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Nassau's EOC Incident Management Team

Nassau's Emergency Management Program includes preparing for and executing emergency operations.  When an incident requires centralized planning and coordination, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is activated to plan and manage response operations and provide coordinated public messaging.  

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In Nassau County, in addition to the EM staff, a core group of individuals from the Sheriff's Office, Fire Rescue, School District, Health Department, and City and County government, fill key positions on the EOC Incident Management Team (IMT).  These personnel understand the National Incident Management System (NIMS) framework, and have completed basic Incident Command System (ICS) training as well as position-specific training and experience (e.g., shadowing a credentialed individual during an incident) to effectively work as a member of the EOC IMT.  

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EOC IMT Position Qualifications define the minimum criteria that personnel serving in specific roles must attain before being assigned to an incident.  ​EOC IMT Training Resources:​    FEMA Independent Study Course List     SERT TRAC - Course Calendar & Registration

Intro to ICS
Image of describing the functional units of the Incident Command System in lay-terms, such as Planning Section is the Thinkers, Finance Section is the Cost Trackers, Logistics Section is the Getters, and Operations Section is the Doers.

NIMS ICS is modular and scalable.

 

It organizes the IMT into:

  • command staff of 3 Officers,

  • general staff of 4 Section Chiefs, 

  • functional Groups, and

  • supporting Units

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Each has specific responsibilities, and all use the same, common terminology.

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ICS ensures each person has only one supervisor who in turn, has a manageable span of control (3-7 direct reports.)

Organizational Chart showing the ICS chain-of-command structure

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) has implemented the Florida Qualification System (FQS) to support adoption of NQS throughout the state.  Since Fiscal Year 2022, NQS implementation has been a "requirement of award" for the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program funding that supports state and county EM Programs. 

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To be considered compliant, each county must achieve a "qualified incident workforce" within their jurisdiction which means each must:

  • publish the NQS implementation plan, 

  • develop local Position "Task Books" (PTBs) or check-off lists for required skills and tasks that include the EOC skillsets and minimum training necessary to qualify for an IMT position,

  • establish a review process for incident personnel qualifications, and

  • maintaining a Resource Management System that tracks completed training and tasks to ensure personnel work towards and maintain their EOC skills and IMT position qualifications.​

NQS Implementaton Plan
A graphic of Nassau County's priorities and NQS implementation plan, planned work and expected results necessary to achieve National Qualification System compliance
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