Accessible: Having the legally required features and/or qualities that ensure easy entrance, participation, and usability of places, programs, services, and activities by individuals with a wide variety of disabilities.
Agency: A division of government with a specific function offering a particular kind of assistance. In the Incident Command System (ICS), agencies are defined either as jurisdictional (having statutory responsibility for incident management) or as assisting or cooperating (providing resources or other assistance). Governmental organizations are most often in charge of an incident, though in certain circumstances, private sector organizations may be included. Additionally, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) may be included to provide support.
All-Hazards: Any incident, natural or man-made, that warrants action to protect life, property, environment, public health, or safety, and to minimize disruptions of government, social, or economic activities.
Animal Capture and Collection Team: A team responsible for the humane capture, control, and removal (transport) of animals from areas of danger.
Animal Emergency Response Assessment Team: A team designed to provide the Incident Command with a recommendation on the resources needed to provide an effective animal emergency response in an all-hazards situation (natural and technological).
Animal Sheltering Team: A team responsible for the oversight, setup, operations, and staffing of temporary animal shelters.
Animal Transport Team: A team responsible for transporting animals away from an impacted area (typically to another area of refuge).
Area Command: An organization established to oversee the management of multiple incidents that are each being handled by a separate ICS organization or to oversee the management of a very large or evolving incident that has multiple Incident Management Teams (IMTs) engaged. An agency administrator/executive or other public official with jurisdictional responsibility for the incident usually makes the decision to establish an Area Command. An Area Command is activated only if necessary, depending on the complexity of the incident and incident management span of control considerations.
Assessment: The evaluation and interpretation of measurements and other information to provide a basis for decision making.
Assignments: Tasks given to resources to perform within a given operational period that are based on operational objectives defined in the Incident Action Plan (IAP).
Assistant: Title for subordinates of principal Command Staff positions. The title indicates a level of technical capability, qualifications, and responsibility subordinate to the primary positions. Assistants may also be assigned to unit leaders.
Available Resources: Resources assigned to an incident, checked in, and available for a mission assignment, normally located in a Staging Area.
Base: Also called an Incident Base. The location at which primary logistics functions for an incident are coordinated and administered. There is only one Base per incident. (Incident name or other designator will be added to the term Base.) The Incident Command Post (ICP) may be co-located with the Incident Base.
Branch: The organizational level having functional or geographical responsibility for major aspects of incident operations. A Branch is organizationally situated between the Section Chief and the Division or Group in the Operations Section and between the Section and Units in the Logistics Section. Branches are identified by the use of roman numerals or by functional area.
Cache: A predetermined complement of tools, equipment, and/or supplies stored in a designated location, available for incident use.
Camp: A geographical site within the general incident area (separate from the Incident Base) that is equipped and staffed to provide sleeping, food, water, and sanitary services to incident personnel.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): A part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting public health activities in the United States.
Chain of Command: The orderly line of authority within the ranks of the incident management organization.
ChemPack: A strictly voluntary Public Health Resource that is provided through funding from the CDC as a component of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The ChemPack is typically housed at either a hospital or an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) base and includes antidotes that are effective against the symptoms of chemical weapons exposure.
Chief: The ICS title for individuals responsible for management of functional Sections–Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration, and Intelligence/Investigations (if established as a separate Section).
Command: The act of directing, ordering, or controlling by virtue of explicit statutory, regulatory, or delegated authority.
Communicable Disease: Disease caused by a biologic agent or pathogen that can be transmitted directly or indirectly to another human or animal by or through an infected human, animal, or vector.
Communications: Process of transmission of information through verbal, written, or symbolic means.
Communications/Dispatch Center: Agency or interagency dispatcher centers, 911 call centers, emergency control or command dispatch centers, or any naming convention given to the facility and staff that handle emergency calls from the public and communications with emergency management/response personnel. Center can serve as a primary coordination and support element for an incident until other the Emergency Operations Center is activated.
