NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing...

D&D Larix, LLC

20 February 2015

NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System Faculty Guide: Principal, Administrator & Coordinator William E. Schlosser, Ph.D. D&D Larix, LLC

NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System: Principal, Administrator & Coordinator Guide D&D Larix, LLC

© D&D Larix, LLC, 2015 Issue Date: February 20, 2015 Author: William E. Schlosser, Ph.D. Document Status: 20150220

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................................... i

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1

Key features of NIMS .............................................................................................................................................. 1

Incident Command System (ICS): ....................................................................................................................... 1 Communications and Information Management: .............................................................................................. 1 Preparedness: ..................................................................................................................................................... 1 Joint Information System (JIS): ........................................................................................................................... 1 NIMS Integration Center (NIC): .......................................................................................................................... 2

Resources for Learning ................................................................................................................................... 2

Emergency Management Institute & NIMS ........................................................................................................... 2

National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) ..................................................................................................... 2

American Red Cross (ARC) First Aid, CPR and AED Training ................................................................................... 3

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) .............................................................................................. 3

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ................................................................................................ 3

Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) .............................................................................................................. 3

COMET at University Corporation of Atmospheric Research ................................................................................. 4

Interagency Aviation Training (IAT) ........................................................................................................................ 4

Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) ..................................................................................................................... 4

National Association for Search & Rescue (NASAR) ............................................................................................... 4

National Fire Academy (NFA) of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) .................................................................... 5

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) .......................................................................................................... 5

Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) ........................................................................................... 5

Office of Emergency Management (OEM) ............................................................................................................. 6

On-site Classes .................................................................................................................................................... 6 Tabletop Exercises, Drills, and Scenario ............................................................................................................. 6

Resource Typing Library Tool (RTLT) ...................................................................................................................... 6

Design of the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System Platform ............................................................ 7

Access to the Internet Site ..................................................................................................................................... 8

Structure of the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System Platform ............................................................ 8

NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System Profile Hierarchy ..................................................................... 9 Program Organization ........................................................................................................................................ 9 Faculty & Student Roles ...................................................................................................................................10 All Users Have a Principal – even Faculty .........................................................................................................10

Security .................................................................................................................................................................10

NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System Dashboard ............................................................................ 11

Home ....................................................................................................................................................................11

D&D Larix, LLC NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System: Principal, Administrator & Coordinator Guide

Issue Date: February 20, 2015 © D&D Larix, LLC, 2015

Document Status: 20150220 Author: William E. Schlosser, Ph.D.

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Transcripts: Documenting Lessons Learned .........................................................................................................11

NIMS Coordinator .............................................................................................................................................12

Learning Plan ........................................................................................................................................................12

User Viewing .....................................................................................................................................................12 Available Courses .............................................................................................................................................13

Course Providers:..........................................................................................................................................13

Curriculum Groups ...........................................................................................................................................14

Within NIMS .................................................................................................................................................15

Within COMET ..............................................................................................................................................15

Within IAT .....................................................................................................................................................15

Within NFA & NFPA ......................................................................................................................................15

Within NWCG ...............................................................................................................................................15

Within OEM ..................................................................................................................................................15

Within RTLT...................................................................................................................................................16

Progressing Forward .....................................................................................................................................18

Learning Plan Report ........................................................................................................................................20

My Admin .............................................................................................................................................................21

My Students ..........................................................................................................................................................21

Users .....................................................................................................................................................................22

For Principals ....................................................................................................................................................23 For Administrators ............................................................................................................................................23 For Coordinator ................................................................................................................................................23

Courses .................................................................................................................................................................24

Divisions ................................................................................................................................................................25

Communities.........................................................................................................................................................26

Examination Completion is an individual effort ............................................................................................. 27

Initiating Participation ................................................................................................................................. 27



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INTRODUCTION “To be prepared is to think beyond the immediate”

The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System is a Subscription service with the built-in structure for efficient data management created for Emergency responders of any administrative or structural level. It is arranged in easily developed formats accessible over secure Internet protocols. The design of the software streamlines cumbersome processes to track expansive collections of first-responder training profiles and identifies an appropriate competency level for an emergency response effort. Implementation relies on a hierarchy of personal responsibilities: NIMS Coordinator works with NIMS Administrators to define the scope and range of resources and capabilities for the jurisdiction – NIMS Coordinator works closely with Principals to establish guiding training strategies and priorities – Students and Principals develop Learning Plans that Students engage – Principals verify their Student’s successful course completion or participation in exercise events – Student accreditation is promoted to Transcripts compiled for rapid access by authorized Users.

