NIMS version: March 1, 2004
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Appendix B
NIMS - National Incident Management
Resource Typing System

C. Elements of the National Typing Protocol

D. Example of A Resource for which Typing has Been Completed

A. PURPOSE.

This appendix provides additional information regarding the national equipment typing system specified in Chapter IV of this document. totaldrugmart.com

B. RESPONSIBILITIES.

The NIMS Integration Center described in Chapter VII has the overall responsibility for ongoing development and refinement of various NIMS activities and programs. Under its auspices, the National Resource Management Working Group, chaired by the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for establishing a national resource typing protocol. The NIMS resource typing protocol is based on inputs from representatives from various Federal agencies and departments and private organizations, as well as representatives of State and local emergency management; law enforcement; firefighting and emergency medical services; public health; public works; and other entities with assigned responsibilities under the Federal Response Plan and the National Response Plan. Federal, State, local, and tribal authorities should use the national typing protocol when inventorying and managing resources to promote common interoperability and integration.

C. ELEMENTS OF THE NATIONAL TYPING PROTOCOL.

The resource typing protocol provided by the NIMS describes resources using category, kind, components, metrics, and type data. The following data definitions will be used:

1. Resource
For purposes of typing, resources consist of personnel, teams, facilities, supplies, and major items of equipment available for assignment to or use during incidents. Such resources may be used in tactical support or supervisory capacities at an incident site or EOC. Their descriptions include category, kind, components, metrics, and type.

2. Category
A category is the function for which a resource would be most useful. Table B-1 briefly describes the categories used in the national resource typing protocol.

Category

Purpose

Transportation

To assist Federal agencies, State and local governments, and voluntary organizations requiring transportation to perform incident management missions following a major disaster or emergency; to coordinate incident management operations and restoration of the transportation infrastructure

Communications

To provide communications support for Federal, State, local, and tribal incident management efforts

Public works and engineering

To assist those engaged in lifesaving, life-sustaining, damage mitigation, and recovery operations following a major disaster or emergency by providing technical advice, evaluation, and engineering services; by contracting for construction management and inspection and for the emergency repair of water and wastewater treatment facilities; supplying potable water and ice and emergency power; and arranging for needed real estate.

Firefighting

To detect and suppress urban, suburban, and rural fires.

Information and planning

To collect, analyze, process, and disseminate information about a potential or actual disaster or emergency to facilitate overall activities in providing assistance to support planning and decision-making.

Law enforcement and security

To provide law enforcement assistance during response and recovery operations; to assist with site security and investigation.

Mass care

To support efforts to meet the mass care needs of disaster victims including delivering such services as supplying victims with shelter, feeding, and emergency first aid; supplying bulk distribution of emergency relief supplies; and collecting information to and for a disaster welfare information system designed to report on victim status and assist in reuniting families.

Resource management

To provide operational assistance for incident management operations.

Health and medical

To provide assistance to supplement local resources in meeting public health and medical care needs following a disaster or emergency or during a potential developing medical situation.

Search and rescue

To provide specialized lifesaving assistance in the event of a disaster or emergency, including locating, extricating, and providing on-site medical treatment to victims trapped in collapsed structures.

Hazardous materials response

To support the response to an actual or potential discharge and/or release of hazardous materials.

Food and water

To identify, secure, and arrange for the transportation of safe food and water to affected areas during a disaster or emergency.

Energy

To help restore energy systems following a disaster or emergency

Public information

To contribute to the well-being of the community following a disaster by disseminating accurate, consistent, timely, and easy-to-understand information; to gather and disseminate information about disaster response and recovery process.

Animals and agricultural issues

To coordinate activities responding to an agricultural disaster and/or when the health or care of animals is at issue.

Volunteers and donations

To support the management of unsolicited goods and unaffiliated volunteers, and to help establish a system for managing and controlling donated goods and services

Table B-1—Categories Used in the National Resource Typing System

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3. Kind
Kind refers to broad classes that characterize like resources, such as teams, personnel, equipment, supplies, vehicles, and aircraft.

4. Components
Resources can comprise multiple components. For example, an engine company may be listed as having the eight components shown in Table B-2.

(1) Pump

(5) Water tank

(2) Hose 2 __"

(6) Ladder

(3) Hose 1__"

(7) Master Stream

(4) Hose 1"

((8) Personnel

Table B-2—Example of a Resource with
Multiple Components
(Fire Fighting Engine Company)

As another example, urban search and rescue (US&R) teams consist of two 31- person teams, four canines, and a comprehensive equipment cache. The cache is divided into five separate, color-coded elements and is stored in containers that meet specific requirements.

5. Metrics
Metrics are measurement standards. The metrics used will differ depending on the kind of resource being typed. The mission envisioned determines the specific metric selected. The metric must be useful in describing a resource’s capability to support the mission. As an example, one metric for a disaster medical assistance team is the number of patients it can care for per day. Likewise, an appropriate metric for a hose might be the number of gallons of water per hour that can flow through it. Metrics should identify capability and/or capacity.

6. Type
Type refers to the level of resource capability. Assigning the Type I label to a resource implies that it has a greater level of capability than a Type II of the same resource (for example, due to its power, size, or capacity), and so on to Type IV. Typing provides managers with additional information to aid the selection and best use of resources. In some cases, a resource may have less than or more than four types; in such cases, either additional types will be identified, or the type will be described as “not applicable.” The type assigned to a resource or a component is based on a minimum level of capability described by the identified metric(s) for that resource. For example, the U.S. Coast Guard has typed oil skimmers based on barrels per day, as outlined below in Table B-3:

Type I

9,600 bbls/day

Type III

480 bbls/day

Type II

2,880 bbls/day

Type IV

N/A

7. Additional Information
The national resource typing protocol will also provide the capability to use additional information that is pertinent to resource decision-making. For example, if a particular set of resources can only be released to support an incident under particular authorities or laws, the protocol should provide the ability for resource managers to understand such limitations.

