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(updates are due to January 2007 changes in
Crewmember/Coxswain Qualification Guides, and 12 February 2007 ALAUX
message)
ICS is the Incident Command System and it is the
accepted management scheme for incident management, including
incidents of national significance. These events can range from
something that is known and planned out, like an OPSAIL, to
something unexpected, like an oil spill. NIMS is the National
Incident Management System. The ICS is a major component of NIMS, but NIMS is a national plan.
NIMS integrates many concepts and potential
responding agencies or organizations. In the Coast Guard and the
Coast Guard Auxiliary, we will work with both. Each offers basic
course work, designed to introduce you to the basic principles of
management and the organizational design that allows the system to
work.
You will see various use of prefixes for courses,
all followed by numeric indicators...such as "ICS-100". The prefix
"IS" is the official FEMA prefix now, but you will see this
interchanged with "ICS-" and for certain courses, "NIMS-" or "NRP-".
There are over 50 courses offered by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute (EMI).
They range from information for the private citizen to coursework for
Command and Control personnel. The coursework that applies to the Coast
Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary include IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, and
IS-800. In addition, a USCG course designated as IS-210 is available. You can view the course selections at the
FEMA Emergency
Management Institute Independent Study Course List. IS-210 is a USCG-provided
classroom course.
The Coast Guard NIMS Project Team is located at TRACEN
Yorktown, VA. They have an extensive website located on
HOMEPORT,
the Coast Guard's public web portal. (Unfortunately, the Coast Guard's
choice of web technology for their portal does not allow providing links
to items within the portal: you will have to navigate manually). The
ICS/NIMS site can be found in the LIBRARY section (look for the ICS item
in the left column in the LIBRARY section).
IS-100 is "Introduction to Incident Command System".
IS-200 is "Basic Incident Command System".
IS-210 is "Initial Incident Command for Single Unit Resource
Leaders".
IS-700 is "Introduction to National Incident Management System".
IS-800 is "Introduction to National Response Plan".
IS-700 may appear as "NIMS-700" in references. IS-800
may appear as "NRP-800" in references. "ICS" may appear as the prefix
rather than the current official FEMA prefix of "IS" for course
identifiers; many authors interchange the two prefixes.
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IS-210 is a 4-hour classroom
course that is designed for Single Resource Leader/Type 5 and Type 4
Incident Commanders. The course specifically focuses on initial
incident assessment, initial incident management (includes assuming
command, organization, and execution), the development and use of the
form ICS-201, Transfer of Command, and the form ICS-204. Prerequisite is
IS-100 (Introduction to ICS) and IS-200 (Basic ICS). The instructor must
be USCG-approved (in D1NR, this has been a few active or reserve USCG-trained
personnel).
IS-210 is required of all
coxswains. For coxswain candidates, this course must be
completed prior to the coxswain oral examination and coxswain underway checkride.
Some Auxiliary members may
have taken the multi-day classroom course IS-300 (for their job, for
other civilian activity, or for USCG efforts). IS-300 is an acceptable
alternate to IS-210, but completion of IS-300 must be recorded in
AUXDATA. If you took IS-300 anywhere, just send a copy of your
completion certificate to the
D1NR Cape Cod office
for entry into AUXDATA.
ALAUX message -018/08 has more information about the addition of
IS-210.
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This depends on who you are (in Auxiliary terms) and what you do to
support the Coast Guard. We all joined the Auxiliary to support its
missions and to promote boating safety. Some of us made the commitment
to provide direct operation support to the Coast Guard or to assume a
leadership role in the organization. You will need to complete the IS-100 and the IS-700 courses. In addition, if you are a
Coxswain, pilot, team leader, or have been elected to a leadership role
in the Auxiliary organization, you will also need to take IS-200, IS-210, and IS-800.
This F.A.Q. focuses on surface operations
qualifications; see the Auxiliary National
Response Department website and other national references for
details on what courses apply to your Auxiliary efforts if you don't
hold a surface operations qualification. The National Response
Department
FAQ on ICS
may be the best starting point for your questions, as well as the
ALAUX message of
12 February 2007.
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Online courses taken at the FEMA website are not recorded automatically
in the USCG Auxiliary AUXDATA system. Incident Command System courses
taken with other sponsoring agencies (such as state emergency management
agencies, or local response departments) are also not recorded
automatically in the USCG Auxiliary AUXDATA system.
To have your course completions recorded in AUXDATA, send evidence of
completion (forward a completion email, send a paper copy of your
completion certificate) to the
D1NR Cape Cod office.
Remember to identify yourself (flotilla number or member number); the
email or paper evidence probably doesn't indicate how to find you in the
Auxiliary systems.
The USCG-selected IS-210 instructors will
provide a roster for AUXDATA entry to the
D1NR Cape Cod office
without your action.
Some members may have taken advanced courses
beyond that required for surface operations; send completion information
to the
D1NR Cape Cod office as well; this is
extremely useful training for USCG incidents as well, and the only way
to find members with specific training is to look at AUXDATA records.
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Actually, it is not just Coxswains, but pilots and
anyone who leads a team, including all of the folks working in the
Trident program at your local sector. You are known as a "single
unit resource leader". Each of you has responsibility for accepting
orders or direction and performing a function within the response.
You are also responsible for directing members of your team,
preparing reports to document your activities, and providing
summaries at the end of your patrol, mission, or assignment.
Therefore, you need to know more than other Auxiliary members about
how the incident management system works and how you work within the
system.
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The deadlines for completion of courses for
crewmembers have passed, so if you are currently certified as a
crewmember you have already completed the required IS-100 and IS-700
courses.
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You must have completed IS-100 and IS-700 prior to
your crewmember oral examination and crewmember underway checkride.
You cannot be certified as a crewmember without completion of IS-100
and IS-700.
In the
Crewmember Qualification Guide COMDTINST M16794.52A effective
January 1, 2007, your ICS training requirements are a task to be
completed and verified (signed) by your mentor.
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If you are currently certified as a coxswain, you
have already completed IS-100, IS-200, IS-210, IS-700, and IS-800 (if not,
you would not be certified)
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You must have completed IS-100, IS-200, IS-210, IS-700, and
IS-800 prior to your coxswain oral examination and coxswain underway
checkride. You cannot be certified as a coxswain without completion
of all five required courses.
In the
Coxswain Qualification Guide COMDTINST M16794.53A effective
January 1, 2007, your ICS training requirements are a task to be
completed and verified (signed) by your mentor.
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All QEs are Coxswains, so the Coxswain requirements
apply to you.
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This F.A.Q. focuses on surface operations
qualifications; see the Auxiliary National
Response Department website and other national references for details
on what courses apply to your Auxiliary efforts.
However, here is a summary of required training
based on the ALAUX message of
12 February 2007:
DCP/VCP/District staff in OP, CM, AV, MS/Division
staff in OP, CM, MS/DCO/VCO/RCO: IS100, IS700, IS200, IS800, IS210
FC/VFC/FSO
in OP, CM, MS/Any participant in surface operations, air operations,
radio operations, planning, port security, marine safety: IS100,
IS700
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