The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) approach allows Subscribers access to the program from any computer device with internet connection and a browser to navigate individual training records compiled for the organization, easily retrievable from an office desktop portal, Smart Phone, or a tablet’s wireless connection as needed.

Training courses and acquired capabilities are documented in full compliance with the National Response Framework for Incident Management policies. Student Transcripts become part of the Client’s preparedness profile and are incorporated into reports submitted to FEMA and other organizations.

The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program makes it possible to assemble jurisdiction training profiles in minutes/hours instead of weeks/months.

Key features of NIMS

Incident Command System (ICS) : NIMS establishes ICS as a standard incident management organization with five functional areas – command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance/administration – for management of all major incidents. To ensure further coordination, and for incidents involving multiple jurisdictions or agencies, the principle of unified command has been universally incorporated into NIMS. This unified command not only coordinates the efforts of many jurisdictions, but provides for and assures joint decisions on objectives, strategies, plans, priorities, and public communications.

Communications and Information Management : Standardized communications during an incident are essential and NIMS prescribes inter-operable communication systems for both incident and information management. Responders and managers across all agencies and jurisdictions must have a common operating picture for a more efficient and effective incident response.

Preparedness: Preparedness incorporates a range of measures, actions, and processes accomplished before an incident happens. NIMS preparedness measures include planning, training, exercises, qualification and certification, equipment acquisition and certification, and publication management. All of these serve to ensure that pre-incident actions are standardized and consistent with a mutually agreed doctrine. NIMS further places emphasis on mitigation activities to enhance preparedness. Mitigation includes public education and outreach, structural modifications to lessen the loss of life or destruction of property, code enforcement in support of zoning rules, land management, and building codes, and flood insurance.

Joint Information System (JIS) : NIMS organizational measures enhance the public communication effort. The Joint Information System provides the public with timely and accurate incident information and unified public messages. This system employs Joint Information Centers (JIC) and brings incident communicators together during an incident to develop, coordinate, and deliver a unified message. This will ensure that tribal, federal, state, and local levels of government are releasing the same information during an incident.




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NIMS Integration Center (NIC) : To ensure that NIMS remains an accurate and effective management tool, the NIC was established by the Secretary of Homeland Security to assess proposed changes to NIMS, capture, and evaluate lessons learned, and employ best practices. The NIC provides strategic direction and oversight of the NIMS, supporting both routine maintenance and continuous refinement of the system and its components over the long term. The NIC develops and facilitates national standards for NIMS education and training, first responder communications and equipment, typing of resources, qualification and credentialing of incident management and responder personnel, and standardization of equipment maintenance and resources. The NIC will continue to use the collaborative process of federal, state, tribal, local, multi-discipline and private authorities to assess prospective changes and assure continuity and accuracy.

RESOURCES FOR LEARNING NIMS is based on establishing responder qualifications and credentialing of incident management and responder personnel. D&D Larix Clients have adopted NIMS protocols to establish uniform management organization that work efficiently with neighboring jurisdictions and within the realm of the Client’s Jurisdiction.

Students within the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform include staff members and community members of the Client’s Jurisdiction. When an emergency happens, it is incumbent on responsive and trained people to work together to protect lives, structures, and begin recovery efforts. The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform helps people organize how to best accomplish these tasks.

Emergency Management Institute & NIMS

The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) offers self-paced courses designed for people who have emergency management responsibilities and the general public. All are offered free-of-charge to those who qualify for enrollment. EMI replaced its Incident Command System (ICS) curricula with courses that meet the requirements specified in the National Incident Management System (NIMS). EMI developed the new courses collaboratively with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), the United States Fire Administration, and the United States Departments of Agriculture and Interior.

http://training.fema.gov/EMI/

FEMA’s Independent Study Program offers courses that support the nine mission areas identified by the National Preparedness Goal.

