FEMA_National_Incident_Support_Manual_012913.pdf

National Incident Support Manual Change 1– January 2013

FEMA National Incident Support Manual i

Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction

Purpose

Applicability and Scope

Supersession

Authorities and Foundational Documents

Chapter 2: Incident Support at the National Level

Multiagency Coordination Systems

National Incident-Related Roles and Responsibilities

FEMA Administrator

The Director of Disaster Operations

Assistant Director of Disaster Operations for Recovery

National Response Coordination Staff

Emergency Support Functions

National Organization Structure for Response

Organizational Relationships

Communication and Information Sharing

Regional Response Coordination Center

Unified Coordination Group

Unified Coordination Staff

Authority and Control of Resources

Activation of the National Response Coordination Center and Staff

Role of the National Response Coordination Staff in No-Notice Incidents

Deactivating the Regional Response Coordination Staff

Deactivating the National Response Coordination Staff

Chapter 3: Chief of the National Response Coordination Staff

Chief of the NRCS and Advisory Staff Structure

Purpose

Essential Functions

Advisory Staff Organization ii

Deputy Chief of the NRCS

Advisory Staff

Chapter 4: Situational Awareness Section

NRCS Situational Awareness Section Structure

Purpose

Essential Functions

Collect Information

Analyze Information

Disseminate Information

Situational Awareness Section Organization

Knowledge Group

Geospatial and Technical Group

Emergency Support Function 15/External Affairs Unit

Chapter 5: Planning Support Section

NRCS Planning Support Section Structure

Purpose

Essential Functions

Lead the Development of a Recurring National Support Plan

Provide Expertise to Support the Development of Crisis Action Plans

Planning Support Section Organization

Current Planning Unit

Future Planning Unit

Chapter 6: Resource Support Section

NRCS Resource Support Section Structure

Purpose

Essential Functions

Centralized Order Management and Tracking Process

Resource Support Section Organization

Resource and Capability Branch

Order Processing Group

Chapter 7: Center and Staff Support Section iii

NRCS Center and Staff Support Section Structure

Purpose

Essential Functions

Coordinate and Provide Support for Staff

Ensure Safety and Security

Center and Staff Support Section Organization

Facility Support Group

Safety Specialist

Security Specialist

Information Security Specialist

Administrative Specialist

Annex 1: Acronyms

Annex 2: Glossary

Appendix A: Director Of Disaster Operations Tasks

Appendix B: Chief of the NRCS and Advisory Staff Positions and Tasks

Appendix C1: Situational Awareness/ Information Management Process

Introduction

Information Management Process

Defining National-Level Information Requirements

Collecting National-Level Information

Organizing National-Level Information

Analyzing National-Level Information

Collaborating with the Planning Support Section

Disseminating National-Level Information

Appendix C2: Initial Operating Report Template

Appendix C3: Situational Awareness Reports and Briefings

Appendix C4: Situational Awareness Section Positions and Tasks

Appendix D1: National Support Plan—Planning and Processes

Introduction

Activities of Support and Advance Planning

Activity 1: Form a Collaborative Planning Team iv

Activity 2: Understand the Situation

Activity 3: Determine Goals and Objectives

Activity 4: Develop the Plan

Activity 5: Plan Preparation, Review, and Approval

Activity 6: Plan Implementation

Appendix D2: National Support Plan Description

Appendix D3: Example of NRCS Operational Tempo

Appendix D4: Planning Support Section Positions and Tasks

Appendix E1: Resource Intake

Introduction

Processes

Review the Request

Log and Track the Request

Tasks

Resource Capability Branch

Appendix E2: Resource Sourcing

Introduction

Processes

Tasks

Resource and Capability Branch

Appendix E3: Resource Ordering

Introduction

Processes

Tasks

FEMA Resources – Commodities

FEMA Resources – Personnel

Appendix E4: Resource Movement

Introduction

Processes

Movement Coordination Process Description

Tasks v

Gather and Review Movement Requirements

Develop National-Level Movement Schedule

Coordinate and Resolve Movement Issues

Track and Report Movements

Appendix E5: National Incident Support Bases & Teams (Activation and Operation)