Complex: Two or more individual incidents located in the same general area and assigned to a single Incident Commander (IC) or to Unified Command (UC).
Continuity of Government (COG): Activities that address the continuance of constitutional governance. COG planning aims to preserve and/or reconstitute the institution of government and ensure that a department or agency’s constitutional, legislative, and/or administrative responsibilities are maintained. This is accomplished through succession of leadership, the pre- delegation of emergency authority, and active command and control during response and recovery operations.
Coordinate: To advance systematically an analysis and exchange of information among principals who have or may have a need to know certain information to carry out specific incident management responsibilities.
Credentialing: Providing documentation that can authenticate and verify the qualification, certification and identity of designated incident managers and emergency responders.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS): A Federal agency whose primary mission is to help prevent, protect against, and respond to acts of terrorism on United States soil.
Deputy: A fully qualified individual who, in the absence of a superior, can be delegated the authority to manage a functional operation or perform a specific task. In some cases, a deputy can act as relief for a superior and, therefore, must be fully qualified in the position. Deputies generally can be assigned to the IC, General Staffs, and Branch Directors.
Director: The ICS title for individuals responsible for supervision of a Branch.
Dispatch: The ordered movement of a resource or resources to an assigned operational mission or an administrative move from one location to another.
Division: The partition of an incident into geographical areas of operation. Divisions are established when the number of resources exceeds the manageable span of control of the Operations Chief. A Division is located within the ICS organization between the branch and resources in the Operations Section.
Donated Goods Warehouse Management Team: A deployable team assigned to operate a donated goods warehouse. A donated goods warehouse receives, sorts, inventories, and distributes in-kind donations to other NGO organizations, which in turn distribute those goods to survivors and responders.
Emergency: Any incident(s), whether natural or man-made, that requires responsive action to protect life or property. Under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, an emergency means any occasion or instance for which, in the determination of the President, Federal assistance is needed to supplement State and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States.
Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC): A congressionally ratified organization that provides form and structure to interstate mutual aid. Through EMAC, a disaster affected State can request and receive assistance from other member States quickly and efficiently, resolving two key issues upfront—liability and reimbursement.
Emergency Management/Response Personnel: Includes Federal, State, territorial, tribal, sub- State regional, and local governments; private sector organizations; critical infrastructure owners and operators; NGOs; and all other organizations and individuals who assume an emergency management role, also known as Emergency Responder.
Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs): The physical location at which the multiagency coordination of information and resources to support incident management (on-scene operations) activities normally takes place. An EOC may be a temporary facility or may be located in a more central or permanently established facility, perhaps at a higher level of organization within a jurisdiction.
Emergency Operations Plan (EOP): The ongoing plan maintained by various jurisdictional levels for responding to a wide variety of potential hazards.
Evacuation: Organized, phased, and supervised withdrawal, dispersal, or removal of civilians from dangerous or potentially dangerous areas, and their reception and care in safe areas.
Event: See Planned Event.
Federal: Of or pertaining to the Federal Government of the United States of America.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): The primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), serving as both a Federal criminal investigative body and a domestic intelligence agency. FBI mission is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to Federal, State, municipal, and international agencies and partners.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): An agency of the United States (U.S.) government tasked with Disaster Mitigation, Protection, Prevention, Response, and Recovery planning.
Field Kitchen Unit: Field Kitchen Units are capable of mass food production and often serve as the hub of a hub and spoke food distribution system. NIMS delineates four types of Field Kitchen Units, which are capable of serving from 5,000 meals per day to over 20,000 meals per day.
Finance/Administration Section: The Section responsible for all administrative and financial considerations surrounding an incident.
Food Service Delivery Unit: Food Service Delivery Units deliver prepared food, but unlike Mobile Kitchen Units, have no independent cooking capability. NIMS delineates two types of Food Service Delivery Units. A Type I is a specialized unit, such as American Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV). A Type II unit is a commercial vehicle, such as a van, converted to the purpose of emergency food distribution.
