Incident Command System Training for Higher Education and Schools: Where to Start

Emergency management work in higher education and schools has a lot of parts.  One of the areas that many people get lost in is the formal training and certification for the Incident Command System (ICS).  ICS is a component of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). These two systems are distinct, but are often referred to interchangeably.

As the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) describes,

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work together seamlessly and manage incidents involving all threats and hazards—regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity—in order to reduce loss of life, property and harm to the environment. The NIMS is the essential foundation to the National Preparedness System (NPS) and provides the template for the management of incidents and operations in support of all five National Planning Frameworks.

For detailed information on NIMS/ICS, check out the NIMS website.  

Specifically for higher education and schools, there are several free web-based trainings and certifications.  The ones that I recommend are as follows (FEMA uses the initials “IS”, meaning Independent Study).

• The first training is ICS 100, the introduction course.  The courses are specific for your type of institution and/or professional discipline.
  • IS.100 Introduction to ICS for Higher Education
  • IS. 100 Introduction to ICS for Schools
  • IS. 100 Introduction to ICS for Law Enforcement
  • IS. 100 Introduction to ICS for Public Works
• The next one to take is ICS 700 An Introduction to NIMS
• ICS 800 An Introduction to National Response Framework
• ICS 200 ICS for Single Resources and Initial Actions Incidents

After this courses are complete, there are a few in-person courses that leadership teams should take:

• ICS 300 Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents
• ICS 400 Advanced ICS for Command and General Staff

If this all seems like too much, start with the 100 course and then slowly work through the list of recommended trainings for different positions. I wrote about that in an earlier blog post.