Incident Support Bases & Federal Staging Areas

National ISB Teams & Regional FSA Teams

Initial Response Resource Packages

Appendix E6: Resource Support Section Positions and Tasks

Appendix F: Center and Staff Support Section Positions and Tasks

Appendix G: Leadership Responsibilities and Expectations

Appendix H: Timeline of Core Capabilities

Appendix I: Other National Support Activities

Program Offices

Considerations for Non-Stafford Act Events

Appendix J: Foundational Documents and Authorities

List of Figures Figure 1: Support and Management Roles

Figure 2: Organization Chart for the National Response Coordination Staff

Figure 3: Communication for Planning

Figure 4: Information Gathering for Situational Awareness

Figure 5: Communication for Requests for Resources

Figure 6: Organization Chart for the Chief of the NRCS and Advisory Staff

Figure 7: Organization Chart for the NRCS Situational Awareness Section

Figure 8: Organization Chart for the NRCS Planning Support Section

Figure 9: Organization Chart for the NRCS Resource Support Section

Figure 10: Centralized Order Management and Tracking Process

Figure 11: Organization Chart for the Center and Staff Support Section

Figure 12: The Information Management Process

Figure 13: FEMA Operational Planning Activities vi

Figure 14: Example of a NRCS Daily Tempo

Figure 15: Centralized Resource Management and Tracking Process

Figure 16: Creating a Request Tracking Number

Figure 17: Sample Action Request Form

Figure 18: Centralized Resource Management and Tracking Process

Figure 19: Resource Process Flow Chart

Figure 20: Centralized Resource Management and Tracking Process

Figure 21: Centralized Resource Management and Tracking Process

Figure 22: Movement Coordination Center Activities Cycle

Figure 23: Timeline of Core Capabilities

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) is a multiagency center that provides overall Federal support coordination for major disasters and emergencies, including catastrophic incidents and emergency management program implementation. The NRCC is staffed by the National Response Coordination Staff (NRCS). The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maintains the NRCC as a functional component of the National Operations Center (NOC) in support incident operations. Upon activation, the NRCS provides national-level emergency management by coordinating and integrating resources, policy guidance, situational awareness, and planning to support the affected region(s).

PURPOSE

This FEMA National Incident Support Manual (NISM) describes how the FEMA national staff supports FEMA incident operations. This manual also discusses steady-state activities pertinent to incident operations. The actions of the NRCS are driven by the incident-level requirements and the needs of the nation. This manual defines the activities of Federal assistance—across the nation and within FEMA’s statutory authority—supporting citizens and first responders in responding to, recovering from, and mitigating all hazards. It includes definitions and descriptions of roles and responsibilities, functions, and organizational structures for those conducting FEMA incident support duties. This manual therefore forms the basis from which FEMA personnel plan and execute their assigned missions.

This manual also serves as the basis for developing related guidance (procedures, handbooks, incident guides, training materials, etc.). Finally, this manual will discuss how NRCS procedures are relevant to all personnel (FEMA, other Federal agencies [OFAs], nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector) who are either assigned to, or coordinating with, the NRCS.

APPLICABILITY AND SCOPE

This manual applies to all FEMA personnel. The manual is intended to inform FEMA’s partners regarding guidelines and requirements for incident support operations. It is applicable for incidents involving Presidential declarations under the Stafford Act as well as for non-Stafford Act incidents. This manual also applies to national-level support functions following activation. Whether the positions and functions described in this manual are activated will depend on the needs of the incident (size, complexity, and other special considerations).

SUPERSESSION

This document supersedes the February 2011 version of the National Incident Support Manual, the 2009 National Response Coordination Center Standard Operating Procedures, and all previous related procedures.

AUTHORITIES AND FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS

Foundational documents provide statutory, regulatory, and executive guidance for FEMA incident management and support. More information about the authorities and foundational documents listed below can be found in Appendix J.

• Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Public Law 93-288, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 5121-5207).

• Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Emergency Management and Assistance.

• Homeland Security Act (Public Law 107-296, as amended, 6 U.S.C. §§ 101 et seq.).

• Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5), 2003.

• Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-295), October 4, 2006.

• National Response Framework (NRF), January 2008.

• National Incident Management System (NIMS), December 2008.

• Incident Management and Support Keystone, January 2011.

• Presidential Policy Directive 8 (PPD-8), “National Preparedness,” March 30, 2011.

• National Preparedness Goal, September 2011.

• National Disaster Recovery Framework, September 2011.

• National Preparedness System, November 2011.

CHAPTER 2: INCIDENT SUPPORT AT THE NATIONAL

LEVEL

Each echelon of FEMA has unique responsibilities in managing or supporting incident response, recovery, and mitigation.

As stated in the FEMA Incident Management and Support Keystone (IMSK), control of FEMA incident management and support efforts is delegated to the lowest level of execution because the FEMA element closest to the scene has the most direct knowledge of the situation, the most ready access to State and local officials, the capacity to employ resources with greatest accuracy, and the ability to adjust support quickly as needs change.

Delegating control in this way emphasizes a bottom-up approach to the chain of command, from the incident through the Region to FEMA Headquarters.

The IMSK defines all FEMA incident-related activities as falling into the following categories:

FEMA Incident Management is incident-level operation of the Federal role in incident response, recovery, logistics, and mitigation. Responsibilities include: (1) the direct control and employment of Federal resources;

(2) the management of incident offices and activities;

and (3) the delivery of Federal assistance throughout all phases of incident response, recovery, and mitigation.

Incident management is conducted using the standard Incident Command System (ICS) organization and protocols. FEMA incident management is accomplished by a Unified Coordination Staff (UCS) at the incident level (see text box for definition) led by a Unified Coordination Group (UCG).