Function: Function refers to the five major activities in ICS: Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration. The term “function” is also used when describing the activity involved (e.g., the planning function). A sixth function, Intelligence/Investigations, may be established, if required, to meet incident management needs.
General Staff: A group of incident management personnel organized according to function and reporting to the IC. The General Staff normally consists of the Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, and Finance/Administration Section Chief. An Intelligence/Investigations Chief may be established, if required, to meet incident management needs.
Group: Established to divide the incident management structure into functional areas of operation. Groups are composed of resources assembled to perform a special function not necessarily within a single geographic division. Groups, when activated, are located between branches and resources in the Operations Section. See Division.
Hazard: Something that is potentially dangerous or harmful, often the root cause of an unwanted outcome.
Identification and Authentication: Individuals and organizations that access the National Incident Management System (NIMS) information management system and, in particular, those that contribute information to the system (e.g., situation reports), must be properly authenticated and certified for security purposes.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): The largest and primary investigative arm of DHS, responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the Nation’s border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security.
Imminent Hazard: Any situation that is likely to cause:
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An immediate threat to human life
- An immediate threat of serious injury
- An immediate threat of serious adverse health effects
- A serious risk of irreparable damage to the environment if no immediate action is taken
Incident: An occurrence or event, natural or man-made, which requires a response to protect life or property. Incidents can, for example, include major disasters, emergencies, terrorist attacks, terrorist threats, civil unrest, wildland and urban fires, floods, hazardous materials spills, nuclear accidents, aircraft accidents, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical storms, tsunamis, war- related disasters, public health and medical emergencies, and other occurrences requiring an emergency response.
Incident Action Plan (IAP): An oral or written plan containing general objectives reflecting the overall strategy for managing an incident. It may include the identification of operational resources and assignments. It may also include attachments that provide direction and important information for management of the incident during one or more operational periods.
Incident Command: Responsible for overall management of the incident and consists of the IC, either single or unified command, and any assigned supporting staff.
Incident Command Post (ICP): The field location where the primary functions are performed. The ICP may be co-located with the incident base or other incident facilities.
Incident Command System (ICS): A standardized, on-scene emergency management construct specifically designed to provide for the adoption of an integrated organizational structure that reflects the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents, without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries. ICS is the combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure, designed to aid in the management of resources during incidents. It is used for all kinds of emergencies and is applicable to small as well as large and complex incidents. ICS is used by various jurisdictions and functional agencies, both public and private, to organize field-level incident management operations.
Incident Commander (IC): The individual responsible for all incident activities, including the development of strategies and tactics and the ordering and the release of resources. The IC has overall authority and responsibility for conducting incident operations and is responsible for the management of all incident operations at the incident site.
Incident Management: The broad spectrum of activities and organizations providing effective and efficient operations, coordination, and support applied at all levels of government, utilizing both governmental and nongovernmental resources to plan for, respond to, and recover from an incident, regardless of cause, size, or complexity.
Incident Management Team (IMT): An IC and the appropriate Command and General Staff personnel assigned to an incident. The level of training and experience of the IMT members, coupled with the identified formal response requirements and responsibilities of the IMT, are factors in determining “type,” or level, of IMT.
Incident Objectives: Statements of guidance and direction needed to select appropriate strategy(s) and the tactical direction of resources. Incident objectives are based on realistic expectations of what can be accomplished when all allocated resources have been effectively deployed. Incident objectives must be achievable and measurable, yet flexible enough to allow strategic and tactical alternatives.
Infectious Disease: Disease caused by a biologic agent or pathogen in humans or animals; may or may not be communicable.
Information Management: The collection, organization, and control over the structure, processing, and delivery of information from one or more sources and distribution to one or more audiences who have a stake in that information.
