
The FEMA Incident Management Handbook (IMH) is a tool to assist FEMA emergency management personnel in conducting their assigned missions in the field. The IMH provides information on FEMA’s incident-level operating concepts, organizational structures, functions, position descriptions, and key assets and teams. The IMH is intended for use by FEMA personnel deployed at the incident level. However, the IMH also provides whole community stakeholders operating in a FEMA facility information about key incident-level FEMA functions. The concepts in the IMH are applicable to FEMA operations during Stafford Act-based Presidential declarations and non-Stafford Act incidents involving federal-to-federal support.
Record of Changes...........................................................i
Chapter 1: Organization ..................................................1
Purpose…….............................................................1-1
Scope and Applicability ............................................1-2
Organization of Document........................................1-2
Supersession ...........................................................1-3
Authorities and Foundational Documents.................1-3
Document Management and Maintenance...............1-5
Chapter 2: Incident Management Concepts…………...2-1
Introduction ..............................................................2-1
Disaster Declaration Process ...................................2-1
Life Cycle of an Incident...........................................2-3
15 Integrated Operating Concept.............................2-6
16 Whole Community Engagement..........................2-6
Incident Levels .........................................................2-8
Organizing Operations on an Incident.................2-9
ICS Organizational Structure and Concepts...........2-12
Command Staff Hierarchy and Positions ..........2-1221
Operations Section Staff Hierarchy and Positions...........................................................2-14
Logistics, Planning, and Finance/Administration
Section Staff Hierarchy and Positions ...............2-18
Personnel Mobilization (PM) and Reception,
Staging, Onward Movement, and Integration (RSOI)…….............................................................2-20
Chapter 3: Unified Coordination Group ........................3-1
Introduction ..............................................................3-1
Concept of Unified Coordination ..............................3-1
Unified Coordination Group......................................3-3
Chapter 4: Command and General Staff ......................4-1
Introduction ..............................................................4-1
Command Staff ........................................................4-2
General Staff ............................................................4-2
Command Staff Officers ...........................................4-3
Chief of Staff (COS) Officer.................................4-3
Safety Officer (SFO)............................................4-4
External Affairs Officer (EAO) .............................4-5
Liaison Officer (LNO) ..........................................4-6
Position Descriptions, Roles, and Responsibilities ...4-7
Chief of Staff .......................................................4-7
Security (SEC) ....................................................4-8
Legal ...................................................................4-9
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) ...............4-10
Equal Rights......................................................4-11
Disability Integration (DI)...................................4-12
Environmental Planning and Historic
Preservation (EHP) ...........................................4-16
Interagency Recovery Coordination (IRC) ........4-23
Federal Disaster Recovery Officer (FDRO).......4-27
Safety (SAF)......................................................4-44
External Affairs (EA)..........................................4-46
Chapter 5: Operations Section .....................................5-1
Introduction ..............................................................5-1
Organizational Structure...........................................5-1
Position Descriptions, Roles, and Responsibilities ...5-2
58 Individual Assistance (IA) Branch........................5-3
Infrastructure Branch.........................................5-17
Hazard Mitigation (HM) Branch.........................5-30
Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) Branch .....5-55
Mission Assignment Branch..............................5-59
Disaster Emergency Communications (DEC)
Group ................................................................5-61
Air Operations Branch (AOB)............................5-68
Emergency Services Branch.............................5-73
Geographic Operations Branch Positions .........5-75
Staging Area Branch.........................................5-78
Environmental Planning and Historic
Preservation (EHP) ...........................................5-81
Chapter 6: Planning Section.........................................6-1
Introduction ..............................................................6-1
Organizational Structure...........................................6-2
Position Descriptions, Roles, and Responsibilities...6-2
Resources Unit....................................................6-4
Planning Support Unit .........................................6-5
Situation Unit.......................................................6-5
Documentation Unit.............................................6-6
Geospatial Information System (GIS) Unit ..........6-7
Chapter 7: Logistics Section.........................................7-1
Introduction ..............................................................7-1
Organizational Structure...........................................7-1
Position Descriptions, Roles, and Responsibilities...7-2
External Support Branch .....................................7-4
Support Branch .................................................7-16
Service Branch..................................................7-26
Chapter 8: Finance/ Administration Section .................8-1
Introduction ..............................................................8-1
Organizational Structure...........................................8-1
Position Descriptions, Roles, and Responsibilities ...8-3
Procurement Unit ................................................8-5
Human Resources Unit .......................................8-8
Cost Unit ...........................................................8-10
Training Unit......................................................8-13