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D. EXAMPLE OF A RESOURCE FOR WHICH TYPING HAS BEEN COMPLETED

As an illustration of how the national equipment typing system is used, Figure B-4 is an example of a resource that has been completely typed, an urban search and rescue task force.

Resource: US&R Task Forces
Category: Search & Rescue (ESF 9) Kind: Team
Minimum Capabilities (Component)	Minimum Capabilities (Metric)	Type I	Type II	Type III	Type IV	Other
Personnel	Number of People per Response	70-person response.	28-person response.
Personnel	Training	NFPA 1670 Technician Level in area of specialty. Support personnel at Operations Level.	NFPA 1670 Technician Level in area of specialty. Support personnel at Operations Level.
Personnel	Areas of Specialization	High angle rope rescue (including highline systems); confined space rescue (permit required); Advanced Life Support (ALS) intervention; communications; WMD/HM operations; defensive water rescue.	Light frame construction and basic rope rescue operations; ALS intervention; HazMat conditions; communications; and trench and excavation rescue.
Personnel	Sustained Operations	24-hour S&R operations. Self-sufficient for first 72 hours.	12-hour S&R operations. Self-sufficient for first 72 hours.
Personnel	Organization	Multidisciplinary organization of Command, Search, Rescue, Medical, HazMat, Logistics, and Planning.	Multidisciplinary organization of Command, Search, Rescue, Medical, HazMat, Logistics, and Planning.
Equipment	Sustained Operations	Potential mission duration of up to 10 days.	Potential mission duration of up to 10 days.
Equipment	Rescue Equipment	Pneumatic Powered Tools, Electric Powered Tools, Hydraulic Powered Tools, Hand Tools, Electrical, Heavy Rigging, Technical Rope, Safety.	Pneumatic Powered Tools, Electric Powered Tools, Hydraulic Powered Tools, Hand Tools, Electrical, Heavy Rigging, Technical Rope, Safety.
Equipment	Medical Equipment	Antibiotics/ Antifungals, Patient Comfort Medication, Pain Medications, Sedatives/Anesthetics/Paralytics, Steroids, IV Fluids/Volume, Immunizations/Immune Globulin, Canine Treatment, Basic Airway, Intubation, Eye Care Supplies, IV Access/Administration, Patient Assessment Care, Patient Immobilization/Extrication, Patient/PPE, Skeletal Care, Wound Care, Patient Monitoring.	Antibiotics/Antifungals, Patient Comfort Medication, Pain Medications, Sedatives/ Anesthetics/Paralytics, Steroids, IV Fluids/Volume, Immunizations/Immune Globulin, Canine Treatment, Basic Airway, Intubation, Eye Care Supplies, IV Access/ Administration, Patient Assessment Care, Patient Immobilization/ Extrication, Patient/ PPE, Skeletal Care, Wound Care, Patient Monitoring.
Equipment	Technical Equipment	Structures Specialist Equip., Technical Information Specialist Equip., HazMat Specialist Equip., Technical Search Specialist Equip., Canine Search Specialist Equip.	Structures Specialist Equip., Technical Information Specialist Equip, HazMat Specialist Equip, Technical Search Specialist Equip., Canine Search Specialist Equip.
Equipment	Communications Equipment	Portable Radios, Charging Units, Telecommunications, Repeaters, Accessories, Batteries, Power Sources, Small Tools, Computer.	Portable Radios, Charging Units, Telecommunications, Repeaters, Accessories, Batteries, Power Sources, Small Tools, Computer.
Equipment	Logistics Equipment	Water/Fluids, Food, Shelter, Sanitation, Safety, Administrative Support, Personal Bag, Task Force Support, Cache Transportation/ Support, Base of Operations, Equipment Maintenance.	Water/Fluids, Food, Shelter, Sanitation, Safety, Administrative Support, Personal Bag, Task Force Support, Cache Transportation/ Support, Base of Operations, Equipment Maintenance.

Comments:
Federal asset. There are 28 FEMA US&R Task Forces, totally self-sufficient for the first 72 hours of a deployment, spread throughout the continental United States trained and equipped by FEMA to conduct physical search and rescue in collapsed buildings, provide emergency medical care to trapped victims, assess and control gas, electrical services and hazardous materials, and evaluate and stabilize damaged structures.

Table B-4—Example of a Fully Typed Resource
(Urban Search and Rescue Task Force)

GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS >>

Appendix B
NIMS - National Incident Management
Resource Typing System

A. Purpose

B. Responsibilities

C. Elements of the National Typing Protocol

D. Example of A Resource for which Typing has Been Completed

A. PURPOSE.

B. RESPONSIBILITIES.

C. ELEMENTS OF THE NATIONAL TYPING PROTOCOL.

D. EXAMPLE OF A RESOURCE FOR WHICH TYPING HAS BEEN COMPLETED

Appendix B NIMS - National Incident Management Resource Typing System

A. Purpose

B. Responsibilities

C. Elements of the National Typing Protocol

D. Example of A Resource for which Typing has Been Completed

A. PURPOSE.

B. RESPONSIBILITIES.

C. ELEMENTS OF THE NATIONAL TYPING PROTOCOL.

D. EXAMPLE OF A RESOURCE FOR WHICH TYPING HAS BEEN COMPLETED

Appendix B
NIMS - National Incident Management
Resource Typing System