National Response Framework

The National Response Framework (NRF) provides a guideline of how the nation should handle all-hazards response. It provides details of handling all incidents from the smallest accident to the largest catastrophe. The document gives a comprehensive, national, all-hazards approach framework that is to handle domestic incidences. The Framework identifies the main response principals, roles and structures that are used to organize the national response. It gives the details of how the Federal Government, States, communities, non-governmental partners, and the private sector use these principles to ensure a coordinated and effectual national response.

This document also describes special circumstances where the Federal Government is supposed to exercises a bigger role. This document also includes incidences where the Federal interests are involved and situations of catastrophic incidents where the State will require to source for crucial support. This document gives the decision-makers, first responders, and other supporting entities an opportunity to provide a national response that is unified. The purpose of the National Response Framework (NRF) is to ensure that the private sector, both government and non-government organization (NGO) leaders, government executives, and emergency management practitioners are all informed about the roles of the domestic incident response. It is meant to ensure that these sectors are able to respond effectively to different types of incidents (Stenner, Kirk, Stanton, Shebell, and Schwartz, 2006).

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is an emergency preparedness system used in the United States. Its main purpose is to coordinate preparedness and incidence management among the different local, State, and Federal agencies in the nation. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is used nation-wide for both governmental and also non-governmental agencies to respond to terrorist attacks and natural disasters at the local, State, and Federal levels of government.

The National Response Framework (NRF) has got some elements that are useful for the county as applications. The framework provides elements that are useful for implementing national level policy. It also provides elements that are important in ensuring an effective operational coordination for domestic incidence response. This document outlines many incidents that include actual or potential emergencies or all-hazard scenarios that may include accidents, natural disasters, and actual or potential terrorist attacks. The element that is most useful to the county for application may include the events that are wholly contained within a single community. It may also include other events that are catastrophic in nature and have consequences with a national scope.

Another useful element in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is its capability to be adopted and utilized by federal agencies and used in their individual incident management activities and programs such as preparedness, emergency prevention, response, recovery and mitigation. Also, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is useful for the nation because it can be applied in the local, tribal, and State organizations which enhances the federal preparedness for any incident that may occur. 

Emergency Support Function (ESF) #4 on Firefighting from the NRF provides federal support for the suppression and detection of fires on the wildland, urban, and rural areas. The Emergency Support Function (ESF) #4 takes care of the fires which result from or occur coincidentally with an incident that may require assistance from the coordinated federal response (Emergency Management Institute (U.S.), United States Fire Administration., and United States, 2004).

TheEmergency Support Function (ESF) #4 provides guidance for this county by managing and coordinating the activities of firefighting. These include detection and suppression of fires that may occur in different parts of the nation. The Emergency Support Function (ESF) #4 also provides equipment, supplies, and personnel through its program that is meant to support the local, tribal and state agencies which are involved in the wildland, urban, and rural firefighting operations. The Emergency Support Function (ESF) #4 coordinates and manages the federal firefighting activities through mobilizing the different firefighting resources supporting the State, tribal, and local wildland, urban and rural. The local incident Commander together with the Emergency Support Function (ESF) are responsible for assessing the situation and determining the resources needed for effective handling of fire incidents in the nation. The Emergency Support Function (ESF) #4 provides subject-matter expertise to the DRG and to other agencies at the headquarters through the NRCC (Emmitsburg, MD: The Institute. United States, 2008)

The main proposal that can be used by the county to incorporate strategic principles and tenets when revising its plans is to ensure that there are options of seeking interstates assistance with regard to already existing agreements when a State is faced with an incident. For interstate assistance to work properly, it is necessary for the different states to work together when developing, planning, and determining the steps to be taken in the event of a fire. These strategies and methods will need to be similar for the states in order to ensure efficacy cooperation in the event of an incident in any part of the nation. These elements will aid in providing good emergency management capability.

When revising the plan it is necessary to ensure that all the necessary elements required to increase the competency and capability of emergency management is utilized. The idea of including the society in informing the agencies when there is a fire incident will be necessary and will ensure that most fires are contained before they cause extensive damage. Since the firefighting support is primarily a response function, it is necessary to ensure that the resources required in the event of an incident are utilized and managed appropriately to ensure that they are always available for life saving, property protection assignments, and incident stabilization. If this is not adhered to, the ability of the nation to respond to emergencies may severely be compromised.