Chapter 9: Intelligence/ Investigations Function and
Section………...............................................................9-1
Introduction ..............................................................9-1
Organizational Structure...........................................9-2
Position Descriptions, Roles, and Responsibilities ...9-3
Appendix A: Emergency and Recovery Support
Functions…….............................................................. A-1
Appendix B: Incident Support ...................................... B-1
Appendix C: Incident Management Planning...............C-1
Appendix D: Mission Assignments ..............................D-1
Appendix E: Non-Standard Incidents........................... E-1
Appendix F: Standard Incident Management
Resources and Procedures ......................................... F-1
Appendix G: Single Point Order Tracking....................G-1
Appendix H: Authorities and Foundational
Documents……. ..........................................................H-1
Appendix I: List of Acronyms .........................................I-1
Appendix J: Glossary....................................................J-1
List of Figures
Figure 1: Disaster Declaration Process ................................ 2-2
Figure 2: Hierarchy of Command Staff Positions................ 2-13
Figure 3: Hierarchy of Operations Section Positions .......... 2-14
Figure 4: Hierarchy of Logistics, Planning, and
Finance/Administration Sections ........................................ 2-18
Figure 5: Incident Levels and PM Support Facility.............. 2-22
Figure 6: Components of the Unified Coordination Group.... 3-2
Figure 7: Components of the Command and General Staff…..123
Figure 8: Position Structure under the Chief of Staff Officer….125
Figure 9: Position Structure under the Lead Legal Advisor……
Figure 10: Position Structure under the Lead Equal Rights Advisor ............................................................................... 4-11
Figure 11: Position Structure under the Lead Disability
Integration Advisor.............................................................. 4-12
Figure 12: Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation
Position Structure ............................................................... 4-17
Figure 13: Enhanced Recovery Coordination
Key Steps and Timeline...................................................... 4-24
Figure 14: Interagency Recovery Coordination Structure... 4-25
Figure 15: Interagency Recovery Coordination Position
Structure under the FDRO.................................................. 4-26
Figure 16: IRC Position Structure under the Community
Planning and Capacity Building Group Supervisor............. 4-38
Figure 17: Positon Structure under the Safety Officer ........ 4-44
Figure 18: Position Structure under External Affairs Officer..….
Figure 19: Assistant External Affairs Officer – Joint Information Center Position Structure ................................................... 4-49
Figure 20: Assistant External Affairs Officer – Congressional
Affairs Position Structure .................................................... 4-53
Figure 21: Assistant External Affairs Officer –
Intergovernmental Affairs Position Structure ...................... 4-55
Figure 22: Assistant External Affairs Officer – Private Sector
Position Structure ............................................................... 4-58
Figure 23: Assistant External Affairs Officer – Planning and
Products Position Structure ................................................ 4-60
Figure 24: Operations Section Position Structure................. 5-2
Figure 25: Individual Assistance Position Structure.............. 5-4
Figure 26: Infrastructure Branch Position Structure............ 5-19
Figure 27: Hazard Mitigation Position Structure ................. 5-30
Figure 28: Disaster Survivor Assistance Position Structure…….
Figure 29: Mission Assignment Position Structure ............. 5-60
Figure 30: DEC Position Stucture....................................... 5-62
Figure 31: Air Operations Position Structure ...................... 5-69
Figure 32: Emergency Services Position Structure ............ 5-73
Figure 33: Geographic Operations Position Structure ........ 5-76
Staging Area Position Structure and Coordination….
Figure 35: Planning Section Position Structure .................... 6-2
Figure 36: Logistics Section Position Structure .................... 7-2
External Support Branch Position Structure ........ 7-5
Figure 38: Support Branch Position Structure .................... 7-16
Figure 39: IT Service Branch Position Structure................. 7-26
Figure 40: Finance/Administration Section Position Structure…
Figure 41: Intelligence/Investigations Section Position
Structure............................................................................... 9-3
Figure 42: Planning “P” Incident Action Planning Process ...C-6
Figure 43: Planning Relationships and Stakeholder
Responsibilities...................................................................C-10
Figure 44: Mission Assignment Process...............................D-8
Figure 45: SPOT Ordering Process......................................G-2
Figure 46: Ordering Roles and Responsibilities....................G-3
Figure 47: IMH Doctrinal Family ...........................................H-2
List of Tables
Table 1: Core Capabilities by Mission Area.......................... 2-5
Table 2: Incident Level Descriptions..................................... 2-8
Table 3: Emergency Support Functions and the Corresponding
Response Core Capabilities .................................................A-3
Table 4: Recovery Support Functions and Corresponding Core
Capability Descriptions .........................................................A-6
Table 5: Commonly Used ICS Forms and Corresponding
Descriptions..........................................................................C-7
Table 6: Mission Assignment Categories and Guidance for Use 194
Table 7: Mission Assignment Process Tasks .......................D-8
Table 8: MA Process Task and Responsible Position ..........D-9
Table 9: Key Coordinating Agencies by CBRN Incident Type….198
Table 10: CONUS IRR Package Example............................ F-3
Table 11: OCONUS IRR Package Example......................... F-5
FEMA and Hope officials, on-site disaster firt responders, families and friends of those in the path of disasters and emergencies, federal, state, and community governmental officials, private sector social services officials.
Product Details
- FEMA B 761
- Incident Management Handbook
- Emergency Management
- Emergency Preparedness