Partnership Diversity: FEMA's National-Incident
Management Assistance Teams (44)
Michael Paddock, Ph.D., NOAA/NWS
Western Region Headquarters, McClellan
Park, CA
Abstract:
The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) has three National-Incident Management Assistance
Teams (N-IMATs). The N-IMATs are "on-call" teams that deploy on short
notice to help establish command of large scale disasters that exceed a state
or region's response capabilities. These teams are comprised of an extremely
diverse staff divided among command, operations, planning, and logistics
sections, including liaison officers from the American Red Cross, U.S. Coast
Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Weather Service (NWS).
When deployed, the initial N-IMAT goal is to be on-site and fully functional
within 12 hours of an incident while establishing a Unified Command of the incident
response. These teams are also designed to be self sustaining for up to 72
hours. This presentation will discuss the diverse configuration, roles, and
responsibilities of the N-IMATs, including where the NWS Liaison Officer (LNO)
fits within the team structure. This will highlight team building as well as
exemplify educational diversity, as the NWS LNO needs to learn team differences
and dynamics for tailoring essential support.