FEMA NIMS Courses
For those of you unfamiliar with NIMS, the acronym stands for "National Incident Management System". The reason such training is important is that we (amateur radio operators) often participate in emergency communications exercises and actual emergency communications during real incidents. Without the knowledge of how the command structure works and what the procedures are, an amateur radio operator is more likely to get in the way of efficient communications rather than be part of an efficient, organized communications system that works across multiple agencies. In other words, you are expected to go above and beyond simply getting your license if you expect to participate fully in amateur radio emergency communications. We will need to be trained on the structure of the incident command system and learn how the pieces fit together and what procedures will apply in different situations. These are things that you did not learn while studying for your amateur radio licenses.
The following FEMA courses are recommended for all ARES members in the Omaha Metro Area. At some point in time, our served agencies may require that participants need to have these certifications. The courses are free and don't take days or weeks to complete.
