APCO MODULE #12 EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
Explain the purpose of NIMS. National Incident Management System - ANSWER-
Provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector, and
nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents.
Be applicable across a full spectrum of potential incidents and hazard scenarios,
regardless of size or complexity.
Improve coordination and cooperation between public and private entities in a variety of
domestic incident management activities.
Prior to NIMS there were no standards for domestic incident response that reached
across all levels of gov. and all emergency response agencies. NIMS changed that by
establishing national standards national standards for incident operations, incident
communications, personnel qualifications, resource and information management and
supporting technology.
Explain the NIMS impact on the telecommunicator - ANSWER--The initial assessment
of call details becomes even more critical at the PSAP.
-The early determination of a hazard and the appropriate notifications are essential.
-Telecommunicators must update event records, call history and information from
callers and the response units to best assess the true nature of the call.
-The telecommunicator must understand that additional questions and pre-arrival
instructions can have a significant impact on the final outcome of events as they evolve.
Outline the history and development of ICS - Incident Command System - ANSWER-An
integral part of NIMS is the Incident Command System. The ICS method used to
effectively manage resources and personnel during an incident. In some cities, the fire
and police departments have worked together using ICS for years. While ICS was first
pioneered by the fire service, it is, at its core, a management system designed to
integrate resources to effectively attack a common problem. In the early 1970's, a series
of major wildfires in Southern California prompted municipal, county, state and Federal
fire authorities to form and organization knows as "Firefighting Resources of California
Organized for Potential Emergencies (FIRESCOPE).
ICS is widely applicable and is used to organize both short-term and long-term field-
level operations. Used by all levels of government, as well as by many private sector
and non-governmental organizations, ICS is applicable across disciplines.
Describe the principles and concepts of ICS - ANSWER-Operates in a top-down fashion
based on the size of the complexity of the incident, as well as the specifics of the hazard
environment created by the incident. Responsibility lies with Incident Command (IC).
-Suitable for any operation from single jurisdiction or single agency to multiple
jurisdictions with multi-agency involvement.
- Applicable to users throughout the country.
- Readily adaptable to new technology.
AND ANSWERS
Explain the purpose of NIMS. National Incident Management System - ANSWER-
Provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector, and
nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents.
Be applicable across a full spectrum of potential incidents and hazard scenarios,
regardless of size or complexity.
Improve coordination and cooperation between public and private entities in a variety of
domestic incident management activities.
Prior to NIMS there were no standards for domestic incident response that reached
across all levels of gov. and all emergency response agencies. NIMS changed that by
establishing national standards national standards for incident operations, incident
communications, personnel qualifications, resource and information management and
supporting technology.
Explain the NIMS impact on the telecommunicator - ANSWER--The initial assessment
of call details becomes even more critical at the PSAP.
-The early determination of a hazard and the appropriate notifications are essential.
-Telecommunicators must update event records, call history and information from
callers and the response units to best assess the true nature of the call.
-The telecommunicator must understand that additional questions and pre-arrival
instructions can have a significant impact on the final outcome of events as they evolve.
Outline the history and development of ICS - Incident Command System - ANSWER-An
integral part of NIMS is the Incident Command System. The ICS method used to
effectively manage resources and personnel during an incident. In some cities, the fire
and police departments have worked together using ICS for years. While ICS was first
pioneered by the fire service, it is, at its core, a management system designed to
integrate resources to effectively attack a common problem. In the early 1970's, a series
of major wildfires in Southern California prompted municipal, county, state and Federal
fire authorities to form and organization knows as "Firefighting Resources of California
Organized for Potential Emergencies (FIRESCOPE).
ICS is widely applicable and is used to organize both short-term and long-term field-
level operations. Used by all levels of government, as well as by many private sector
and non-governmental organizations, ICS is applicable across disciplines.
Describe the principles and concepts of ICS - ANSWER-Operates in a top-down fashion
based on the size of the complexity of the incident, as well as the specifics of the hazard
environment created by the incident. Responsibility lies with Incident Command (IC).
-Suitable for any operation from single jurisdiction or single agency to multiple
jurisdictions with multi-agency involvement.
- Applicable to users throughout the country.
- Readily adaptable to new technology.
