In March 2004, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security implemented the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the country's first-ever standardized approach to incident management and response. While thousands of local, state, and federal agencies have created individual plans to prepare for and respond to emergencies in the past, response agencies nationwide will need to become NIMS compliant in 2005.

National Incident Management System: Principles and Practice translates the goals of the original NIMS document from concepts into capabilities, and provides responders with a step-by-step process to understanding and implementing NIMS. Through the use of case studies, readers will gain valuable insight on how to effectively incorporate NIMS into their departments or jurisdictions. As responders are faced with the tasks of reforming training curricula and incorporating NIMS into Standard Operating Procedures, it is essential that they have a practical resource to guide them through the nation's homeland security strategies, as well as to assist them with NIMS implementation in their own locality.