Improve coordination at emergency incidents by implementing an incident management system.

Use of an incident management system at all emergency incidents is key to achieving coordination among responding agencies and reducing fatalities and injuries to emergency responders. NFPA 1561 provides the template on how this can be accomplished, defining and describing the essential elements of an IM system that meets the requirements of Chapter 8 of NFPA 1500: Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program and OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120(q)(3).

The 2005 edition of NFPA 1561 has been completely revised to expand the incident management team from an initial response to a multi-agency/multi-jurisdictional incident team. As a result, three new chapters were added to cover Position Descriptions and Roles, Multi-Agency Incidents, and Incident Management Teams. Existing text was reorganized as appropriate to accommodate this new material.

The document is compatible with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.