FY 2006 NIMS Training Requirements 

Overview 

Training is one of the important elements that state, territorial, tribal, and local entities must 
complete during the FY 2006 (October 1, 2005 – September 30, 2006) to become fully compliant 
with the NIMS.  Jurisdictions will be required to meet the FY 2006 NIMS implementation 
requirements as a condition of receiving federal preparedness funding assistance in FY 2007.

It is important to recognize that NIMS implementation will not end in FY 2006.  The NIMS is a
dynamic system, and the doctrine as well as the implementation requirements will continue to evolve
as our prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities improve and our homeland
security landscape changes.  Further, new personnel will continue to need NIMS training, and NIMS
processes will still have to be exercised in future years. 

The successful implementation of the NIMS depends on the participation and integration of all state,
territorial and community-based organizations, including public, non-governmental, and private
organizations that may have a role in preventing, preparing for, responding to, or recovering from an
incident.  States, territories, tribes and local jurisdictions should therefore consider and include
appropriate organizations in their NIMS implementation efforts, including private sector emergency
medical and hospital providers, transportation systems, utilities, and special facilities such as industrial
plants, nuclear power plants, factories, military facilities, stadiums and arenas.  Moreover, full NIMS
implementation is a dynamic and multi-year phase-in process with important linkages to the National
Response Plan (NRP),  the Homeland Security Presidential Directive - 8  (i.e. the “National
Preparedness Goal”) and the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP).  Future refinement to
the NIMS will evolve as policy and technical issues are further developed and clarified at the national
level.  This may well result in additional requirements being issued by the NIC as to what will
constitute continuous full NIMS compliance in FY2007 and beyond.            

IS-700 NIMS: An Introduction

All personnel with a direct role in emergency preparedness, incident management or response 
must complete this training.  IS-700 NIMS: An Introduction is a Web-based awareness level 
course that explains NIMS components, concepts and principles. Although it is designed to be taken 
online as an interactive Web-course, course materials may be downloaded and used in a group or 
classroom setting. Answer sheets may be obtained from the Emergency Management Institute by 
calling the EMI Independent Study Office at 301-447-1256. To obtain the IS700 course materials 
or take the course online go to http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/IS/is700.asp. More than 550,000 
persons completed this course in FY 2005.

Who should take IS-700 in FY 2006?  As stated above all personnel with a direct role in emergency 
preparedness, incident management or response must complete the training.  Included below are 
additional guidelines to assist you in determining the type of individual by position who should take 
the IS-700 training.

Executive Level – Political and government leaders, agency and organization administrators 
and department heads; personnel that fill ICS roles as Unified Commanders, Incident 
Commanders, Command Staff, General Staff in either Area Command or single incidents; 
senior level Multi-Agency Coordination System personnel; senior emergency managers; 
and Emergency Operations Center Command or General Staff. 

Managerial Level – Agency and organization management between the executive level and 
first level supervision; personnel who fill ICS roles as Branch Directors, Division/Group 
Supervisors, Unit Leaders, technical specialists, strike team and task force leaders, single 
resource leaders and field supervisors; midlevel Multi-Agency Coordination System 
personnel; EOC Section Chiefs, Branch Directors, Unit Leaders; and other emergency 
management/response personnel who require a higher level of ICS/NIMS Training. 

Responder Level – Emergency response providers and disaster workers, entry level to 
managerial level including Emergency Medical Service personnel; firefighters; medical 
personnel; police officers; public health personnel; public works/utility personnel; and 
other emergency management response personnel. 

Note:  Multi-agency Coordination System personnel include those persons who 

are charged with coordinating and supporting incident management activities. 

These emergency management personnel typically may function from an emergency 
operations center or similar facility.

IS-800 NRP: An Introduction

All Federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local emergency managers or personnel whose primary 
responsibility is emergency management must complete must this training.  IS-800 National 
Response Plan (NRP): An Introduction is a Web-based awareness level course that introduces the 
key elements of the National Response Plan so that its implementation can be supported at all levels 
of government.  The following topics are covered in this training:

·        National Response Plan Overview (and correlation to NIMS)

·        Roles and Responsibilities of Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, and private 
      sector organizations

·        Coordinating structures in the field and at the regional and national levels

·        Field-level organizations and teams that support an incident

·        Incident management actions, including notification and assessment, activation, deployment, 
      and demobilization

The course is designed to be taken online as an interactive Web-course; course materials may be 
downloaded and used in a group or classroom setting. Answer sheets may be obtained from the 
Emergency Management Institute by calling the EMI Independent Study Office at 301-447-1256. 
To obtain the IS800 course materials or take the course online go to 
http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/IS/is800.asp. 
More than 55,000 persons completed this course in FY 2005.

