NEMA-CDC Incident Command System for Executives:  Training Package

With funding provided through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NEMA and Innovative Emergency Management, Inc. developed a training curriculum and supporting materials on incident command system training for state executives.  The 1 1/2 day training included an overview of the Incident Command System/National Incident Management System, an overview of biological terrorism and a facilitated bioterrorism tabletop exercise. 

In 2007, two states - Missouri and Pennsylvania - received the training. Five states had the training in 2006: Arizona, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Utah and West Virginia. This followed the six pilot states that were selected for training in 2004. Each state formed an interagency team to be eligible to receive the training.  This requirement was based on the belief that only by integrated training and exercise can all the various disciplines with roles and responsibilities in homeland security be prepared in the case an event should occur.  Incident command system training is being conducted in all states, but rarely through an interagency approach.  For the purposes of this project, interagency teams consisted of representatives from emergency management, public health, EMS, fire, law enforcement and other agencies as determined by each state.  Many included representatives from agriculture, transportation or their state homeland security advisory council. 

As was true in the 2004 and 2006 training, the most common theme heard in 2007 was the continuing need to increase communication and coordination between state agencies. 

NEMA is pleased to make available the training package for Incident Command System for Executives.  Feel free to modify the exercise scenario and any of the other materials to meet your agency's needs.  NEMA and CDC would like for the training curriculum to be used as widely as possible in order to aid in bioterrorism preparedness throughout the nation. 

Incident Command System for Executives:  Training Package
(Please note that the sample being provided reflects Pennsylvania, but the materials can be modified for your own state.)

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• Training Manual (17.4 MB Word file)
• National Incident Management System (7.25 MB Acrobat PDF file)
• NEMA-ICS Executive Training Presentation (1.7 MB Powerpoint)

NEMA would like to thank the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the funding to support the project and Innovative Emergency Management for their expertise in development and delivery of the training curriculum. For further questions about the training program, please contact Beverly Bell, NEMA Senior Policy Analyst at bbell@csg.org or call (859) 244-8112.