Initial Action: The actions taken by those responders first to arrive at an incident site.
Initial Response: Resources initially committed to an incident.
Insurance Services Office (ISO): The ISO analyzes relevant data using a Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS). The FSRS measures the major elements of a community’s fire- suppression system (fire dispatch/communications, fire department, and water supply) and develops a numerical grading called a Public Protection Classification (PPC). The FSRS incorporates nationally accepted standards developed by such organizations as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA). When those organizations update their standards, the ISO evaluation changes as well. So, the PPC program always provides a useful benchmark that helps fire departments and other public officials measure the effectiveness of their efforts and plan(s) of improvement(s).
Intelligence/Investigations: Intelligence gathered within the Intelligence/Investigations function is information that either leads to the detection, prevention, apprehension, and prosecution of criminal activities (or the individual(s) involved), including terrorist incidents, or information that leads to the determination of the cause of a given incident (regardless of the source), such as public health events or fires with unknown origins. This is different from the normal operational and situational intelligence gathered and reported by the Planning Section.
Interoperability: Allows emergency management/response personnel and their affiliated organizations to communicate within and across agencies and jurisdictions via voice, data, or video-on-demand in real-time, when needed, and when authorized.
Isolation: To separate or restrict the movement or action of humans or animals that are ill with, or are reasonably suspected of being ill with, a communicable disease, from healthy humans or animals.
Isolation Authority: The authority to issue an order to restrict the movement or action of humans or animals that are infected or reasonably suspected of being infected with a communicable disease for the period of communicability to other persons or animals who are susceptible.
Joint Information Center (JIC): A facility established to coordinate all incident-related public information activities. It is the central point of contact for all news media. Public information officials from all participating agencies should co-locate at the JIC.
Joint Information System (JIS): Integrates incident information and public affairs into a cohesive organization designed to provide consistent, coordinated, accurate, accessible, timely, and complete information during crisis or incident operations. The mission of the JIS is to provide a structure and system for developing and delivering coordinated interagency messages; developing, recommending, and executing public information plans and strategies on behalf of the IC; advising the IC concerning public affairs issues that could affect a response effort; and controlling rumors and inaccurate information that could undermine public confidence in the emergency response effort.
Jurisdiction: A range or sphere of authority. Public agencies have jurisdiction at an incident related to their legal responsibilities and authority. Jurisdictional authority at an incident can be political or geographical (e.g., Federal, State, tribal, and local boundary lines) or functional (e.g., law enforcement, public health).
Jurisdictional Agency: The agency having jurisdiction and responsibility for a specific geographical area or having a mandated function.
Key Resources: Any publicly or privately controlled resources essential to the minimal operations of the economy and government.
Liaison: A form of communication for establishing and maintaining mutual understanding and cooperation.
Liaison Officer: A member of the Command Staff responsible for coordinating with representatives from cooperating and assisting agencies or organizations.
Local Government: A county, municipality, city, town, township, local public authority, school district, special district, intrastate district, council of governments (regardless of whether the council of governments is incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under State law), regional or interstate government entity, or agency or instrumentality of a local government; an Indian tribe or authorized tribal entity, or in Alaska a Native village or Alaska Regional Native Corporation; a rural community, unincorporated town or village, or other public entity. See Section 2 (10), Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135 (2002).
Logistics: Providing resources and other services to support incident management.
Logistics Section: The Section responsible for providing facilities, services, and material support for the incident.
Major Disaster: As defined under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122), a major disaster is any natural catastrophe (including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought) or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under this Act to supplement the efforts and available resources of States, tribes, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby.
Managers: Individuals within ICS organizational Units that are assigned specific managerial responsibilities (e.g., Staging Area Manager or Camp Manager).
Mega-Shelter: A large, non-conventional sheltering facility, such as an arena, convention center, or stadium. Mega Shelters may be used in catastrophic disasters, when the scale and scope of the incident may require larger sheltering operations and a wider range of multi-agency service provisions than can be accommodated in a standard sheltering facility.