Incident Management

Operational Planning

Disaster Logistics

Emergency Communications

Service to Disaster Victims

Continuity Programs

Public Disaster Communications

Integrated Preparedness

Hazard Mitigation

The Emergency Management Institute offers classes in an Independent Study environment as well as in classroom style instruction. The Independent Study classes are offered online:

http://training.fema.gov/IS/

Independent Study classes are free, and Certificates of Completion are provided to students who pass a written exam online after taking each course. Instructions are given with each class students take.

National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG)

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) is made up of the USDA Forest Service; four Department of the Interior agencies: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS); and State forestry agencies through the National Association of State Foresters. The purpose of NWCG is to coordinate programs of the participating wildfire management agencies so as to avoid wasteful duplication and to provide a means of constructively working together. Its goal

http://training.fema.gov/EMI/

http://training.fema.gov/IS/



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is to provide more effective execution of each agency’s fire management program. The group provides a system of standards on training, equipment, qualifications, and other operational functions.

The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program includes current courses used within the NWCG and the Red Card coordination program. Some of the NIMS courses are cross-listed with the NWCG courses, but these specific cross-listings are few. Students working in wildfire management will find the NWCG courses are suited to many multi-hazard scenarios. Conversely, NIMS students will find utility in the NWCG courses while working with NWCG participants.

The NWCG web site is: http://www.nwcg.gov/

American Red Cross (ARC) First Aid, CPR and AED Training

The American Red Cross offers a wide variety of classes that meet the needs of the general public, workplaces, schools and organizations. A range of courses include First Aid, CPR and AED training. Many courses are developed for emergency responders and assist jurisdictions, agencies, and cooperators to develop federally required training for worker safety. FEMA has incorporated several ARC classes into the credentialing network. The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform includes several ARC courses, and more will be added as they become available.

The ARC course web site is: http://www.redcross.org/take-a-class

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

ASTM Training and E-Learning Courses are high-quality, award-winning continuing technical education programs for industry and government. The courses prepared by ASTM are referenced across the country as Standards and Endorsements relevant to emergency responders, search and rescue teams, and equipment performance standards. FEMA references their training as a component of several recently released Credentialing standards for emergency response professionals. Their courses are included in the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform and integrated into credentialing services as appropriate. Other course providers included in this discussion report expected time commitments for taking listed classes. ASTM does not provide expected time commitments with their courses.

The ASTM web site is: http://www.astm.org/TRAIN/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The CDC works to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and domestic. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same. The Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) program offers both in-person and online training. The CERC training program focuses on the principles and application of crisis and emergency risk communication when responding to a public health emergency. Public information officers, public health responders, leaders, and others who may communicate in local, state, and national responses have used CERC principles. The training program draws from lessons learned during public health emergencies and incorporates practices from the fields of risk and crisis communication.

CDC courses are managed through the Public Health Foundation and the TRAIN National Team:

https://www.train.org/DesktopShell.aspx

Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP)

The CDP’s interdisciplinary resident and non-resident training courses promote greater understanding among the following diverse responder disciplines: Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Service, Governmental Administrative, Hazardous Materials, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Public Health, Public Safety Communications, and Public Works. At the Chemical, Ordnance, Biological and Radiological Training Facility

http://www.nwcg.gov/

http://www.redcross.org/take-a-class

http://www.astm.org/TRAIN/index.html

https://www.train.org/DesktopShell.aspx




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(COBRATF), the CDP offers the only program in the nation featuring civilian training exercises in a true toxic environment, using chemical agents and biological materials.

The CDP web site is: https://cdp.dhs.gov/

COMET at University Corporation of Atmospheric Research

The COMET® Program is a worldwide leader in support of education and training for environmental sciences, delivering scientifically relevant and instructionally progressive products and services. The COMET® Program has produced educational materials since 1989. The MetEd website, one of COMET's primary undertakings, hosts hundreds of hours of education and training material for the geosciences, with several training sets including Emergency Management, Fire Weather, Tropical/Hurricanes, and many more. Several COMET online training courses are integrated into the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform.

The COMET training website is: https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_detail.php

Interagency Aviation Training (IAT)

The National Interagency Aviation Committee (NIAC) is a joint operation by the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, and National Association of State Foresters. Training standards and operational practices are designed for operational safety, consistency, and reliability in normal operations such as support Wildland fire and prescribed fire operations, disaster response, habitat management, law enforcement, search and rescue, and other uses related to public land and resource management. Mission requirements for types of aircraft include helicopters, Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATS), air tactical aircraft, utility aircraft, Aerial Supervision Modules (ASM1), heavy air tankers smokejumper aircraft and large transport aircraft.