FEMA Incident Support is the coordination of Federal resources to support incident response, recovery, and mitigation. FEMA incident support is conducted at the FEMA regional and national headquarters levels. Responsibilities include: (1) the deployment of Federal resources to support incident, regional, and national objectives; (2) the provision of policy assistance regarding disaster assistance programs; (3) the support of incident operations with expertise, information, and guidance; and (4) the building and maintenance of a common operating picture. Incident support is accomplished using Multiagency Coordination System (MACS) principles and a MACS structure.

MULTIAGENCY COORDINATION SYSTEM

Multiagency coordination is a process that allows all levels of government and all disciplines to work together efficiently and effectively. Multiagency coordination occurs across the disciplines involved in incident management, across jurisdictional lines, or across levels of

FEMA’s incident level refers to the level where control of FEMA incident operations, including the Federal resources deployed to an incident and the establishment of a UCG, is delegated to the Federal Coordinating Officer or Federal Resource Coordinator.

government. Multiagency coordination is required whenever personnel from different agencies interact in activities such as preparedness, prevention, response, recovery, and mitigation.

The primary function of a MACS, as defined in the National Incident Management System (NIMS), is to coordinate incident-related activities above the incident level and prioritize competing demands for resources, thereby assisting the coordination of the operations at the incident level. MACS consist of personnel, procedures, protocols, facilities, business practices, and communications integrated into a common system.

The MACS structure provides the following:

• Planning and coordinating of resources and other support for planned, notice, or no-notice incidents.

• Defined business practices, standard operating procedures, processes, and protocols by which participating agencies coordinate their incident-related activities.

• Dispatch procedures and protocols, and coordination and support activities.

• Support, coordination, and assistance with policy-level decisions to the Incident Command System structure managing an incident.

A fully implemented MACS is critical for seamless multiagency coordination activities above the incident level.

NRCS conducts multiagency coordination by strategically allocating and prioritizing national resources in the case of multiple incidents or potential multiple incidents. The national level does not perform functions of incident management unless there is no lower level of control. The national level will identify assets for an incident and preposition materials to appropriate strategic locations in coordination with the region(s). Through its work with the region(s), the national level identifies, orders, and deploys national initial-response resources based on the specific needs of the incident.

Figure 1: Support and Management Roles

This figure illustrates the use of ICS at the incident management level with the UCS, and the use of MACS at the incident support level with both the Regional and National Response Coordination

Staffs.

NATIONAL INCIDENT-RELATED ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

FEMA Administrator The FEMA Administrator is the principal advisor to the President, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the National Security Staff on all matters regarding emergency management.

The FEMA Administrator has overall responsibility for FEMA’s response, recovery, and mitigation operations. When FEMA is engaged in a specific event/incident or potential incident, the FEMA Administrator ensures effective information sharing and coordination between FEMA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Headquarters (HQ). The FEMA Administrator keeps the Secretary of Homeland Security informed of the incident status, activities, and issues, and resolves disaster response and recovery problems or issues that cannot be resolved at lower levels.

The Director of Disaster Operations The Director of Disaster Operations (DDO) is an incident-specific role assigned to a senior FEMA official by the FEMA Administrator. The role is to coordinate and synchronize all FEMA HQ activities for credible threats and during major disaster or emergency activations. The DDO provides operational guidance and direction to the Chief of the NRCS (C-NRCS) for the NRCS to implement. The NRCS serves as the DDO’s staff during an incident. In dealing with a specific event, incident, or potential incident, the DDO does the following:

• Ensures information flow and coordination among all FEMA levels (national, regional, and incident[s]).

• Coordinates and synchronizes all HQ disaster response, recovery, and mitigation operations, programs, and related activities.

• Provides appropriate incident support to the FEMA Regional Administrator (RA) and the Federal Coordinating Officer(s) (FCO).

• Directs the deployment of national-level teams as needed.

• Approves plans developed by the NRCS Planning Support Section.

• Advises the FEMA Administrator on program and policy issues related to incident management and support and provides recommended courses of action.

• Approves operations orders activating the NRCC and National Teams

Assistant Director of Disaster Operations for Recovery During NRCC operations, the Assistant DDO for Recovery supports the integration of recovery considerations into the early decision-making processes. The Assistant DDO for Recovery reports to the DDO. Key functions of this position are:

• Providing oversight to the recovery process, including overseeing regional IA and PA PDAs.

• Approving recovery authorities (e.g., direct housing mission, rental repair project, Transitional Sheltering Assistance program, and community disaster loans.

• Coordinating National Processing Service Center requirements.

• Providing requests for relevant essential elements of information (EEI) and critical information requirements (CIR).

National Response Coordination Staff The NRCS coordinates the overall Federal support for major disasters and emergencies, including catastrophic incidents and emergency management program implementation.

DHS/FEMA maintains the NRCC as a multiagency center—which the NRCS staffs—as a functional component of the NOC, supporting incident support operations at the regional level.

The FEMA Administrator, or his or her delegate, activates the NRCC in anticipation of, or in response to, an incident by activating the NRCS. The NRCS includes FEMA personnel, the appropriate Emergency Support Function (ESF) primary and supporting federal agencies, and other appropriate personnel (including nongovernmental organizations and private sector representatives). During the initial stages of a response, FEMA will, as a part of the Whole Community,1 focus on projected, potential, or escalating critical incident activities.