Mitigation: Provides a critical foundation in the effort to reduce the loss of life and property from natural and/or man-made disasters by avoiding or lessening the impact of a disaster and providing value to the public by creating safer communities. Mitigation seeks to fix the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. These activities or actions, in most cases, will have a long-term sustained effect.
Mobile Kitchen Unit: Mobile Kitchen Units prepare meals, provide direct service, and can be packed up and moved to other service locations as needed. NIMS delineates four types of Mobile Kitchen Units, serving from up to 500 to 1,500 meals per day.
Mobilization: The process and procedures used by all organizations—Federal, State, tribal, and local–for activating, assembling, and transporting all resources that have been requested to respond to or support an incident.
Multiagency Coordination (MAC) Group: Typically, administrators/executives, or their appointed representatives, who are authorized to commit agency resources and funds are brought together and form MAC Groups. MAC Groups may also be known as multiagency committees, emergency management committees, or as otherwise defined by the System. It can provide coordinated decision making and resource allocation among cooperating agencies and may establish the priorities among incidents, harmonize agency policies, and provide strategic guidance and direction to support incident management activities.
Mutual Aid Agreements and/or Assistance Agreements: Written or oral agreements between and among agencies/organizations and/or jurisdictions that provide a mechanism to quickly obtain emergency assistance in the form of personnel, equipment, materials, and other associated services. The primary objective is to facilitate rapid, short-term deployment of emergency support prior to, during, and/or after an incident.
National: Of a nationwide character, including the Federal, State, tribal, and local aspects of governance and policy.
National Disaster Medical System (NDMS): A cooperative, asset-sharing partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. NDMS provides resources for meeting the continuity of care and mental health services requirements of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
National Incident Management System (NIMS): Provides a systematic, proactive approach guiding government agencies at all levels, the private sector, and NGOs to work seamlessly to prepare for, prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life or property and harm to the environment.
National Response Framework (NRF): A guide to how the Nation conducts all-hazards incident management.
Nongovernmental Organization (NGO): An entity with an association that is based on interests of its members, individuals, or institutions. It is not created by a government, but it may work cooperatively with government. Such organizations serve a public purpose, not a private benefit. Examples of NGOs include faith-based charity organizations and the American Red Cross.
Officers: The ICS title for the personnel responsible for the Command Staff positions of Safety, Liaison, and Public Information.
Operational Period: The time scheduled for executing a given set of operation actions, as specified in the IAP. Operational periods can be of various lengths, although usually they last 12–24 hours.
Operations Section: The Section responsible for all tactical incident operations and implementation of the IAP. In ICS, it normally includes subordinate Branches, Divisions, and/or Groups.
Organization: Any association or group of persons with like objectives. Examples include, but are not limited to, governmental departments and agencies, the private sector, and/or NGOs.
Planned Event: A planned, non-emergency activity (e.g., sporting events, concerts, and parades).
Planning Section: The Section responsible for the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of operational information related to the incident and for the preparation and documentation of the IAP. This Section also maintains information on the current and forecasted situation and on the status of resources assigned to the incident.
Presidential Disaster Declaration (Presidential Declaration): See Major Disaster and Emergency.
Prevention: Actions to avoid an incident or to intervene to stop an incident from occurring. Prevention involves actions to protect lives and property. It involves applying intelligence and other information to a range of activities that may include such countermeasures as deterrence operations; heightened inspections; improved surveillance and security operations; investigations to determine the full nature and source of the threat; public health and agricultural surveillance and testing processes; immunizations, isolation, or quarantine; and, as appropriate, specific law enforcement operations aimed at deterring, preempting, interdicting, or disrupting illegal activity and apprehending potential perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
Private Sector: Organizations and entities that are not part of any governmental structure. The private sector includes for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, formal and informal structures, commerce, and industry.
