SR-700-005-04
City Council Meeting: March 28, 2006 Santa Monica, California
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TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Resolution Ratifying the Adoption of the National Incident Management
System (NIMS) and Incorporate NIMS Principles and Policies into the City
of Santa Monica Emergency Plan
Introduction
This report requests the City Council to adopt a resolution ratifying the adoption of the
National Incident Management System (NIMS) and incorporate NIMS principles and
policies into the City of Santa Monica emergency plan. NIMS is a nationwide approach
to incident management that establishes requirements for processes, procedures, and
systems that are designed to facilitate interoperability among jurisdictions and
disciplines.
Discussion
The President of the United States through Homeland Security Directive-5, directed the
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to develop and administer a National
Incident Management System, which would provide a consistent nationwide approach
for federal, state, local, and tribal governments to work together more effectively to
prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, regardless of cause, size,
or complexity. The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks (9-11 Commission) also
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recommended adoption of a nationwide standardized Incident Command System. In
addition, the Governor of the State of California in Executive Order S-2-05 has directed
the State?s Office of Emergency Services and Office of Homeland Security, in
cooperation with the Standardized Emergency Management System Advisory Board, to
develop a program to integrate the National Incident Management System into the
state?s emergency management system.
California local and state government pioneered the development of standardized
incident management systems to respond to a variety of catastrophic disasters. In
addition, California was the first state to adopt a statewide Standardized Emergency
Management System (SEMS) for use by every emergency response organization within
the state. Santa Monica formally adopted the SEMS on November 9, 1999.
NIMS is very similar to California?s SEMS which was based on the Incident Command
System (ICS) developed in the early 1970s by the California fire service. ICS and
SEMS are models for incident management nationwide. It is essential that federal,
state, local, and tribal organizations utilize standardized terminology; standardized
organization structures; interoperable communications; consolidated action plans;
unified command structures; uniform personnel qualification standards; uniform
standards for planning, training, and exercising; comprehensive resource management;
and designated incident facilities during emergencies or disasters. The use of SEMS
has benefited Santa Monica because it has the framework for standardized disaster
preparedness, response, recovery, and training procedures in our city and throughout
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California. NIMS will benefit Santa Monica because it will coordinate our current
response protocols with the response systems of agencies and organizations,
nationwide.
The Federal Department of Homeland Security requires local governments to adopt the
National Incident Management System (NIMS) in order to be eligible for future
Homeland Security Grant Program funding. This funding will enhance the ability of local
emergency, prevention, and response agencies to prepare for and respond to incidents
of terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction and natural disasters.
The Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has developed a
NIMS implementation plan that identifies the actions necessary to meet present and
future requirements. OEM will take the lead in assisting all County departments and
cities with meeting NIMS compliance by the deadlines established by the Department of
Homeland Security. In order to accomplish this goal, the City of Santa Monica will work
closely with OEM and Disaster Management Area ?A? which consists of the four west
side cities, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Culver City, and Beverly Hills.
In October of 2005, the Santa Monica Fire Department, Emergency Management
Office, and Police Department initiated a training program to ensure the City will meet
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the September 26, 2006 federal deadline for NIMS compliance.
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Budget/Financial Impact
The recommendation presented in this report does not have a budget or fiscal impact.
Recommendation
It is recommended the City Council adopt the accompanying resolution ratifying the
adoption of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and incorporate NIMS
principles and policies into the City of Santa Monica emergency plan
Prepared by: Jim Hone, Fire Chief
Paul Weinberg, Emergency Services Coordinator
See Adopted Resolution No. 10119 (CCS)
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