual Campus. Courses are free-of-charge.
Classroom courses available from the FEMA Emergency Management Institute
(EMI):
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ICS-100: Introduction to ICS (EMI Course Number: IS100)
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ICS-200: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action
Incidents (EMI Course Number: IS200)
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ICS-300: Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents (EMI
Course Number: G300)
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ICS-400: Advanced ICS Command and General Staff—Complex
Incidents (EMI Course Number: G400)
Independent study
courses
Link to FEMA Independent
Study Program Course List –http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslist.asp
The
following independent study courses may be of particular interest to those
involved in emergency animal centers (the course descriptions are taken
directly from the FEMA website)
FEMA Independent
Study Program:
IS-10 Animals in Disaster, Module A: Awareness and Preparedness
The
purpose of this course is two-fold. Module A is intended to increase
awareness and preparedness among animal owners and care providers. It
includes sections on typical hazards, how these affect animals and what
can be done by responsible owners to reduce the impact of disasters. It
is also intended to help animal owners, care providers and industries to
better understand emergency management. Module A will heighten awareness
of the special issues that emergency managers need to consider when
incorporating animal-care annexes into their emergency operations plans.
FEMA Independent Study Program:
IS-11 Animals in Disaster, Module B: Community Planning
Module B is intended to guide emergency management officials and animal
owners, care providers, and industries in preparing community disaster
plans. The goal of Module B is to provide sufficient information for both
groups to meet and develop meaningful and effective plans that improve the
care of animals, their owners, and the animal-care industries in
disasters. This course provides the basic background knowledge needed to
develop a coordinated response to a disaster in which animals and their
owners are affected. Further training with local or State emergency
management programs is essential.
FEMA Independent Study Program:
IS-111 Livestock in Disasters
This independent study
course is for farmers, extension agents, emergency managers and others who
have interests in the livestock industry. It describes the various hazards
that animals can face and how to mitigate them, as well as how to respond
to an actual disaster. The livestock industry is a multi-billion dollar
business that provides food for the American people as well as those
overseas. It is important to insure our livestock are safe from hazards
and will not suffer from the effects of hazards. This course can be
downloaded from the Independent Study website and the test can be
completed and submitted online.
FEMA Independent Study Program:
IS-100 Introduction to Incident Command System, I-100
ICS 100, Introduction
to the Incident Command System, introduces the Incident Command System
(ICS) and provides the foundation for higher level ICS training. This
course describes the history, features and principles, and organizational
structure of the Incident Command System. It also explains the
relationship between ICS and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
FEMA Independent Study Program:
IS-1 Emergency Manager: An Orientation to the Position
This
independent study course provides an introduction to Comprehensive
Emergency Management (CEM) and the Integrated Emergency Management System
(IEMS). Included is an in-depth look at the 4 phases of comprehensive
emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
The text is accompanied by illustrations, diagrams, and figures. In most
units, there are worksheets, exercises, and tasks to complete.
FEMA Independent Study Program:
IS-244 Developing and Managing Volunteers
This course is for
emergency managers and related professionals working with all types of
volunteers and coordinating with voluntary agencies. The course provides
procedures and tools for building and working with voluntary
organizations. Topics include:
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Benefits and challenges of using volunteers
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Building a volunteer program
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Writing job descriptions
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Developing volunteers through recruitment, placement, training,
supervision and evaluation
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Coordinating with voluntary agencies and community-based organizations
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Special issues including spontaneous volunteers, liability, and stress
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Incident Command System
(ICS) 100 Training:
Provides training on and resources for personnel who require a basic
understanding of the Incident Command System (ICS).
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Incident Command System
(ICS) 200 Training: Provides training on and resources for personnel who are likely to
assume a supervisory position within the Incident Command System (ICS).
The primary target audiences are response personnel at the supervisory
level.
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Introduction to the
National Incident Management System (NIMS) (IS-700):
Provides training on
and resources for the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS
provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government,
private sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together
during domestic incidents.
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Introduction to
National Response Plan (NRP) (IS-800): Provides training on and resources for the National
Response Plan (NRP). The NRP specifies how the resources of the federal
government will work in concert with sate, local, and tribal governments
and the private sector to respond to incidents of national significance.
The NRP is predicated on the National Incident Management System, or
NIMS. Together the NRP and the NIMS provide a nationwide framework for
working cooperatively to prevent or respond to threats and incidents
regardless of cause, size, or complexity.
3. ICS Position Checklists (checklists of roles and
responsibilities of ICS positions; can be downloaded as Word or pdf
documents):
ICS Forms -
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/ICSResource/ICSResCntr_Forms.htm
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/ICSResource/ICSResCntr_Checklists.htm
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