| A | B |
|---|
| Declaration | The President’s decision in which a major disaster qualifies for Federal assistance under the Stafford Act. |
| Drill | a coordinated, supervised activity usually employed to validate a specific operation or function in a single agency or organization. Drills are commonly used to provide training on new equipment, develop or validate new policies or procedures, or practice and maintain current skills. |
| Exercise | An instrument to train for, assess, practice, and improve performance in prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery capabilities in a risk-free environment. Exercises can be used for testing and validating policies, plans, procedures, training, equipment, and interagency agreements; clarifying and training personnel in roles and responsibilities; improving interagency coordination and communications; improving individual performance; identifying gaps in resources; and identifying opportunities for improvement. (HSEEP 2013) |
| Facility | Any publicly or PNP-owned building, works, system, or equipment (built or manufactured) or certain improved and maintained natural features. Improved land used for agricultural purposes and planted trees and shrubs are not facilities. |
| Hazard | Something that is potentially dangerous or harmful, often the root cause of an unwanted outcome. (NIPP, NIMS) Natural or man-made source or cause of harm or difficulty (DHS Risk Lexicon) |
| Incident | An occurrence, caused by either human action or natural phenomena, that may cause harm and may require action. Incidents can include major disasters, emergencies, terrorist attacks, terrorist threats, wild and urban fires, floods, hazardous materials spills, nuclear accidents, aircraft accidents, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical storms, war-related disasters, public health and medical emergencies, and other occurrences requiring an emergency response. (NIPP, DHS Risk Lexicon) |
| Incident Command System (ICS) | A standardized on-scene emergency management construct specifically designed to provide an integrated organizational structure that reflects the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents, without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries. ICS is the combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure, designed to aid in the management of resources during incidents. It is used for all kinds of emergencies and is applicable to small as well as large and complex incidents. ICS is used by various jurisdictions and functional agencies, both public and private, to organize field-level incident management operations. (NIMS) |
| Incident Management | The broad spectrum of activities and organizations providing effective and efficient operations, coordination, and support applied at all levels of government, utilizing both governmental and nongovernmental resources to plan for, respond to, and recover from an incident, regardless of cause, size, or complexity. (NIMS) |
| Mitigation | he capabilities necessary to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. |
| National Incident Management System | A set of principles that provides a systematic, proactive approach guiding government agencies at all levels, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life or property and harm to the environment |
| Psychological Consequence | Effect of an incident, event, or occurrence on the mental or emotional state of individuals or groups resulting in a change in perception and/or behavior (DHS Risk Lexicon) |
| Public Information | Processes, procedures, and systems for communicating timely, accurate, and accessible information on an incident’s cause, size, and current situation; resources committed; and other matters of general interest to the public, responders, and additional stakeholders (both directly affected and indirectly affected). (NIMS) |
| Risk | The potential for an unwanted outcome resulting from an incident, event, or occurrence, as determined by its likelihood and the associated consequences. (NIPP, DHS Risk Lexicon) |
| Resource | Personnel and major items of equipment, supplies, and facilities available or potentially available for assignment to incident operations and for which status is maintained. |
| Response | The capabilities necessary to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs after an incident has occurred |
| Technical Specialist | A position primarily staffed by FEMA personnel. However, FEMA often relies on State/Tribe, other Federal agency and contractor resources to supplement these positions. State/Tribe personnel may also be assigned to work with FEMA staff and local officials involved with response and recovery efforts. |
| Whole Community | A focus on enabling the participation in national preparedness activities of a wider range of players from the private and nonprofit sectors, including nongovernmental organizations and the general public, in conjunction with the participation of Federal, state, and local governmental partners in order to foster better coordination and working relationships. |
| Common Terminology | Organizations using common terms and avoiding the use of codes or unfamiliar acronyms. |
| Modular Organization | As an incident grows more complex, the Incident Commander will expand the response as needed which includes delegating functional responsibilities to other staff or responders. |