Training standards include pilot and crew instructions. Courses and curriculum groups have been integrated into the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform.

The IAT website is: http://www.iat.gov/

Mountain Rescue Association (MRA)

One of the primary missions of the Mountain Rescue Association is to provide training and education. Their goals include both making members better rescuers, and educating the general public through mountain safety education. FEMA has included the resources of MRA as core components of Search & Rescue preparedness for first responders. Several courses and specific publications by the organization are offered online. One of their core programs is called “MRA 105.1 National Personnel Policy Guidelines”. This course is specifically identified by FEMA as a core competency for emergency responders during Search & Rescue events in mountainous and fast-water environments.

Several MRA courses are listed in the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform. Most courses are offered by regional team members, and on an “as-requested” basis.

The MRA website is: http://www.mra.org/training-education

National Association for Search & Rescue (NASAR)

NASAR is an education association comprised of thousands of dedicated paid and nonpaid personnel - all active or interested in search and rescue, disaster aid, emergency medicine and awareness education. They are a self-supporting, non-profit association acting as the country's admirable servant in furthering the advancement of professional, literary and scientific knowledge and training in these fields. They are interested in all aspects of search and rescue - the humanitarian cause of saving lives - throughout the United States and around the world.

https://cdp.dhs.gov/

https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_detail.php

http://www.iat.gov/

http://www.mra.org/training-education



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Response to persons in distress has long been an honorable, charitable tradition. The professionals in search and rescue have carried on this tradition of helping others by dedicating time, information, skills, equipment and funding to the relief of suffering. They are actively working toward the development of improved coordination and communications among federal, state, local and volunteer groups. The primary goal is to aid in the implementation of total, integrated emergency response, rescue and recovery system.

NASAR courses have been identified by FEMA as critical for search & rescue personnel and their host organizations. Many NASAR courses are integrated into the FEMA credentialing system. Over 30 NASAR courses are listed in the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System Program.

The NASAR website is: http://www.nasar.org/page/20/Courses-and-Certifications

National Fire Academy (NFA) of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA)

National Fire Academy (NFA) courses are delivered online, at their campus in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and throughout the nation in cooperation with state and local fire training organizations and local colleges and universities. Free courses target middle- and top-level fire officers, fire service instructors, technical professionals, and representatives from allied professions. Any person with substantial involvement in fire prevention and control, emergency medical services, or fire-related emergency management activities may apply for NFA course enrolment.

The NFA profile is widely accepted by local, state and federal agencies as the core provider of appropriate and relevant standards and training for fire department responders. Their courses are placed highly within FEMA’s national credentialing system for appropriate training and skills development. Over 250 NFA courses are included in the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System databases and available for addition to Student Learning Plans.

The NFA website is: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/training/nfa/courses/

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

The mission of the international non-profit NFPA, established in 1896, is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. The world's leading advocate of fire prevention and an authoritative source on public safety, NFPA develops, publishes, and disseminates more than 300 consensus codes and standards intended to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks.

The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System database includes over 375 training courses and qualification standards published by NFPA and listed by FEMA for credentialing purposes.

The NFPA website is: http://www.nfpa.org/

Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)

OSHA offers a wide selection of training courses and educational programs to help broaden worker and employer knowledge on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of safety and health hazards in their workplaces. OSHA also offers training and educational materials that help businesses train their workers and comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

OSHA website pages reference training courses, educational programs, and training materials and resources that are administered by the OSHA Directorate of Training and Education. Over 50 OSHA courses are pertinent to emergency responders and disaster relief workers in the realm of a hazardous workplace. Well-known training such as the HAZWOPER course are combined with confined space entry permitting and respiratory protection protocols enforced by OSHA and integrated by FEMA into the emergency responder credentialing system.

