National Incident Management System (NIMS) Training Program

NIMS training is tailored to four main groups:

1. On-Scene Incident Personnel

   ICS for incident personnel conducting on-scene tactical operations

2. Off-scene Incident Support (EOC) Personnel

   EOCs for incident personnel providing off-scene coordination, information and resource support

3. Personnel Conducting Public/Media Communication

   Public Information Officer training in the Joint Information System for incident personnel conducting public and media communication

4. Senior-Level

   Multiagency Coordination (MAC) Groups training for senior-level policy and decision-makers

Training is organized into three levels for each of the above groups:

1. All incident personnel: Basic courses that explain how they fit into the incident structure.
2. Personnel with some leadership duties: Courses that prepare them to start incident command or move into supervisory roles.
3. Designated leaders and supervisors: Advanced courses that build skills for managing large or complex incidents that may require an Incident Action Plan.

The NIMS Training Program is national level guidance. Each Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) decides who takes which courses, based on the capabilities they have identified and required to support their emergency plans.

The diagram below from the NIMS Training Program provides an overview of recommended training by focus area and level of responsibility.

NIMS Training Delivery is a decentralized, collaborative effort across state, local, tribal, territorial, Federal, nonprofit, and private sector organizations. Effective training is crucial to ensure that all personnel and organizations understand their responsibilities and are able to collaborate and respond.

FEMA is responsible for managing and maintaining NIMS, defining implementation objectives and minimum training requirements, and issuing certificates only for courses delivered directly by FEMA.

Ultimately, any Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) can create and administer processes to qualify, certify, and credential personnel for incident-related positions.

AHJs include state, tribal, territorial, and Federal government departments and agencies, along with training commissions, NGOs, companies, and local organizations such as police, fire, public health, and public works departments.

AHJs build on FEMA’s minimum NIMS training standards and recommendations to determine training necessary for incident personnel under their purview. Therefore, it often is necessary to consult with your AHJ to understand what specific training you need for your role.

The NIMS Guideline for the NQS expands on NIMS by providing specific instructions for building a qualification system that aligns personnel capabilities with national guidelines for minimum position qualification criteria. NQS helps ensure that personnel deploying through mutual aid agreements have the knowledge, experience, training, and capability to perform the duties of their requested roles. NDEMU develops and delivers training to support ICS and EOC position qualification.

NQS directly supports FEMA’s strategic plan to build a national incident workforce. It also serves as a tool to help AHJs meet the NIMS Implementation Objectives for incident workforce development. FEMA recommends that AHJs develop or participate in a qualification, certification, and credentialing program that aligns with NQS.

The majority of NIMS training classroom courses are delivered by individual agencies/jurisdictions and are not routinely delivered by FEMA. Although local AHJs provide the primary pathway for advanced classroom instruction, FEMA NDEMU offers the foundational Independent Study (IS) courses required as prerequisites.

Review the items below to help find NIMS training options needed for both participants and trainers.