| Management by Objectives | The Incident Commander establishes specific, measurable goals that need to be accomplished to ultimately accomplish the task or response solving the resolveing the incident or problem. |
| Incident Action Planning | A method of communicating overall incident priorities, objectives, strategies, tactics and assignments. |
| Manageable Span of Control | The number of individuals or resources "one" supervisor can manage effectively during an incident (optimal ratio is 1:5). |
| Incident Facilities and Locations | Types of support facilities that are established by Incident Command based on the complexity and size of the incident. |
| Comprehensive Resource Management | The mechanisms required to order, acquire, mobilize, track and report, demobilize, and reimburse and restock resoruces. |
| Integrated Communications | The use of equipment and proicesses that allow people to talk and share information efficiently without specialized effort (i.e. mobile phones today, etc).. |
| Establishment of Command | The command function assumed by the first arriving unit or the organization primarily responsible for that type of incident activity. |
| Transfer of Command | Reassignment of the Incident Commander based on a change in the type of incident activity and/or the end of an operational period. |
| Unified Command | Allows agencies with different legal, geographic, and/or functional responsibilities to work together effectively without affecting individual agency authority, responsibility, or accountability. |
| Chain of Command | An orderly line that details how authority flows through the hierarchy of the incident management organization. |
| Unity or Command | All individuals have a single designated supervisor they report to and receive assignments from. |
| Accountability | To abide by ICS procedures as well as agency policies and guidelines, and any applicable local, tribal, state, or Federal rules and regulations. |
| Dispatch/Deployment | The act of responding when "requested" or when dispatched by an "appropriate authority" through an established resource management system(s). |
| Information and Intelligence Management | The process of gathering, analyzing, assessing, sharing, and managing incident-related information and intelligence. |
| Command | Sets the incident objectives, strategies, and priorities, and has overall responsibility for the incident. |
| Operations | Conducts operations to reach the incident objectives. Establishes tactics and directs all operational resources. |
| Planning | Supports the incident action planning process by tracking resources, collecting/analyzing information, and maintaining documentation. |
| Logistics | Arranges for resources and needed services to support achievement of the incident objectives (resources can include personnel, equipment, teams, supplies, and facilities). |
| Finance/Administration | Monitors costs related to the incident. Provides accounting, procurement, time recording, and cost analyses. |
| ICS Command Staff | The positions of Public Information Officer (PIO), Safety Officer, and Liaison Officer |
| ICS General Staff | The positions of Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, and Finance/Administration Section Chief |
| Incident Command (Definition) | "The act of directing, ordering, or controlling by virtue of explicit statutory, regulatory, or delegated authority |
| Operations Section | Directs all response/tactical actions to achieve the incident objectives. |
| Planning Section | Activated by the Incident Commander as needed when the situation grows to require planning of activities in advance and maintains situational awareness for the incident. |
| Logistics Section | Orders, obtains, maintains, and accounts for essential personnel, equipment, and supplies. |
| Finance/Administration Section | Negotiates and monitors contracts, cost analysis, compensation for injury or property damage, and is responsible for records leading to reimbursement from mutual aid agreements and/or FEMA. |
| Formal Communication | Official interchange of information or official directions that will be documented with an expected outcome of some kind. |
| Informal Communication | Casual communication between coworkers at a workplace or during a response (no "official" actions are expected to be taken or documented). |
| Incident Command Deputies | Perform specific tasks as directed by the Incident Commander; may be assigned to the "executive", "General", and "Branch" levels of ICS but must be qualified to fulfill their roles as directed; and be prepared to assume Incident Command functions as needed in a relief capacity. |
| Assistants | Staff members that possess a level of technical capability, qualifications, and responsibility that may be assigned as subordinates to assist Command Staff personnel to handle excessive worklloads. |
| Cooperating Agency | An agency supplying assistance other than direct or support functions or resources to the incident management effort (no direct responsibility for incident response). |
| Assisting Agency | An agency or organization providing personnel, services, or other resources to the agency with direct responsibility for incident management. |
| Agency Representative | An individual assigned to an incident from an assisting or cooperating agency. |
| Staging Area | A location where incident response resources are sent to wait for specific tactical assignment by Operations. |