Protocols: Sets of established guidelines for actions (which may be designated by individuals, teams, functions, or capabilities) under various specified conditions.
Public Health Nuisance: Any activity or failure to act that adversely affects public health.
Public Information: Processes, procedures, and systems for communicating timely, accurate, accessible information on the incident’s cause, size, and current situation; resources committed; and other matters of general interest to the public, responders, and additional stakeholders (both directly affected and indirectly affected).
Public Information Officer (PIO): A member of the Command Staff responsible for interfacing with the public and media and/or with other agencies with incident related information requirements.
Quarantine: To separate or restrict the movement or action of humans or animals that are well but have been exposed to, or are reasonably suspected of being exposed to, a communicable disease, to see if they become ill.
Quarantine Authority: The legal authority to issue an order to: 1) separate or restrict the movement or action of humans or animals that are well but have been exposed to, or are reasonably suspected of being exposed to, a communicable disease for the minimum time period necessary to demonstrate that the individual will not be capable of infecting other susceptible humans or animals; 2) restrict access by a human or animal to an area or facility contaminated with, or reasonably suspected of being contaminated with, an infectious agent; or 3) limit the movement or action of unimmunized persons during an outbreak of an infectious disease.
Recovery: The development, coordination, and execution of service and site restoration plans; the reconstitution of government operations and services; individual, private sector, nongovernmental, and public assistance programs to provide housing and to promote restoration; long-term care and treatment of affected persons; additional measures for social, political, environmental, and economic restoration; evaluation of the incident to identify lessons learned; post-incident reporting; and development of initiatives to mitigate the effects of future incidents.
Reimbursement: Provides a mechanism to recoup funds expended for incident specific activities.
Resource Management: Efficient emergency management and incident response requires a system for identifying available resources at all jurisdictional levels to enable timely and unimpeded access to resources needed to prepare for, respond to, or recover from an incident. Resource management under NIMS includes mutual aid agreements and assistance agreements; the use of special Federal, State, tribal, and local teams; and resource mobilization protocols.
Resources: Personnel and major items of equipment, supplies, and facilities available or potentially available for assignment to incident operations and for which status is maintained. Resources are described by kind and type and may be used in operational support or supervisory capacities at an incident or at an EOC.
Response: Activities that address the short-term, direct effects of an incident. Response includes immediate actions to save lives, protect property, and meet basic human needs. Response also includes the execution of EOPs and of mitigation activities designed to limit the loss of life, personal injury, property damage, and other unfavorable outcomes. As indicated by the situation, response activities include applying intelligence and other information to lessen the effects or consequences of an incident; increased security operations; continuing investigations into nature and source of the threat; ongoing public health and agricultural surveillance and testing processes; immunizations, isolation, or quarantine; and specific law enforcement operations aimed at preempting, interdicting, or disrupting illegal activity and apprehending actual perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
Safety Officer: A member of the Command Staff responsible for monitoring incident operations and advising the IC on all matters relating to operational safety, including the health and safety of emergency responder personnel.
Section: The organizational level having responsibility for a major functional area of incident management (e.g., Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration, and Intelligence/ Investigations [if established]). The Section is organizationally situated between the Branch and the Incident Command.
Shelter: A safe congregate care, environmentally protected facility providing temporary housing for people who have been (or will be) displaced by an emergency. Shelters may divided into sub-categories based on the amount of time the shelter is opened: Emergency Evacuation Shelters (typically not to exceed 72 hours); Standard / Short Term Shelters (typically not to exceed 2- weeks); Long Term Shelters (typically longer than 2- weeks).
Shelter In Place: A sheltering strategy that directs people to remain in their existing living accommodations during an emergency incident or a disaster event.
Shelter Management Team: A Shelter Management Team coordinates and manages resources in a congregate care facility (i.e., shelter). The team is responsible for providing a safe and protected environment for populations displaced by an incident or an event.