Who should take IS-800 in FY 2006?  As stated above all Federal, state, territorial, tribal, and 
local emergency managers or personnel whose primary responsibility is emergency management 
must complete must this training.  Included below are additional guidelines to assist you in determining 
the type of individual by position who should take the IS-800 training.

Federal Level – Officials in Federal government departments and agencies with emergency 
management responsibilities under the NRP.

State/Territorial Level – Officials in state and territorial governments with emergency management 
responsibilities to include personnel from state and territorial emergency management agencies and 
from agencies who support and interact with the 15 Emergency Support Functions (ESF) in the NRP.

Tribal/Local Level – Officials in tribal and local jurisdictions with overall emergency management 
responsibilities as dictated by law or ordinance; those officials with overall emergency management 
responsibilities through delegation; and those officials primarily involved in emergency planning.

ICS-100 Introduction to ICS

ICS-200 Basic ICS

All Federal, State, territorial, tribal, private sector and non-governmental personnel at the entry
level, first line supervisor level, middle management level, and command and general staff level
of emergency management operations must complete ICS-100 level training.

All Federal, State, territorial, tribal, private sector and non-governmental personnel at the first
line supervisor level, middle management level, and command and general staff level of emergency
management operations must complete ICS-200 level training.

(See NIMS Training Guidelines page end of this section for additional detail)

Training developed and conducted by Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies as well as private training
vendors at the ICS-100 level must include at a minimum the following topical areas along with the specific
objectives noted.

• Purpose of ICS to include the following objectives: Identify requirements to use ICS;
  Identify three purposes of ICS; and Identify common incident tasks

• Basic Features of ICS to include the following objectives: Describe the basic features of ICS

• Incident Commander and Command Staff Functions to include the following objectives:
  Describe the role and function of the Incident Commander: and Describe the role and function
  of the Command Staff.

• General Staff Functions to include the following objectives: Describe the role and function of
  the Operations Section; Describe the role and function of the Planning Section; Describe the role
  and function of the Logistics Section; and Describe the role and function of the Finance/
  Administration Section.

• Facilities to include the following objectives: Describe the six basic ICS facilities;

         Identify facilities that may be located together; and Identify facility map symbols.

• Common Responsibilities to include the following objectives: Describe common mobilization
  responsibilities; Describe common responsibilities at an incident; List individual accountability
  responsibilities; and Describe common demobilization responsibilities.

Training developed and conducted by Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies as well as private
training vendors at the ICS-200 level must include at a minimum the following topical areas along
with the specific objectives noted. 

• Leadership and Management to include the following objectives: Describe chain of command
  and formal communication relationships; Identify common leadership responsibilities; Describe
  span of control and modular development; and Describe the use of position titles.

• Delegation of Authority and Management by Objectives to include the following objectives:
  Describe scope of authority; Describe delegation of authority process; and Describe and explain
  management by objectives.

• Functional Areas and Positions to include the following objectives: Identify the ICS tools to
  manage an incident; Demonstrate the function of organizational positions within ICS; and
  Demonstrate the use of an ICS 201 form.

• Briefings to include the following objectives: Give an Operational Briefing; and Describe
  components of field, staff and section briefings/meetings.

• Organizational Flexibility to include the following objectives:  Explain how the modular
  organization expands and contracts; Given a scenario, complete a complexity analysis; Define
  the five types of incidents; and Describe the importance of preparedness plans and agreements.

• Transfer of Command to include the following objectives: List the essential elements of
  information involved in transfer of command; and Describe the process of a transfer of command.

The NIMS Integration Center recognizes that many operational aspects of NIMS, including ICS
training, are available through state, local, and tribal agencies and private training vendors.  It is not
necessary that the training requirements be met through a federal source.  The NIMS National Standard
Curriculum Training Development Guidance (October, 2005) document provides stakeholders with
an evaluation checklist for training content, which may be used to ensure that the ICS training offered by
other agencies or vendors meets the standard “as taught by DHS.”  Click here to access the NIMS
National Standard Curriculum Training Development Guidance (October, 2005).

Emergency management/response personnel who have already been trained in ICS do not need
retraining if their pervious training is consistent with DHS standards (to include ICS courses managed,
administered, or delivered by the Emergency Management Institute, the National Fire Academy,
FIRESCOPE, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the
Environment Protection Agency, and the U.S. Coast Guard.)

Who should take ICS-100 and ICS-200 in FY 2006?  As stated above all Federal, State, territorial,
tribal, private sector and non-governmental personnel at the entry level, first line supervisor level,
middle management level, and command and general staff level of emergency management operations
must complete ICS-100 level training.  All Federal, State, territorial, tribal, private sector and non-
governmental personnel at the first line supervisor level, middle management level, and command and
general staff level of emergency management operations must complete ICS-200 level training.

The following page contains additional guidelines to assist you in determining the type of individual by 
position or function that should take the ICS-100 and ICS-200 training.

