National Response Framework- NRF The NRF is used to prevent, prepare for,
respond to, and recover from terrorist
attacks, major disasters, and other
emergencies (EPA, 2021)
5 Principles:
1. engaged partnership
2. tiered response
3. scalable, flexible, and adaptable operational
capabilities
4. unity of effort through unified command
5. readiness to act
The NRF identifies critical response
principles for all stakeholders
The NRF runs through best practices for
response to incidents of all sizes and
levels
National Incident Management System- NIMS “NIMS guides all levels of government,
nongovernmental organizations (NGO),
and the private sector to work together
to prevent, protect against, mitigate,
respond to, and recover from incidents.”
(Homeland Security, 2017).
Comprehensive incident management
response
Resource management, command and
coordination, communications, and
information management
Guiding principles of flexibility,
standardization, and unity of effort
Preparedness
On-going management and maintenance
Command and Control
Incident Command System- ICS Command and Control
Incident command and unified command
5 Functions:
1. Operations
2. Planning
3. Logistics
4. Finance and administration
5. Command
Interdisciplinary and organizationally
flexible
ICS includes procedures for controlling
personnel, facilities, equipment, and
communications.
Safety
“The National Response Framework (NRF) provides foundational emergency management doctrine for how
the Nation responds to all types of incidents” (Homeland Security, 2019). When analyzing this document that
is used and distributed by Homeland security, I found that the guiding principle of engaged partnership within
the NRF is the most important aspect that helps contribute to accomplishing the mission faced by responders.
This important guideline is first of the five within the document and rightfully so. It is a key element to the
successful response of the community in the time of threats and hazards. “The Whole Community approach
produces more effective outcomes for all types and sizes of threats and hazards, thereby improving security
and resiliency nationwide.” (FEMA, 2011). On the flip side of this, there are also difficult aspects or elements
within the National Response Framework. The one that jumped out when reading the documents is the key
guideline of “unity of effort through unified command.” The reason that this is an element that I disagree
with or find difficult is because there is not always a clear chain of command. In the case that the federal
government oversees response, are they better equipped than local stakeholders where the emergency
takes place? With larger government involvement comes more bureaucratic red tape, and this can cause
delays as well as issues when organizing a response. Private industry may be a better solution to lead in
this command with the help from local and state government resources and guidance.
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is “NIMS is a comprehensive, national approach to
incident management that is applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across functional disciplines.”
(Homeland Security). The document for NIMS is an extensive and long document with the newest
version from 2017 being over 130 pages long. Within this document, the system of NIMS is laid out and
explained in detail. After reading this extensive document, the most important aspect that helps
responders contribute to the mission of incident response is communications and information
management. In a 2008 Security Magazine article, the author states “an incident communication
strategy that covers compliance related issues, media communications and internal communications will
ensure timely delivery of appropriate information to both internal and external stakeholders.” (Brown,
2008). Having relevant lines of communication between stakeholders both local, private, state, and
federal allows for a more efficient response. This should be a critical component of any response
situation. The element that I found most difficult to implement within the framework is the idea of
standardization. NIMS aims to be an all-hazard planning strategy, yet not all hazards are the same nor
will all hazards be ones that have been seen before. The effective and successful strategy of one incident
response may look entirely different from another. It is impossible to predict the situations that may
arise in incident response, and thus the command-and-control notion is not feasible all the time.
“ICS is a standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination of on-scene incident
management that provides a common hierarchy within which personnel from multiple organizations can
be effective.” (FEMA, 2017). The ICS is a core component of the incident response framework that is
used within the Department of Homeland Security. The one element within the ICS that does the most
good for the mission is the safety procedures for personnel and facilities. These safety procedures help
ensure the safety and livelihoods of all the volunteers and paid workers that are working to respond to a
hazard or threat. The organizational structures in place also help achieve this. The one element that may
be difficult to implement is the logistical side of things. With logistics, coordination, planning, and
organization the fed government may slow down the response of the local and state stakeholders
because of the bureaucracy. This will only prevent work from getting done immediately in situations like
what was seen from Hurricane Katrina. I would also mention that the command-and-control notion that I
spoke of with NIMS can be used again here.
References
Brown, D. (2010, December 2). Incident response: Communication is key. Security Magazine RSS.
Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/78810-incident-
response-communication-is-key-1#:~:text=COMMUNICATION%20CAN%20MAKE%20ALL
%20THE,both%20internal%20and%20external%20stakeholders.
Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). National Response Framework. EPA. Retrieved May 30, 2022,
from https://www.epa.gov/emergency-response/national-response-framework-nrf
FDOC 104-008-1 / December 2011 - FEMA. FEMA. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from
https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/whole_community_dec2011__2.pdf
Fourth edition October 28, 2019 - FEMA. Homeland Security. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from
https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/NRF_FINALApproved_2011028.pdf
National Incident Management System - FEMA. FEMA. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from
https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/fema_nims_doctrine-2017.pdf
Nims: Frequently asked questions - FEMA. FEMA. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from
https://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/NIMSFAQs.pdf
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