Appendix H provides more information on which activities are critical at which stage of an incident.

The NRCS is activated to coordinate with the affected region(s) and provides needed resources and policy guidance in support of incident-level operations. The key functions of the NRCS include the following:

• Provides emergency management coordination, conducts planning, and deploys national assets and/or resources.

• Maintains situational awareness of specific potential threats, events, or incidents.

• Collects, validates, analyzes, and distributes incident information.

• Coordinates the use of OFAs’ resources through mission assignments and interagency agreements.

• Develops the National Support Plan and crisis action plans to source and address identified resource shortfalls.

1 Federal Emergency Management Agency, A Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management: Principles, Themes, and Pathways for Action, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, December 2011.

National Operations Center (NOC)

The NOC serves as the national coordination center, collecting and reviewing all-source information across all-threats and all-hazards information. The NOC provides the Secretary of Homeland Security and other senior leaders with information necessary to make incident decisions at the national level.

• Coordinates with the affected region(s) to determine initial requirements for Federal assistance.

• Coordinates support and situational reporting with the Regional Response Coordination Center(s) (RRCCs).

• Deploys initial response resources and other disaster commodities when required.

• Assumes, when directed, responsibility for regional incident support if a regional office is not operational.

Emergency Support Functions FEMA coordinates incident response support from across the Federal government by activating ESF primary and supporting federal agencies as needed. Federal ESFs are the primary structures for coordinating the delivery of Federal resources. Each ESF is composed of a coordinator, one or more primary agencies, and a number of supporting agencies and organizations.

ESF personnel may be assigned to the incident, the RRCS, and the NRCS. Within the various operations, ESF personnel may be assigned anywhere within the organization and to multiple locations, as required.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE FOR RESPONSE

The NRCS is organized into four functional sections coordinated by the C-NRCS. The functions of the organization are determined by grouping related responsibilities within a section. This functional organization enhances coordination, communications, and facilitation by focusing NRCS efforts to achieve its essential functions. These sections are Situational Awareness (SA), Planning Support, Resource Support, and Center and Staff Support. Figure 2 depicts the top-level organization structure of the national level during activation.

Figure 2: Organization Chart for the National Response Coordination Staff

Director of Disaster

Operations

Chief of the NRCS

Situational Awareness

Section

Planning Support Section

Resource Support Section

Center and Staff Support Section

This structure is intended to be scalable based on the needs of incident(s) for which the NRCS is activated. Not all, or even most of the positions will be activated for most NRCS activations. Senior leadership and the section chiefs will determine which positions will be activated.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

FEMA designed the response organizational structure to ensure support for the subordinate levels (i.e., the NRCS supports the RRCS; the RRCS supports the FCO/UCS). While only the FCO is managing the incident (for FEMA), the NRCS plays a key role by supporting the RRCS and then supporting the FCO/UCS once the RRCS stands down. The Regional Response Coordination Staff (RRCS) for each region is also organized into the same four functional sections. This common organizational structure across the NRCS and the RRCS enables the NRCS to coordinate closely with the RRCS(s) to provide support to the incident, and also to receive information on the status of the incident

Communication and Information Sharing A vital component of effective incident support is communication and information sharing among the incident, regional, and national levels. This will ensure accurate situational awareness to enable decision makers to “think smart, think big, go big, go fast.”2

Information must be shared among the various sections at each level and between the levels in order for: (1) resources to be effectively ordered, tracked, and delivered; (2) plans to be compiled, developed, distributed, and followed; and (3) situational awareness to be collected, analyzed, and disseminated. With each section communicating effectively internally at each level, and the sections communicating effectively between levels, resources, plans, and situational awareness will flow as intended—as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5.

2 Federal Emergency Management Agency, Incident Management and Support Keystone, January 2011, Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security.

Figure 3: Communication for Planning

Solid lines depict how the sections share information to develop plans. Dotted lines depict how the sections disseminate completed plans.

Figure 4: Information Gathering for Situational Awareness

The solid lines depict how the sections share information to develop plans, and the dotted lines depict information dissemination by each section.

Figure 5: Communication for Requests for Resources

The solid lines depict the flow of information (among incident-level sections) and requests for resources and mission assignments from the Operations and Logistics

Sections to the Regional Resource Support Section (and from the Regional Resource Support Section to the National Resource Support Section when the region requires assistance filling orders). The dotted lines depict the information flow from the national and regional levels once the requests have been processed.

Regional Response Coordination Center FEMA operates RRCCs--multi-agency coordination centers--in each of the ten regional FEMA offices. When activated, an RRCC is staffed by an RRCS comprised of FEMA personnel as well as individuals from other Federal departments and agencies who are activated as required. The RRCS is the primary source of situational awareness and coordination support to FEMA’s incident management at the UCG level. The RRCC is the focal point for regional resource coordination.