Span of Control: The number of resources for which a supervisor is responsible, usually expressed as the ratio of supervisors to individuals.
Special Needs Population: Pertaining to a population whose members may have additional needs before, during, and after an incident in one or more of the following functional areas: maintaining independence, communication, transportation, supervision, and medical care. Individuals in need of additional response assistance may include those who have disabilities; who live in institutionalized settings; who are elderly; who are children; who are from diverse cultures, who have limited English proficiency, or who are non-English speaking; or who are transportation disadvantaged.
Staging Area: Established for the temporary location of available resources. A Staging Area can be any location in which personnel, supplies, and equipment can be temporarily housed or parked while awaiting operational assignment.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): Complete reference document or an operations manual that provides the purpose, authorities, duration, and details for the preferred method of performing a single function or a number of interrelated functions in a uniform manner.
State: When capitalized, refers to any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any possession of the United States. See Section 2 (14), Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135 (2002).
Strategy: The general plan or direction selected to accomplish incident objectives.
Supervisor: The ICS title for an individual responsible for a Division or Group.
System: An integrated combination of people, equipment, and processes that work in a coordinated manner to achieve a specific desired output under specific conditions.
Tactics: Deploying and directing resources on an incident to accomplish the objectives designated by strategy.
Task Force: Any combination of resources assembled to support a specific mission or operational need. All resource elements within a Task Force must have common communications and a designated leader.
Technical Specialists: Personnel with special skills that can be used anywhere within the ICS organization. No minimum qualifications are prescribed, as technical specialists normally perform the same duties during an incident that they perform in their everyday jobs, and they are typically certified in their fields or professions.
Temporary Evacuation Points: A safe staging area, often outdoors, such as a parking lot or public park, where people who have been (or will be) displaced by an emergency can congregate. Temporary Evacuation Points are typically utilized for several hours – until people can return home or be referred on to a standard disaster shelter.
Terrorism: Under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, terrorism is defined as activity that involves an act dangerous to human life or potentially destructive of critical infrastructure or key resources; is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State or other subdivision of the United States in which it occurs; and is intended to intimidate or coerce the civilian population or influence or affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping. See Section 2 (15), Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135 (2002).
Threat: An indication of possible violence, harm, or danger.
Tools: Those instruments and capabilities that allow for the professional performance of tasks, such as information systems, agreements, doctrine, capabilities, and legislative authorities.
Indian Community: Any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaskan Native Village as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaskan Native Claims Settlement Act (85 stat. 688) [43 U.S.C.A. and 1601 et seq.], that is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.
Type: An ICS resource classification that refers to capability. Type I is generally considered to be more capable than Types II, III, or IV, respectively, because of size, power, capacity, or (in the case of IMTs) experience and qualifications.
Unified Command (UC): An ICS application used when more than one agency has incident jurisdiction or when incidents cross political jurisdictions. Agencies work together through the designated members of the UC, often the senior person from agencies and/or disciplines participating in the UC, to establish a common set of objectives and strategies and a single IAP.
Unit: The organizational element with functional responsibility for a specific incident planning, logistics, or finance/administration activity.
Unit Leader: The individual in charge of managing Units within an ICS functional section. The Unit can be staffed by a number of support personnel providing a wide range of services. Some of the support positions are pre-established within ICS (e.g., Base Camp Manager), but many others will be assigned as Technical Specialists.
United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): The USACE is made up of military and civilian engineers, scientists, and other specialists who work hand in hand as leaders in engineering and environmental matters.
Volunteer: For purposes of NIMS, a volunteer is any individual accepted to perform services by the lead agency (which has authority to accept volunteer services) when the individual performs services without promise, expectation, or receipt of compensation for services performed. See 16 U.S.C. 742f(c) and 29 CFR 553.101.
Zoonosis or Zoonotic Disease: Infectious disease that can be transmitted directly or indirectly between humans and animals.