About Us
Background
The NJOEM is the lead agency in New Jersey responsible for coordinating the State’s preparedness, response and recovery operations for all hazards impacting the State.
In accordance with the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and in accordance with the requirements of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Presidential Directives 5 and 8, New Jersey must establish a single, comprehensive approach to domestic incident management to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies under the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
New Jersey Executive Order 50 (Codey 2005) adopted NIMS as the State standard for incident management and mandated its use for all emergency incidents in the State.
NJOEM Directive 105 established the NJ-AHIMT as a comprehensive statewide resource, to assist federal, state, county or municipal agencies or offices of emergency management, by providing incident support and incident management functions, in response to a domestic incident, disaster or emergency.
The NJ-AHIMT has adopted the All-Hazards Incident Management Teams Association’s (AHIMTA) Interstate Incident Management Qualifications System (IIMQS), to include their Interstate Incident Management Qualifications Guide, Incident Command Position Description Qualifications Table (ICPDQT), and Position Task Books (PTB).
Overall Function
- Deploys to manage emergency responses, incidents, or planned events requiring a higher capability or capacity level than the requesting jurisdiction or organization can provide.
- Assists with incident management activities during all-hazards events, including natural and human-caused events, as well as planned events.
- Assumes management of the incident for the requesting jurisdiction or agency, or supporting a local Incident Commander (or Unified Command) in managing an incident or event.
- Directs and tracks tactical resources that the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and other supporting organizations provide.
- Performs Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration, Safety, Public Information, and Liaison functions, as the incident requires.
- Coordinates with Emergency Operations Center (EOC) personnel, AHJ, and Agency Administrators regarding incident management objectives and support.
- Adjusts configurations, to include additional positions and capabilities, to meet an incident’s needs based on results of a complexity analysis.
Team Capabilities
Personnel Management – The team typically manages up to 200 personnel. This is a flexible parameter, but is often utilized for determining the Type level to manage the incident.
Communications Equipment – The team will arrive with communications equipment commensurate with the mission assignment. Examples of such equipment include portable radios, repeaters, portable cellular towers, mobile communications units, mobile command posts, and other communications support equipment. The team either possesses this communications equipment in its team cache, has agreements with participating agencies to obtain this equipment on short notice, or can order the equipment if needed.
Office Equipment & Supplies – The team comes with office equipment (mechanical and electronic) and supplies commensurate with the mission assignment to support mission needs for 72 hours of continuous operations. This includes resources to support the creation, duplication, and distribution of an Incident Action Plan (IAP) for each operational period; maps; and Incident Command System (ICS) forms in electronic format, hard copy, and wall-size posters.
Personal Protective Equipment – PPE requirements are mission specific and are based on the position, the nature of the incident, and the environmental conditions experienced or expected. Not all positions require PPE. The team comes with PPE that would typically be used by an IMT on most missions, such as protective footwear, protective clothing for skin exposure, high-visibility vests, eye and ear protection, gloves, and masks. The team can order any additional appropriate PPE if necessary.
Deployed Personnel – The team typically deploys with twelve (12) members, including both management and support personnel. That number does not include trainees or technical specialists. All team members are qualified to work in their assigned positon based on NJ standards, and they meet the minimum qualifications indicated in the position qualifications system adopted by NJ, which is the AHIMTA’s IIMQS. Team members are currently in the process of obtaining credentials using this system. The position typing scheme of the AHIMTA IIMQS is nearly identical to the FEMA National Qualifications System (NQS). The typical team deployment includes the following positions:
- One (1) Incident Commander
- One (1) Public Information Officer
- One (1) Safety Officer
- One (1) Liaison Officer
- Two (2) Operations Section Chiefs
- One (1) Planning Section Chief
- One (1) Logistics Section Chief
- One (1) Finance/Administration Section Chief
- One (1) Communications Unit Leader
- One (1) Situation Unit Leader
- One (1) Resources Unit Leader
The team’s deployed configuration is based on the specific mission and can include several discretionary positions such as an Intelligence and Investigations Section, adding subordinate positions/units within the Planning, Operations, Logistics, and Finance/Admin Sections, or technical specialists in specific areas (e.g. public health, access and functional needs, volunteer management, fire behavior, etc.)
Composition and Ordering Specifications
- The team generally works 12 hours per shift, can be self-sustainable for 72 hours, and is typically deployed up to 14 days (not including travel days). The team is capable of longer deployments, but may require personnel swaps.
- The team has facilities available for establishing an Incident Command Post (ICP).
- The team is capable of team relief or replacement, as well as team member overlap to allow for smooth operational transition.
- The team is comprised of members from a variety of disciplines, which provides the team with many specialty capabilities, such as effective response to hazardous materials, law enforcement events, structural fire, or wildland fire.
- The team has sufficient staffing and equipment to scale its structure, such as the need for deputies and assistants or the need to provide 24-hour coverage, based on the complexity of the incident.
- If the team is working outside of NJOEM’s authority, it is capable of accepting authorization from the requesting jurisdiction or agency, such as a Delegation of Authority, Financial Spending Authority, Letter of Direction, or Mission Assignment.
- Because of the team’s multi-discipline multi-jurisdictional framework, it will typically be configured and deployed as multidisciplinary group representing law enforcement, public health and medicine, fire, EMS, urban search and rescue, and other fields.
- The team can provide a transition from the response to recovery phase, as needed.
- The team will provide documentation, to the requesting agency, encompassing ordering, tracking, and managing resources; tracking and managing personnel hours; ensuring adequate personnel accountability; ensuring personnel safety and welfare; managing contracts and Memorandums of Understanding (MOU); and managing communications processes and equipment.