The RA or designee activates the RRCS, which includes FEMA personnel, the appropriate ESF primary and supporting federal agencies, and other personnel (including nongovernmental organizations and private sector representatives) when appropriate. The RRCS provides needed resources and policy guidance to support an incident and coordinate with the NRCS. The RRCS also provides overall incident management coordination, coordinates Federal and regional response and support efforts, conducts planning, deploys regional controlled resources, and collects and disseminates incident information. The RRCSs build and maintain a situational awareness of incidents at the regional level.

Before the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) assumes control of the Federal response and the management of the incident, the RRCS will do the following:

• Establish and maintain all RRCS positions needed, including ESF coordinators.

• Contact the Emergency Operations Center in the affected State(s) to identify capabilities and anticipate shortfalls to determine initial response and support requirements.

• Maintain connectivity with State Emergency Operations Centers, State fusion centers, and other Federal and State operations and coordination centers.

• Implement processes for gathering, collating, analyzing, and disseminating incident information to all appropriate parties.

• Provide the NRCS with the information necessary to make critical national-level incident-management decisions.

• Acquire OFAs’ resources through the use of mission assignments and interagency agreements.

• Establish mobilization centers and staging areas as needed.

• Deploy regional Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMATs) and incident staff.

• Request the deployment of a national IMAT(s) or additional regional IMATs from other regions when needed.

Once the FCO has assumed control and the Joint Field Office (JFO) is established, the RRCS will do the following:

• Maintain situational awareness of the incident to support the RA’s incident management oversight role.

• Develop and implement regional support plans to source and address identified resource shortfalls.

The decision to stand down the RRCS will be made by the RA when there is a fully functional incident management organization. The NRCS will then provide primary support to the incident in consultation with the region. Situational awareness for the RA will then be coordinated by the Regional Watch Center.

Unified Coordination Group The UCG, comprised of senior leaders representing Federal, State, and Department of Defense interests and, in certain circumstances, tribal governments, local jurisdictions, the private sector, and/or NGOs, leads FEMA incident management operations at the incident-level. The UCG typically consists of the FCO, the State Coordinating Officer (SCO), Defense Coordinating Officer (DCO), tribal and/or territorial coordinating officers, and senior officials from other agencies or organizations with both: (1) primary statutory or jurisdictional responsibility; and (2) significant operational responsibility for one or more functions of an incident response.

Joint Field Office (JFO)

A temporary Federal facility established to provide a central point for Federal, State, and local governments and private sector and nongovernmental organizations. The JFO has responsibility for incident oversight, direction, and/or assistance, to effectively coordinate and direct prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery actions. Typically, the JFO is located at or near the incident area of operations.

Within the UCG, the FCO is the primary Federal official responsible, but the group works to reach consensus for coordinating, integrating, and synchronizing Federal response activities in support of, and in coordination with, State, tribal, territorial, and local government officials to meet the governor’s priorities and resolve issues.

Unified Coordination Staff The UCS includes all FEMA personnel assigned to a given incident, along with personnel from the affected State and from other Federal departments and agencies. The UCS includes personnel from the initial responding IMAT, the FCO, and all staff coordinated by or under the control of the UCG.

AUTHORITY AND CONTROL OF RESOURCES

FEMA must coordinate response efforts to ensure success with the limited time and resources available. Authority to control FEMA assets flows from the FEMA Administrator through the RA to the FCO.

Delegating control of Federal resources enables officials at various levels to plan, organize, and utilize the resources necessary to accomplish incident objectives. Agencies retain statutory and regulatory control of their assigned resources throughout the incident response. The FEMA Administrator and RAs delegate control of FEMA-assigned resources to the FCO when he or she is mission-capable.

After being delegated control, the FCO exercises control by managing and directing assigned FEMA resources to accomplish incident objectives. The authority to control, direct, and assign resources to accomplish incident objectives remains at the incident level.

ACTIVATION OF THE NATIONAL RESPONSE COORDINATION CENTER

AND STAFF

All personnel in FEMA have a response role and should be prepared to assume additional responsibilities during the support of an event or incident. Relatively few incidents reach the threshold of a Presidential major disaster or emergency declaration, and even fewer reach the threshold of a catastrophic incident.3 However, the NRCS must be prepared to support the response to all potential threats and hazards. To do this, a well-managed and up-to-date roster must be in place at all times. The structure of the NRCS is such that it is able to expand and contract to meet the needs of the incident. The NRCS stands ready to assist with incidents that vary in type, duration, and complexity. The NRCS must also be prepared

3 A catastrophic incident is any natural or manmade incident, including terrorism, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale, and/or government functions.

to support multiple concurrent incidents, which may be either wholly contained within a jurisdiction, or have cross-jurisdictional State, tribal and/or local boundaries.

The FEMA Administrator, or delegated official, will activate the NRCS to a specified activation level in response to a potential or actual incident. The administrator will do this in accordance with applicable plans or—if no plans exist—in accordance with the following criteria:

Table 1: National Response Coordination Center and Staff activation levels

Activation Level Conditions

Level I

• An incident of such magnitude that the available assets that were designed and put in place for the response are completely overwhelmed or broken at the local, regional, or national level.

