National Incident Management System

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a standardized approach to incident management developed by the United States Department of Homeland Security. The program was established in March 2004,^[1] in response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5,^[1][2] issued by President George W. Bush. It is intended to facilitate coordination between all responders (including all levels of government with public, private, and nongovernmental organizations).^[1] The system has been revised once, in December 2008.^[1][3] NIMS is the common framework that integrates a wide range of capabilities to help achieve objectives.

NIMS defines multiple operational systems, including:

• The Incident Command System
• The Multiagency Coordination System
• The Emergency operations center