Emergency Preparedness 11: Glossary of Terms
Agency—A division of government with a specific function offering a particular kind of assistance. In ICS, agencies are defined either as jurisdictional (having statutory responsibility for incident management) or as assisting or cooperating (providing resources or other assistance).
Agency Representative—A person assigned by a primary, assisting or cooperating federal, state, local or tribal government agency or private entity that has been delegated authority to make decisions affecting that agency’s or organization’s participation in incident management activities following appropriate consultation with the leadership of that agency.
Area Command—An organization established (1) to oversee the management of multiple incidents that are each being handled by and ICS organization or (2) to oversee the management of large or multiple incidents to which several Incident Management Teams have been assigned. Area command has the responsibility to set overall strategy and priorities, allocate critical resources according to priorities, ensure that incidents are properly managed, and ensure that objectives are met and strategies followed. Area command may be established at and EOC facility or at some location other than and ICP.
Available Resources—Resources assigned to an incident, checked in, and available for use, normally located in a Staging Area.
Awareness—The continual process of collection, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence, information, and knowledge to allow organizations and individuals to anticipate requirements and to react effectively.
Casualty—Any person who is declared dead or is missing, ill, or injured.
Catastrophic Incident—Any natural or manmade incident, including terrorism, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale, and/or government functions. A catastrophic event could result in sustained national impacts over a prolonged period of time; almost immediately exceeds resources normally available to state, local, tribal and private-sector authorities in the impacted area; and significantly interrupts governmental operations and emergency services to such an extent that national security could be threatened. All catastrophic events are Incidents of National Significance.
Chain of Command—A series of command, control, executive, or management positions in hierarchal order of authority.
Command Staff—In an incident management organization, the Command Staff consists of the Incident Command and the special staff positions of Public Information Officer, Safety Officer, Liaison Officer and other positions as required, who report directly to the Incident Commander. They may have an assistant or assistants, as needed.
Critical Infrastructures—Systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.
Disaster—See Major Disaster.
Emergency—As defined by the Stafford Act, an emergency is “any occasion or instance for such, in the determination of the President, federal assistance is needed to supplement state and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States.
Emergency Operations Center (EOC)—The physical location at which the coordination of information and resources to support domestic incident management activities normally takes place. An EOC may be a temporary facility or may be located in a more central or permanently established facility, perhaps at a higher level of organization within a jurisdiction. EOCs may be organized by major functional disciplines (eg, fire, law enforcement, and medical services), by jurisdiction (eg, federal, state, regional, county, city, tribal) or by come combination thereof.
Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)—The “steady-state” plan maintained by various jurisdictional levels for managing a wide variety of potential hazards.
Emergency Support Function (ESF)—A grouping of government and certain private-sector capabilities into tan organizational structure to provide the support, resources, program implementation and services that are most likely to be needed to save lives, protect property and the environment, restore essential services and critical infrastructure, and help victims and communities return to normal, when feasible, following domestic incidents. The ESFs serve as the primary operational-level mechanism to provide assistance to state, local, and tribal governments or to federal departments and agencies conduction missions of primary federal responsibility. ESF-8 is the Health and Medical Services Annex http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/frp/frpesf8.htm.
Hazard—Something that is potentially dangerous or harmful, often the root cause of an unwanted outcome.
Hazard Mitigation—Any cost-effective measure which will reduce the potential for damage to a facility from a disaster event.
Hazardous Material—A substance or material, including a hazardous substance capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property.
Hazardous Substance—As defined by the NCP, any substance designated pursuant to section 311(b)(2)(A) mixture, solution, or substance designated pursuant to section 102 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); any hazardous waste having the characteristics identified under or listed pursuant to section 3001 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (but not including any waste the regulation of which under the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. §6901 et seq.) has been suspended by act of Congress); any toxic pollutant listed under section 307(a) of the Clean Water Act; any hazardous air pollutant listed under section 112 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. §7521 et seq); and any imminently hazardous chemical substance or mixture with respect to which the EPA Administrator has taken action pursuant to section 7 of the Toxic Substances Control Act 15 U.S.C. §2601 et seq.).
Incident—An occurrence or event, natural or human-caused, that requires an emergency response to protect life or property. Incidents can, for example, include major disasters, emergencies, terrorist attacks, terrorist threats, wild land and urban fires, floods, hazardous materials spills, nuclear accidents, aircraft accidents, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical storms, war-related disasters, public health and medical emergencies, and other occurrences requiring an emergency response.
Incident Action Plan—An oral or written plan containing general objectives reflecting the overall strategy for managing an incident. It may include the identification of operational resources and assignments. It may also include attachments that provide direction and important information for the management of the incident during one or more operational periods.
Incident Command Post (ICP)—The filed location at which the primary tactical-level, on-scene incident command functions are performed. The ICP may be co-located with the incident base or other incident facilities and is normally identified by a green rotating or flashing light.
