So, you have just won your first election to this office. Congratulations! Soon you will take your oath of office to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States – and the people that you will serve. There is so much to prepare, in the time around those first few days in office. You are ready to make a positive change in many people’s lives, through governing.

And before a disaster strikes the community you are now in charge of - and it is highly likely something else bad (on top of COVID-19) will happen during your tenure- you need to understand how the National Incident Management System (also known as NIMS) works. Seriously – it is back to school time.  

The class all elected officials should take is the National Incident Management System Overview for Senior Officials (Executives, Elected, & Appointed (ICS-402). And this course is applicable to appointed cabinet-level officials, and even corporate executives. Knowing how emergency powers – including massive changes in the normal governmental procurement and spending process – is key to understanding what happens when an emergency or disaster is declared. 

You need to understand who is responsible for what, and how also the organizational structure of governmental operations dramatically shifts during emergencies and disasters. This is critical for officials in charge of government at all levels. Are you in a Home Rule or Dillon’s Rule State? Do you have any Sovereign Tribal Nation Land in your jurisdiction? How are things different if you are in one of the territories (including Washington, D.C.)? Will FEMA just come to your rescue and save the day? (Definitely not.) But they may help through an approach they describe as “locally executed, state managed, and federally supported”. That will all depend on how big the disaster really is – and how much the local and state officials really need help – and understand how to ask for it. 

You do not want to make the mistakes of many past elected officials, who did not have the basics of NIMS, who ended up putting people at risk and in harm’s way. Shakespeare wrote “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” – you can sleep better at night, when you know how the different levels of government really work together before, during and after a disaster. ____________________________________________

Mike Prasad, CEM® is our Regional Product and Services Representative for Regions 1 and 2. Prior to joining The Blue Cell, Mike held leadership emergency management positions in state government and non-profit organizations. His background includes emergency operations planning, continuity planning, training and exercise development, and emergency operations center activations. He is also experienced in human services – including mass care, community recovery, and Individual Assistance, along with voluntary agency and private sector coordination. Mike holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio University and is currently completing his Master of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Public University. He is also a Certified Emergency Manager® from the International Association of Emergency Managers, where he is the Vice President of Region 2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-prasad/

Emergency Managers, FEMA, G-FEMA,, L-Courses, FEMA Training, Firefighters, Firefighter Training, G191 Courses, G2300 Courses, ICS300, ICS400, Online ICS400, Online ICS300, Virtual ICS300, Virtual ICS400, Online G2300, Online G191, Self Paced LMS, Virtual G191, Virtual G2300, Emergency and Disaster Management Training, Wildland firefighters , Law Enforcement, Governmental Agencies, position specific, 900 series, AHIMTA, incident commander, PIO, public information officer, safety officer, liaison officer, operations section chief, planning section chief, logistic section chief, finance section chief, ICS, Incident Command System, NIMS , National Incident Management System, Fire, EMS, Hospital, Sheriff, Police, Public Health, Public Works, HICS, DOT, Agriculture, EMA, certificate, qualification, taskbook, NIMS training, NIMS certification, FEMA training, FEMA certification, ICS training, ICS certification, ICS300 certification, ICS400 certification