Second National Comment Period on Revised National Incident Management System (NIMS) Document

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is coordinating a comprehensive review of the National Response Plan (NRP) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) to assess their effectiveness and identify improvements. The review process, which includes participation from all levels of stakeholders, commenced in October 2006 and is scheduled to be concluded by June 1, 2007.

The NIMS is a key element in the national framework for domestic incident management. It provides a nationwide template that enables Federal, State, local and tribal governments, the private sector and nongovernmental organizations to work together efficiently and effectively to manage the consequences of domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life and property.

As part of the review process, stakeholders will be asked to participate in two formal comment periods on both documents to ensure their effectiveness as national doctrine for incident management. The first draft of the NIMS document was released for national comment February 1-19, 2007. Hundreds of stakeholders nationwide provided comments during this review period. Comments from the review period have been adjudicated by the NIMS Working Group and a complete technical edit of the document has been performed by the Writing Team in preparation for the second national comment period.

The second national comment period for the NIMS document is March 26, 2007, through April 6, 2007. If you would like to request a comment form to submit comments, please email NIMScomments@hsi.dhs.gov.

However, while a comment form will help assure clarity and consistency, it is not a requirement. You may also submit your comments directly to that email address.

Your organization’s participation in the NRP/NIMS review process is essential to ensure that the Nation can effectively and efficiently prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from any type of incident. Direct question regarding the NIMS Document can be forwarded to Mr. Al Fluman, at al.fluman@dhs.gov.

To access the NIMS document click here.

To read about the National Response Plan (NRP) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) Review click here.

Posted March 27, 2007