Incident Command System (ICS)—A standardized on-scene emergency management construct specifically designed to provide for the adoption of an integrated organizational structure that reflects the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents, without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries. ICS is the combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures and communications operating with a common organizational structure, designed to aid in the management of resources during incidents. ICS is used for all kinds of emergencies and is applicable to small as well as large and complex incidents. ICS is used by various jurisdictions and functional agencies, both public and private, or organized field-level incident management operations.
Incident Commander—The individual responsible for all incident activities, including the development of strategies and tactics and the ordering and release of resources. The IC has overall authority and responsibility for conduction incident operations and is responsible for the management of all incident operations at the incident site.
Incident Management Team (IMT)—The Incident Commander and appropriate Command and General Staff personnel assigned to an incident.
Incident Mitigation—Actions taken during an incident designed to minimize impacts or contain the damages to property or the environment.
Incident of National Significance—Based on criteria established in HSPD-5, an actual or potential high-impact event that requires a coordinated and effective response by and appropriate combination of federal, state, local, tribal, non-governmental, and/or private-sector entities in order to save lives and minimize damage, and provide the basis for long-term community recovery and mitigation activities.
Infrastructure—The human-made physical systems, assets, projects and structures, publicly and/or privately owned that are used by or provide benefit to the public. Examples of infrastructure include utilities, bridges, levees, drinking water systems, electrical systems, communications systems, dams, sewage systems and roads.
Initial Actions—The actions taken by those responders first to arrive at an incident site.
Initial Response—Resources initially committed to an incident.
Initial Response Resources (IRR)—Disaster support commodities that may be pre-staged, in anticipation of a catastrophic event, at a federal facility close to a disaster area for immediate application through an NRP ESF operation. The initial response resources are provided to victims and all levels of government responders immediately after a disaster occurs. They are designed to augment state and local capabilities. DHS/EPR/FEMA Logistics Division stores and maintains critically needed initial response commodities for victims and responders and pre-positions supplies and equipment when required. The initial response resources include supplies (baby food, baby formula, blankets, cots, diapers, meals ready-to-eat, plastic sheeting, tents, and water) and equipment (emergency generators, industrial ice-makers, mobile kitchen kits, portable potties with service, portable showers and refrigerated vans).
Jurisdiction—A range or sphere of authority. Public agencies have jurisdiction at an incident related to their legal responsibilities and authorities. Jurisdictional authority at an incident can be political or geographical (eg, city, county, tribal, state or federal boundary lines) or functional (eg, law enforcement, public health).
Liaison Officer—A member of the Command Staff responsible for coordinating with representatives from cooperating and assisting agencies.
Local Government—A county, municipality, city, town, township local public authority, school district, special district, intrastate district, council of governments (regardless of whether the council of governments is incorporated as a nonprofit cooperation under state law), regional or interstate government entity, or agency tribe or authorized tribal organization or , in Alaska, a rural community, unincorporated town or village, or other public entity (As defined in section 2(10) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public Law 107-296, 116 Stat. 2136, et seq. (2002).)
Major Disaster—As defined by the Stafford Act, any natural catastrophe (including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm or drought) or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under this act to supplement the efforts and available resources of state, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby.
Mitigation—Activities designed to reduce or eliminate risks to persons or property or to lessen the actual or potential effects or consequences of an incident. Mitigation measures may be implemented prior to, during or after an incident. Mitigation measures are often developed in accordance with lessons learned from prior incidents. Mitigation involves ongoing actions to reduce exposure to, probability of, or potential loss from hazards. Measures may include zoning and building codes, flood plain buyouts, and analysis of hazard-related data to determine where it is safe to build of locate temporary facilities. Mitigation can include efforts to educate governments, businesses, and the public on measures they can take to reduce loss and injury.
Mobilization—The process and procedures used by all organizations – federal, state, local, and tribal – for activating assembling, and transporting all resources that have been requested to respond to or support an incident.
Mutual Aid Agreement—Written agreement between agencies, organizations, and/or jurisdictions that they will assist one another on request by furnishing personnel, equipment and/or expertise in a specified manner.
National—of a nationwide character, including the federal, state, local and tribal aspects of governance and policy.
National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)—A coordinated partnership between DHS, HHS, DOD, and the Department of Veterans Affairs established for the purpose of responding to the needs of victims of a public health emergency. NDMS provides medical response assets and the movement of patient to health care facilities where definitive medical care is received when required.
National Incident Management System (NIMS)—A system mandated by HSPD-5 that provides a consistent, nationwide approach for federal, state, local, and tribal governments; the private sector and NGOs to work effectively and efficiently together to prepare for, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size or complexity. To provide for interoperability and compatibility among federal, state, local and tribal capabilities, the NIMS includes a core set of concepts, principles, and terminology. HSPD-5 identifies these as the ICS; multi-agency coordination systems, training, identification and management of resources (including systems for classifying types of resources); qualification and certification; and the collection, tracking, and reporting of incident information and incident resources.
