("About FEMA," 2007) The method followed by FEMA is to lead the country in cases of a disaster, in a risk-based comprehensive emergency management system that would have as its important tenets preparedness, protection, response and recovery, and finally, mitigation of the losses that the people have suffered. These are some of the plans that FEMA has in place, and for which it recruits trainees: the National Response Plan, strategic Plan, and Annual Agency Performance Plan. The National Response Plan encompasses a sort of a complete and all hazards approach to the management of domestic incidents. Some of the protocols that the National Response Plan have established are: to save lives and also to effectively protect the lives and the health and safety of the public, the responders to the calamity, and to the health care and rescue workers at the scene, while at the same time making sure that the security of the homeland is never compromised in any way. The NRP will also try its best to prevent an incident from taking place, like for example a terrorist attack. ("About FEMA," 2007)

Most importantly, the agency will try to protect and also to restore critically important key resources, so that recovery would be immediate and quick. Law enforcement officials will be engaged so that the law and order situation would be brought under quick control, without damage or loss to life and property. Evidence will be collected to prove the crime and to catch the criminal. NRP endeavors to help in search and rescue operations, so that they would be located easily and so that individuals, families, businesses and governments would be back to normal in no time. The environment will also not be ignored, and this will be restored after the disaster has passed. ("About FEMA," 2007)

Training is an essential part of any agency, and the FEMA training course ICS-300 is one such course. Training is important at the FEMA, especially because of the fact that Federal, State Territorial, Tribal and Local entities must all take part in the activities of FEMA whenever and wherever there is a disaster that requires recovery. As a matter of fact, today Federal, State and Local agencies are on their way to becoming compliant with the NIMS. It is important to remember that NIMS implementation will not end, as was assumed, in FY 2007. This is because of the simple fact that the NIMS is an extremely dynamic system, for which the several implementation requirements will have to continue to evolve over time, and especially when a nation's preparedness, readiness, responsiveness and readiness in the case of a disaster improves and changes over time, in such a way that the entire security landscape of the country would evolve and change as well. This is the reason why experts state that it is critical to undergo basic NIMS training, and primarily because this training eventually becomes an integral part of the training programs of the organization. ("NIMS Training," 2007)

All those individuals, who wish to play a direct role in emergency management and emergency responses must undergo training, and this would include those individuals who belong to Federal, State, Local, Tribal entities, or to the Private Sector, or to non-governmental organizations. Training would include a familiarity with all emergency related services like for example, EMS, hospitals, fire services, law enforcement and other agencies that serve and protect the citizen of the country. The NIC or the National Integration Center responsible for Incidents Management Systems Division prefers members to be capable of and able to interact constantly with multiple jurisdictions and agencies in case of an incident, with a basic minimum qualification of IS -700. Training is generally provided through the ICS, or the 'Integrated Command System'. ("NIMS / NIC Training frequently asked Questions," 2007)

Under this system, everyone involved in managing or responding to an emergency of any kind must be capable of comprehending fully the basic commands reporting structures and all the commonly used terminology that is used in any emergency situation. All ICS instructors must have been trained already in 'adult education' and must have served as 'Incident Commander' or in any staff position. Specifically,...

An ICS-300 instructor must have successfully completed ICS-400 training, and he should have already served as Incident Commander or as a staff commander in any incident that may have progressed beyond one single operational period, or in any incident that needed a 'Written Incident Action Plan'. The candidate must also be knowledgeable about related fields such as public health or public works. ("NIMS / NIC Training frequently asked Questions," 2007)
Approved ICS-300 training may in fact be developed by Federal, State, Local and Tribal agencies, and also by private vendors, but the guidelines dictated by the NIMS National Standard Curriculum Training Development Guidance must be adhered to. The training modules must include, at the basic minimum, these areas of study: the ICS Organization must include reporting and working relations, as well as information flow. The Transfer of Command protocol must be taught, as well as the Unified Command functions that can be used in a typical multi-jurisdictional or multi-agency incident. Resource Management must be included, and also Inter-agency mission planning and procurement, and ICS forms. ("NIMS ICS-300," 2007)

As far as ICS-400 training is concerned, it is stated that all Federal, State, Local, Tribal, Private and Non-governmental organizations must take up this training. In addition, it is said that those people who will have to serve as command or general staff within an ICS Organization, or those individuals who are responsible for the selection of Departmental heads within the multi-agency system of responsibilities, or those individuals who are considered to be Area Commanders, or Emergency Managers, or Multi-Agency coordination system managers. As in the case of ICS-300 training modules, in the case of ICS-400 too, training may be developed and also conducted by federal, State, Local, Tribal agencies or any interested private vendors, as long as they all keep within the given guidelines of the NIMS National Standards Curriculum Training Development Guidance. ("NIMS ICS-400," 2007)

References

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IEEE Design & Test Staff. (1991, Oct) "Disaster Recovery Centers" IEEE Design & Test, vol. 8, no. 4, pp: 4-5

Maroe, Kimberly. (2006, May) "Broward County, Hurricane Ready"

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N.A. (n. d.) "Sigma is the leading banking Solution provider in Indonesia" Retrieved 12 October, 2007 at http://www.sigma.co.id/services.asp?nid=2

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N.A. (2007, Mar) "NIMS ICS-300" FEMA Fact Sheet. Retrieved 12 October, 2007 from http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/ics_300_fs.pdf

N.A. (2007, Mar) "NIMS ICS-400" FEMA Fact Sheet. Retrieved 12 October, 2007 from http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/ics_300_fs.pdf

N.A. (2007) "NIMS / NIC Training frequently asked Questions" Retrieved 12 October, 2007 at http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/faq/training.shtm

N.A. (2007) "NIMS Training" Retrieved 12 October, 2007 at http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/nims_training.shtm

DISASTER RECOVERY, HURRICANE, ICS"