Incident Command System

BCARES members receive training in the Incident Command System (ICS), which is a part of the Department of Homeland Security's National Incident Management System (NIMS). The training is intended for all personnel who are directly involved in emergency management and response, including volunteer personnel. The training is intended to aid people who don't usually work together, or even know each other, to work together to respond to and recover from a disaster, either natural or man-made.

Most courses are taken online, which requires the use of a FEMA Student Identification (SID) number. Follow these steps to register for a SID number.

Basic ICS classes:

• IS-100 - Introduction to the Incident Command System
• IS-200 - Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response
• IS-700 - An Introduction to the National Incident Management System
• IS-800 - National Response Framework, an Introduction
• ARRL's EC-001 class - Introduction to Emergency Communication

Advanced ICS Professional Development Series (for those with a command or general staff role):

• IS-120 - An Introduction to Exercises
• IS-139 - Exercise Design and Development
• IS-230 - Fundamentals of Emergency Management
• IS-241 - Decision Making and Problem Solving
• IS-242 - Effective Communication
• IS-244 - Developing and Managing Volunteers
• IS-288 - The Role of Voluntary Organizations in Emergency Management
• IS-300 if available locally
• IS-400 if available locally
• IS-2200 - Basic Emergency Operations Center Functions
• ARRL's EC-016 class - Public Service and Emergency Communications Management for Radio Amateurs

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