Energy Planning Consultants, Inc.

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

[1] March 1, 2004 - U. S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge today announced approval of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) (PDF, 152 pages - 7.6MB) the Nation's first standardized management plan that creates a unified structure for Federal, state, and local lines of government for incident response. "NIMS gives all of our Nation's responders the same framework for incident management and fully puts into practice the concept of, 'One mission, one team, one fight,'" Ridge said. "I recognize the efforts of the dedicated professionals from state and local governments, law enforcement, the fire and emergency management communities, emergency medical services, tribal associations, public health, the private sector, public works, and non-governmental organizations across America who teamed together in a collaborative effort to create NIMS," Ridge said. "This unique system provides all of our Nation's first-responders and authorities with the same foundation for incident management, in terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and other emergencies. From our Nation to our neighborhoods, America is safer."