Importance of Incident Command System to Professional Firefighters, and NIMS and ICS History

The History of ICS and NIMS
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The History of ICS and NIMS
History of Incident Command System (ICS)
ICS refers to a uniform and on-site command, response, and control of every type of incident, offering a similar hierarchy that all multiagency responders have to follow for accurate response (Buck et al., 2006). According to the Federation Emergency Management Agency, the ICS concept was developed in the 1970s in California, following numerous wildfires that ravaged the 1970-fire season in Southern California. At the time, the state’s skies were characterized by big smokes and fire apparatus passing each other in different directions as they responded to various incidents. After thirteen days of devastating wildfires that killed sixteen people, injured hundreds, destroyed over seven hundred structures, and caused over two hundred million dollars in damage, studies revealed that the extensive damage was predominantly due to weaknesses in incident management (Buck et al., 2006).
These weaknesses included poor communication due to different codes and terminologies by the various response agencies, lack of accountability due to an unclear chain of command, lack of order, lack of integration of the different agencies, and freelancing by some responders. The emergency manager determined the need for a better management structure that dealt with field-level weaknesses. In 1972, the Firefighting Resources of Southern California Organized for Potential Emergencies (FIRESCOPE) discussed and came up with ICS (Buck et al., 2006). The organization observed that implementing a multiagency command control system was vital. The definition of functions for each responding organization was paramount, and developing similar procedures, terminologies, and standards to be followed by all responders was necessary. Hence, a proven management structure that observes effective occupational practices and responds to different types of emergencies was adopted and is part of the National Incident Management System.
History of the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
NIMS refers to a standardized management structure that all governments, NGOs, and the private sector must observe when responding to all incidents. The program was developed in 2004 by Homeland Security following Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5 of 2003 instituted by President George Bush (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2017, pp. 3). The Secretary of Homeland Security was responsible for creating and implementing a National Incident Management System, which offered a uniform template countrywide that guides the government, the private institutions, and not-for-profit organizations to work together in domestic incidents. The system, which resulted from forty years of constant improvem...