Why Is NIMS Important

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The Importance of NIMS to Campus Emergency Response: Over the past several years, there has been a rise in critical incidents on our college and university campuses, which has forced administrators to reevaluate the need to have effective campus safety. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) was developed by the Department of Homeland Security in March 2004 to “provide a systematic, proactive approach for all government agencies at all levels, nongovernment organizations, and private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents- regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity- to reduce the loss of life, destruction of property, and harm to the environment” (Fazzini, 2009, p. 14). NIMS provides colleges and universities the aptitudes and ability to respond to critical incidents and offers campuses a considerable approach to protecting students. For colleges and universities to truly understand campuses safety, it is important for administrators to understand NIMS and what it has to offer. Recently, the Illinois Criminal Justice Authority funded a …show more content…

If a critical incident should occur, the response and recovery from emergency situation can expense a significant monetary incurrence. Establishments that have put NIMS into operation are eligible to recuperate any portion of their operative expense from the federal government. “Additionally, NIMS offers a predefined, yet flexible, organizational structure that can be altered, as necessary, to ensure maximum effectiveness during small operations or complex responses and extended in scope if an incident grows in size” (Fazzini, 2009, p. 15). The flexibility of NIMS can be adjusted to accommodate operational function of the incident, geographical boundaries, or a consolidation of

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