• Due to its severity, size, location, and actual or potential impact on public health, welfare, and infrastructure, requires an extreme amount of direct Federal assistance for response and recovery efforts for which the capabilities to support it do not exist at any level of government.

• A Level I response requires extraordinary coordination among Federal, State, tribal, and local entities due to massive levels and breadth of damage, severe impact or multi-State scope.

• Major involvement of FEMA (full activation of RRCC(s) and NRCC) and OFAs (all primary ESF agencies activated), and deployment of initial response resources are required to support the requirements of the affected State(s).

Level II

• An incident which, due to its severity, size, location, and actual or potential impact on public health, welfare, and infrastructure requires a high amount of direct Federal assistance for response and recovery efforts.

• A Level II response requires elevated coordination among Federal, State, tribal, and local entities due to moderate levels and breadth of damage.

• Significant involvement of FEMA (RRCC activation, possible NRCC activation), OFAs (some ESF primary agencies activated to support RRCC), and possible deployment of initial response resources are required to support the requirements of the affected State(s).

Level III

• An incident which, due to its severity, size, location, and actual or potential impact on public health, welfare, and infrastructure requires a moderate amount of direct Federal assistance.

• Typically this is primarily a recovery effort with minimal response requirements, and existing Federal and regional resources will meet requests.

• A Level III response requires coordination among involved Federal, State, tribal, and local entities due to minor-to-average levels and breadth of damage.

Federal assistance may be limited to activation of only one or two ESF primary agencies.

Watch Steady State

• No event or incident anticipated

• 24 hours/7 days a week or 12 hours per day/5 days a week operation in the

NRCC

• National Watch Center maintains situational awareness

Communication –Post Stafford Act Declaration

Upon arrival, the IMAT begins to form the UCS with the state. The RRCS is still activated to support the IMAT/UCS;

however, the IMAT’s role is reduced. The DDO has activated the NRCS to support regional requests. The RRCS remains the main point of contact for the UCS.

RRCS IMAT State NRCS

ROLE OF THE NATIONAL RESPONSE COORDINATION STAFF IN NO-

NOTICE INCIDENTS

The incident support role of the NRCS during a no-notice incident often includes supporting the RRCS prior to the UCS being established. In the immediate aftermath of a no-notice incident, regions communicate with the States directly and typically deploy resources in support of State requests while IMATs are en route. The role of the RRCS in the beginning of an incident is to provide States and IMATs the necessary resources in order to conduct FEMA incident management. The “start-up” support provided by the regions is essential to a successful response.

The NRCS must be prepared to support the response and recovery activities for incidents that vary in cause, effect, disaster level, and duration. The NRCS must also be prepared to support multiple concurrent incidents occurring with or without notice, which may be contained within a single State or may cross State or regional boundaries.

Because the NRCS may support concurrent similar or dissimilar incidents in multiple States, neighboring jurisdictions, or countries, the NRCS has a different focus from IMATs, which become UCSs to manage single incidents.

DEACTIVATING THE REGIONAL RESPONSE COORDINATION STAFF

The decision to stand down the RRCS will be made by the RA when RRCS support is no longer required. Once the RRCS is deactivated, the NRCS becomes the incident’s primary support provider, in consultation with the region. At this point, after the RRCS is deactivated, direct communication occurs between the UCS and the NRCS for resource requests, situational awareness, and planning. Situational awareness for the RA regarding the incident is then coordinated by the Regional Watch Center.

Communication –Post IMAT Control

Once the IMAT has established control of the incident, the RRCS will stand down and revert incident reporting to the Regional Watches.

Depending on resource and reporting needs, the NRCS may remain activated. The region continues to communicate with UCS.

Region

(RWC/

MOC)

UCS

NRCS

The decision to deactivate/stand-down the RRCS is usually based on a recommendation to the RA from the Response Division Director. Deactivating the RRCS is a phased process.4

DEACTIVATING THE NATIONAL

RESPONSE COORDINATION

STAFF

The decision to deactivate the NRCS will be made by the Director of Disaster Operations (DDO) in consultation with the affected region and program areas. When the adjudication of national-level resources is no longer needed, and decision support and situational awareness can be coordinated by the National Watch Center, the NRCS will deactivate. This changeover should be facilitated by a demobilization plan, to ensure continued support for, and a smooth transition of information to, the appropriate program offices.