Non-governmental Organization (NGO)—A nonprofit entity that is based on interests of its members, individuals, or institutions and that is not created by a government, but may work cooperatively with government. Such organizations serve a public purpose, not a private benefit. Examples of NGOs include faith-based charity organizations and the American Red Cross.
Preparedness—The range of deliberate, critical tasks and activities necessary to build, sustain, and improve the operational capability to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents. Preparedness is a continuous process involving efforts at all levels of government and between government and private-sector and non-governmental organizations to identify threats, determine vulnerabilities, and identify required resources.
Prevention—Actions taken to avoid an incident or to intervene to stop an incident from occurring. Prevention involves actions taken to protect lives and property. It involves applying intelligence and other information to a range of activities that may include such countermeasures as deterrence operations; heightened inspections; improved surveillance and security operations; investigations to determine the full nature and source of the threat; public health and agricultural surveillance and testing processes; immunizations, isolation or quarantine; and, as appropriate, specific law enforcement operations aimed at deterring, preempting, interdicting, or disruption illegal activity and apprehending potential perpetrators and brining them to justice.
Private Sector—Organizations and entities that are not part of any governmental structure. Includes for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, formal and informal structures, commerce and industry, private emergency response organizations, and private voluntary organizations.
Public Assistance Program—The program administered by FEMA that provides supplemental federal disaster grant assistance for debris removal and disposal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities and the facilities of certain private nonprofit organizations.
Public Health—Protection, safety, improvement, and interconnections of health and disease prevention among people, domestic animals and wildlife.
Public Information Officer (PIO)—A member of the Command Staff responsible for interfacing with the public and media or with other agencies with incident-related information requirements.
Public Works—Work, construction, physical facilities, and services provided by governments for the benefit and use of the public.
Recovery—The development, coordination, and execution of service-and site-restoration plans for impacted communities and the reconstitution of government operations and services through individual, private-sector, non-governmental, and public assistance programs that: identify needs and define resources; provide housing and promote restoration; address long-term care and treatment of affected persons; implement additional measure for community restoration; incorporate mitigation measures and techniques, as feasible; evaluate the incident to identify lessons learned; and develop initiatives to mitigate the effects of future incidents.
Resources—Personnel and major items of equipment, supplies, and facilities available or potentially available for assignment to incident operations and for which status is maintained. Resources are described by kind and type and may be used in operational support or supervisory capacities at an incident or at an EOC.
Response—Activities that address the short-term, direct effects of an incident. Response includes immediate actions to save lives, protect property, and meet basic human needs. Response also includes the execution of emergency operations plans and of incident mitigation activities designed to limit the loss of life, personal injury, property damage and other unfavorable outcomes. As indicated by the situation, response activities include: applying intelligence and other information to lessen the effects or consequences of an incident; increased security operations; continuing investigations into the nature and source of the threat; ongoing public health and agricultural surveillance and testing processes; immunizations, isolation, or quarantine; and specific law enforcement operations aimed at preempting, interdicting, or disrupting illegal activity, and apprehending actual perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
Situation Assessment—The evaluation and interpretation of information gathered from a variety of sources (including weather information and forecasts, computerized models, GIS data mapping, remote sensing sources, ground surveys, etc.) that, when communicated to emergency managers and decision-makers, can provide a basis for incident management decision-making.
Terrorism—Any activity that (1) involves an act that (a) is dangerous to human life or potentially destructive of critical infrastructure or key resources; and (b) is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state or other subdivision of the United States; and (2) appears to be intended (a) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (b) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (c) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.
Threat—An indication of possible violence, harm, or danger.
Unaffiliated Volunteer—An individual who is not formally associated with a recognized voluntary disaster relief organization; also known as a “spontaneous” or “emergency” volunteer.
Unified Command—An application of ICS used when there is more than one agency with incident jurisdiction or when incidents cross political jurisdictions. Agencies work together through the designated members of the Unified Command to establish their designated Incident Commanders at a single ICP and to establish a common set of objectives and strategies and a single Incident Action Plan.
Unsolicited Goods—Donated items offered by and/or sent to the incident area by the public, the private sector, or other source, that have not been requested by government or nonprofit disaster relief coordinators.
Volunteer—Any individual accepted to perform services by an agency that has authority to accept volunteer services when the individual performs services without promise, expectation, or receipt of compensation for services performed.
Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD)—As defined in Title 18, U.S.C §2332a: (1) any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas, bomb, grenade, rocket having a propellant charge or more than 4 ounces, or missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than one-quarter ounce, or mine or similar device; (2) any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals or their precursors; (3) any weapon involving a disease organism, or (4) any weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life.
Wireless Priority Service (WPS)—WPS allows authorized NS/EP personnel to gain priority access to the next available wireless radio channel to initiate calls during an emergency when carrier channels may be congested.