NIMS Training Guidelines

Audience                                                         Required Training

* Additional IS-800 Guidelines are provided earlier in this document

ICS Equivalent Training:  ICS-100, 200, 300, and 400 level training equivalencies can be met by 
following the guidance outlined in the NIMS National Standard Curriculum Training Development 
Guidance (October, 2005). As previously stated, it is not necessary that the training requirements be 
met through a federal source.  ICS training developed by state, local, and tribal agencies and private 
training vendors can “qualify” as NIMS compliant training if the training meets or exceeds the ICS 
objectives outlined in the NIMS National Standard Curriculum Training Development Guidance 
(October, 2005) and is adopted for use by the sponsoring training organization (i.e. State Emergency 
Management Agency, State Fire Training Academy, etc).

ICS-300 and ICS-400 training is not a required training element for FY 2006.  However, emergency 
management personnel at the middle management and command and general staff levels are urged to 
take this training if needed.  ICS-300 and ICS-400 training will be a FY 2007 NIMS compliance requirement.  

Note:  Multi-agency Coordination System personnel include those persons who 

are charged with coordinating and supporting incident management activities. 

These emergency management personnel typically may function from an emergency operations 
center or similar facility.

ICS 100 & 200 Available Training 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the United States Fire Administration (USFA) 
and the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in conjunction with the National Wildfire Coordinating 
Group (NWCG) and the United States Department of Agriculture has developed ICS 100 and 200 
training.  These courses are consistent with the NIMS National Standard Curriculum Training 
Development Guidance (October, 2005) and therefore meet the FY 2006 training compliance 
activities outlined by the NIMS Integration Center.

The United State Fire Administration (USFA), through its National Fire Programs Office has the 
following web-based courses available at the ICS-100 and ICS-200 levels.  The courses can be 
accessed at the following website: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/training/nfa/independent/

ICS Level

Course Code

Course Title

ICS-100

Q462

Introduction to NIMS ICS for Operational First Responders

ICS-200

Q463

Basic All-Hazards NIMS ICS for Operational First Responders

USFA also offers two direct delivery field courses, ICS for Fire Services (W/F-806) and ICS for 
Emergency Medical Services (W/F-163), which are equivalent to ICS-100 & ICS-200.  These courses 
are offered regionally by states and at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland 
on weekends.

The Emergency Management Institute has several ICS-100 and ICS-200 level courses that can be taken 
online as interactive Web-courses.  These course materials may also be downloaded and used in a group 
or classroom setting. Answer sheets may be obtained from the Emergency Management Institute by calling 
the EMI Independent Study Office at 301-447-1256. To complete the courses or download the course 
materials go to http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/IS/crslist.asp

Course 

Course Code

Status Web-Based

Status Classroom

ICS-100 General

IS-100

Completed on Web

Downloadable – no video

ICS-100 Law Enforcement

IS-100.LE

Completed on Web

Downloadable  Guide

ICS-100 Public Works

IS-100.PW

Completed on Web

Downloadable Guide

ICS-100 Public Health

IS-100.PH

Under Development

Down loadable Guide

ICS-100 Hospital

IS-100.H

Under Development

Downloadable Guide

ICS-100 Federal Worker

IS-100.FW

Completed on Web

Downloadable

ICS-200 General

IS-200

Completed on Web

Downloadable – no video

ICS-200 Law Enforcement

IS-200.LE

Under Development

Downloadable Guide

ICS-200 Public Works

IS-200.PW

Under Development

Downloadable Guide

ICS-200 Public Health

IS-200.PH

Under Development

Downloadable Guide

ICS-200 Hospital

IS-200.H

Under Development

Downloadable Guide

ICS-200 Federal Worker

IS-200.FW

Completed on Web

Downloadable

When available, classroom materials for ICS-100 and ICS-200 courses can be downloaded from the website.  
Downloadable materials contain guides for teaching discipline specific versions of the programs (i.e. law 
enforcement, public works, etc). Due to the size of the documents only the text materials can be downloaded.  
Video contained in the materials can be obtained through the FEMA Publications Office.  FEMA will post 
information about these courses at:  http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/

All classroom materials for ICS-100, 200, 300, and 400 to include student materials, instructional guides, 
and classroom videos are available through the FEMA Publications Office on a CD. To order the CD you 
may call 1-800-480-2520 Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  
You may also write to the following address: FEMA, PO Box 2012, Jessup, MD 20794-2012.

ICS-300 and 400 course materials are state administered programs and are coded as G-300 and G400.  
For additional information on these courses please contact your state emergency management agency or 
Tom Marlowe (tom.marlowe@dhs.gov or 301-447-1060) at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI).  
In FY 2006 EMI will offer train-the-trainer courses for these programs across the country.

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