Citation
(2004), "USFA announces road-map for training IMTs", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 13 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2004.07313cab.008
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
USFA announces road-map for training IMTs
USFA announces “road-map” for training IMTs
On 15 January 2004, USFA announced a training “roadmap” for any of the nation’s fire and emergency services that wish to develop local and regional metropolitan Incident Management Teams (IMTs). This recommendation is in part the result of an MOU between the USFA, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the National Fire Protection Association Metropolitan Chiefs. The MOU, signed in 2002, was designed to promote the establishment of metropolitan area IMT teams (based on US Forest Service models) and further IMT training and capability using the Integrated Emergency Management System.
The IMT training roadmap is also a response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5), which states: To prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies, the US Government shall establish a single, comprehensive approach to domestic incident management. The objective of the US Government is to ensure that all levels of government across the Nation have the capability to work efficiently and effectively together, using a national approach to domestic incident management.
The IMT roadmap is designed to ensure that all departments will have the necessary incident management support they need to manage unusually large, complex, or long-term emergency incidents. An all-hazards IMT consists of emergency service officers from appropriate disciplines (fire, rescue, emergency medical, hazardous material, or law enforcement services) trained to perform the functions of the command and general staff of the Incident Command System (ICS). Members of the initial responding departments often fill these functions; however, the size, scope, or duration of an emergency may become so large that an IMT is needed to support the local officers.
For further information regarding the IMT efforts visit www.usfa.fema.gov – in particular, see www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/incident/imtroadmap.shtm