4 An exception to the phase-down process would be a hurricane expected to hit the region and missing it entirely.

CHAPTER 3: CHIEF OF THE NATIONAL RESPONSE

COORDINATION STAFF

CHIEF OF THE NRCS AND ADVISORY STAFF STRUCTURE

Figure 6: Organization Chart for the Chief of the NRCS and Advisory Staff

PURPOSE

The Chief of the NRCS (C-NRCS) directs and leads the NRCS by guiding, overseeing, and authorizing activities of the support sections of the NRCC to support incidents. He or she executes the guidance and direction of the DDO as it relates to incident support. The C- NRCS also acts as a liaison to executive-, congressional-, and Cabinet-level leadership during a response. The C-NRCS may have specialized staff assigned to him or her to assist in the execution of these duties; however, these staff members will have no directive authority over the NRCS sections. Communication between the C-NRCS and his or her counterparts at the regional level is essential to the success of incident response at all levels. This communication enables support to incident activity through shared situational awareness.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The C-NRCS reports to the DDO. He or she provides accurate and timely information;

recommends courses of action; and translates higher-level decisions, direction, and intent into instructions and orders.

Chief/Deputy of the National Response Coordination Staff

ESF-15/External Affairs Advisor Liaisons

Lessons Learned Advisor Legal Advisor

Action Center Disability Integration and Coordination Advisor

Provide Leadership to the NRCS The C-NRCS supervises all activities of the NRCS to assure compliance with the intent of both the DDO and the supported RA, and to meet the needs of the incident. The leadership functions of the C-NRCS include the supervision and direction of section leadership for situational awareness, planning support, resource support, and center operations. In this capacity, the C-NRCS ensures the integration and synchronization of plans and orders. In particular, this includes reviewing and approving all plans and orders to ensure alignment with the needs of supported organizations. By conducting the review and approval of plans, the C-NRCS establishes, manages, and enforces timelines for processes and products.

In a leadership capacity, the C-NRCS also reviews and approves activation and demobilization requests for the NRCS in relation to incident complexity and scope. In doing so, he or she determines the staffing levels for the NRCS, based on recommendations by NRCS section chiefs, with the objective of ensuring that the NRCS maintains staffing at levels that are optimal for effectiveness. As a part of this function, the C-NRCS also approves ESF activation and staffing plans, after evaluating functional requirements of incident support as they relate to ESF capabilities.

The supervisory functions of the C-NRCS focus on ensuring that staff work conforms to the mission, guidance, and time available. In this capacity, the C-NRCS ensures that the staff integrates and coordinates its activities internally and externally with all levels of involved organizations and agencies. In general, this includes making sure that staff engage in the timely sharing of emerging policy, critical strategic and tactical decisions, and other critical information. In particular, the C-NRCS ensures that all staff sections participate in and provide functional expertise to situational awareness (contributing to the common operating picture), by enforcing common reporting formats and the operational tempo.

Execute Orders The C-NRCS has the authority and responsibility to issue orders. The C-NRCS also has the authority and responsibility to ensure the coordinated and satisfactory execution of those orders to facilitate unity of effort between the NRCS and the regional and incident staffs. The C-NRCS reviews and approves the National Support Plan, which is the primary mechanism to execute orders for the NRCS. The C-NRCS reviews (but has no approval authority for) all incident and regional plans, to ensure that national plans and priorities are in support of regional and incident efforts. In connection with these responsibilities, the C-NRCS also coordinates with the RRCS for the timely delivery of Federal assistance to affected State, tribal, and local governments and to disaster survivors. This is accomplished by ensuring the effective processing of national-level resource requests.

The C-NRCS also informs the FEMA Administrator, DDO, RAs, and other key stakeholders about emerging national-level tasks and developments. This is accomplished by approving and updating EEIs and CIRs, and answering key requests for information. Another cross-cutting responsibility for the C-NRCS is to continually identify and capture emerging issues, corrective actions, and potential lessons learned and best practices.

Prioritize, Anticipate, and Allocate The C-NRCS is responsible for balancing missions and tasks. The C-NRCS also has the responsibility to acquire, move, and assemble national-level resources in time to meet actual or forecasted requirements and to support the objectives of the region(s). To accomplish this, he or she has the responsibility of determining potential shortfalls, trends, and emerging needs through analysis of incident and regional efforts.

The C-NRCS is also responsible for coordinating the national-level activities of OFAs that have incident management or support roles under their own legislative authorities. To accomplish this, he or she is responsible for ensuring the coordination of information and activity, as well as having a firm knowledge of both the Federal government’s statutory authorities and the activities of those OFAs. As part of this responsibility, the C-NRCS monitors national-level resources to ensure that the NRCS can adequately support incident management activities relating to saving and sustaining life and protecting property.

The C-NRCS approves requests for resources that will be sourced and delivered by the national level, and to review and approve valid requests to issue national-level mission assignments.

Policy Guidance and Financial Oversight The C-NRCS is responsible for identifying actual and potential policy issues and raising them to the DDO for resolution, in coordination with appropriate stakeholders. He or she is also responsible for disseminating policy decisions in support of the affected region(s).

As a steward of the public trust—the C-NRCS maintains financial oversight to ensure that operations are cost-effective. This oversight includes reviewing financial reports and budget information. This oversight also includes providing guidance regarding contracting and the Federal Acquisition Regulation, to confirm the effectiveness of disaster operations. As part of this responsibility, the C-NRCS ensures that funds are being allocated, committed, and obligated for their intended purpose, by implementing appropriate controls to provide sound financial management. The C-NRCS is responsible for making certain that the NRCC is an efficient and effective work environment. The C-NRCS accomplishes this by providing policy guidance on all personnel management and pay issues related to the NRCS.

