Washington D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has delivered training this month for the National Capital Region’s newly formed regional Incident Management Team (IMT). The training, focused on both natural and man-made hazards, was held in Loudoun County, Va., with instructors from the Emergency Management Institute, part of FEMA’s U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).
“The goal of the IMT training program is to develop state and regional teams to function under the National Incident Management System during a large incident or a major event,” said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response. “This training is important for those emergency response leaders who will function in an incident management role in and around the nation’s capital.”
The National Capital Region’s IMT is comprised of 40 senior fire, emergency medical system, and law enforcement officials from 11 jurisdictions in the Washington metropolitan area. The team’s role is to support a local jurisdiction and/or agency in managing large or complex emergency incidents or events. The team would provide support in such areas as operations, planning, resource and administration. The team may also be involved in the preparedness planning for mass gathering events in the Washington area.
Following the seven-day course, the IMT members will receive position-specific training for the individual functions they will perform at an incident, and will be work with seasoned incident management personnel at major national incidents (such as wildland fires or other disasters) to gain hands-on experience.
For more information about USFA’s IMT training program, visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/incident/imt-roadmap.shtm.