As part of each policy guidance and financial oversight task, the C-NRCS is also responsible for maintaining all required documentation.

ADVISORY STAFF ORGANIZATION

Deputy Chief of the NRCS The Deputy C-NRCS reports to the C-NRCS. He or she is able to perform the same functions as the C-NRCS, as directed. In addition, the Deputy Chief helps to oversee the day-to-day functions of the NRCS when the C-NRCS is engaged in activities external to the direct management of the NRCS, such as the C-NRCS’s liaison role. The Deputy Chief assists the C- NRCS to ensure the smooth execution of the NRCS functions.

Advisory Staff

Liaisons Liaisons advise the C-NRCS as necessary, based on either the statutory authorities of the agencies they are representing or the operational needs of the incident.

Legal Advisor The Legal Advisor confirms that all actions taken by the NRCS comply with the law. This advisor also recommends alternatives, waivers, or exceptions as required, to accomplish FEMA’s mission by maintaining awareness of the situation and applying sound legal judgment.

Emergency Support Function 15/External Affairs Advisor The ESF-15/External Affairs Advisor acts as the FEMA representative for congressional, intergovernmental, international, media, and private sector requests. In this role, this advisor provides a summary of External Affairs operations, and coordinates on community relations. The ESF-15/External Affairs Advisor also coordinates private sector involvement pertaining to the sourcing of resources for incident support. Finally, the ESF-15/External Affairs Advisor also coordinates with the ESF-15 Specialist in the Situational Awareness Section to provide timely, pertinent, and accurate situational awareness to the private sector.

Disability Integration and Coordination Advisor The Disability Integration and Coordination Advisor monitors the access and functional needs of children and adults with disabilities and confirms that those needs are integrated and coordinated across all aspects of FEMA’s mission. This advisor performs this role by maintaining awareness of the situation and recommending strategies, resources, alternatives and solutions which use practices that are inclusive of those with disabilities.

This advisor also advises and coordinates with the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities.

Lessons Learned Advisor The Lessons Learned Advisor and his or her staff coordinate with each activated section to observe activities to gather, prepare, and distribute data concerning emerging issues, corrective actions, and lessons learned during NRCS activations.

The Lessons Learned Advisor also conducts after-action debriefings with managers and FEMA senior leadership to identify and prioritize emerging issues. This advisor also conducts NRCS section after action review meetings as requested, either during operations or as sections stand down, to collect data.

Finally, the Lessons Learned Advisor compiles status and emerging-issue reports. As needed, he or she can also assist in developing the after-action report and the Improvement Plan.

Action Center As part of the C-NRCS’s Advisory Staff, the Action Center is responsible for providing 24/7 coverage of the NRCS’s main telephone lines and e-mail addresses. As part of this coverage, the Action Center directs inquiries and information to the proper sections and maintains a log of all communication activity.

Appendix B provides detailed position descriptions for the Chief of the NRCS and the C- NRCS’s advisory staff.

CHAPTER 4: SITUATIONAL AWARENESS SECTION

NRCS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS SECTION STRUCTURE

Figure 7: Organization Chart for the NRCS Situational Awareness Section

The Situational Awareness Section (SAS) provides information management by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating incident or related information at the NRCS level. Through its analyses, the SAS creates and provides a variety of specific products to the NRCS, the C-NRCS, the DDO, and/or other internal and external senior leadership and stakeholders at the national level. The SAS facilitates effective planning, resource allocation, and overall decisionmaking to support an incident through its own organizational processes.

Situational Awareness

Section

Knowledge Group

Information Collection Unit

Information Analysis Unit

Documentation Unit

Geospatial and Technical Group

Geospatial Information System Unit

Technical Unit

ESF-15/External Affairs Unit

RFI Tracker

Situational Awareness

Situational awareness is a result of comprehensive information collection, analysis, and dissemination in a context relevant to the authorities and responsibilities of a particular organizational level.

Personnel should leverage all sources to gain, maintain, and relay important information that contributes to the situational awareness of leadership at all levels and other decision-makers, using appropriate methods and products.

Common Operating Picture: The COP is a shared situational awareness that offers a standard overview of an incident. The COP provides incident information in a manner that enables incident leadership and any supporting agencies and organizations to make effective, consistent, coordinated, and timely decisions.

For FEMA purposes, the common operating picture focuses on the needs of the UCG, the RRCS, the Regional Watches, the NRCS, the National Watch Center, and deployed teams.

To accomplish its functions of collection, analysis, and dissemination, the SAS: (1) processes requests for information (RFI); (2) manages records; (3) develops reports, briefings, and presentation products; (4) collects information; (5) performs information analysis; (6) develops and integrates geospatial and technical information; and (7) develops materials to support public messages.

These functions allow the SAS to gather and evaluate information used to develop and maintain the…