The OSHA website is located at: https://www.osha.gov/dte/index.html

http://www.nasar.org/page/20/Courses-and-Certifications

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/training/nfa/courses/

http://www.nfpa.org/

https://www.osha.gov/dte/index.html




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Office of Emergency Management (OEM)

Jurisdictions, Agencies, and Cooperators work together during emergency response incidents. Entrance into the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform is made by each organization to track the preparedness of people and teams for interoperability of incident command and responsibilities. The OEM label is applied to the organizing group leading the organization’s entrance into the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System.

The OEM may be an actual office of the city, county, tribe, or state, or it might be the lands department of an agency, or a tactical leadership group of a private company. This is generally the group arranging local Tabletop Exercises, Drills, and Scenario for team members, and is the group tasked with tracking training and capabilities.

These integral components of a preparedness profile are incorporated into the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform to document efforts by the team and participation of each responder.

The FEMA proposed credentialing system identifies several emergency responder criteria best confirmed by the local organization. These include years of service providing specific job assignments (Position Task Books), annual physical examination confirmation, annual fitness for work confirmation, and licensing or certification for a variety of state-regulated services. These confirmations are placed into the realm of the OEM to confirm and advance into federal credentialing criteria.

On-site Classes

Instructional classes of the NIMS and EMI are offered by FEMA certified trainers through classroom settings. Often, classes taught on-site use the same materials as the student would be exposed to in the Independent Study classes (such as the ICS-100, Introduction to Incident Command). However, Instructor delivered classroom courses are often more valued by graduates: interactions, discussions, and exercises are incorporated into “live” classroom settings – not available to online students.

Not all classes in classroom settings are offered online through the Independent Study website. Some courses, such as G300 “Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents” are only offered through classroom settings, led by qualified instructors.

Participants of the on-site classes take an exam and the graduates are given a Certificate of Completion for the course with the student’s name, class number, class title, and date of completion: these are linked to the content provider’s criteria, but offered locally.

Tabletop Exercises, Dr i l ls , and Scenario

Tabletop training exercises are led by qualified instructors who prepare a group to deal with evolving incidents. Some of these incidents might be an accident blocking a road, a kidnapping event, bus crash, plane crash, flood event, or any of hundreds of scenarios. The training exercises are designed to get a team familiar with working together in emergency situations so that when the need is real, the responders can effectively respond to the event.

Responders in Tabletop Exercises and Drills are often given a certificate of participation for their efforts. The events can be integrated into a Jurisdiction’s NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System profile giving scalability and robust tracking of local training events and the participation by team members. These events are generally recorded within an OEM (Office of Emergency Management) course provider series.

Resource Typing Library Tool (RTLT)

The RTLT framework is an online catalogue of national resource typing definitions and position qualifications provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Integration Center (NIC). As of the date of this NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System User Guide, the RTLT site lists several credentials as completed, with others still in development.



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The RTLT lists core courses as requirements for listed credentials (e.g., ICS-100 & ICS-200) and others as selections between options (e.g., NFPA 472 HazMat Operations and/or OSHA 1910.120 HazMat Operations Training or equivalent basic instruction on responding to and operating in a CBRNE incident). Other requirements are at the discretion of the Authority Hazing Jurisdiction (AHJ) such as medical and physical preparedness of the individual responders.

It appears that several criteria will be updated as the RTLT service matures, and new position descriptions are added. The goal of the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform is to integrate these expectations into a unified system for users as training profiles are assembled for each responder and the emergency response team. In the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform, Students and Principals can select the Curriculum Group courses provided on a Learning Plan Screen from the RTLT Course Provider. The program will add all missing courses from a Student’s profile, but it is incumbent on participants to review current expectations and identify options they wish to take as appropriate.

The RTLT website is: https://rtlt.ptaccenter.org/Public/

DESIGN OF THE NIMS TRAINING TRACKER & CREDENTIALING SYSTEM PLATFORM The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform is designed to create the missing link connecting abundant educational materials on emergency situations in different formats, with people who are using the materials for training to become dedicated responders to these events at any administrative or structural level. The core of the program is Learning Plans/Transcripts compiled by individuals/Students to get access to the information on available training programs, stored in the internet accessible secure database, to integrate new knowledge and practical skills into records about their emergency response capabilities. Learning Plans/Transcripts are created with guidance from the subscription’s leadership. An element of discipline is required at the start: all reporting routes built into the program need to be “walked” diligently: obeying rules becomes a “must” for each player on the team. New individual knowledge and easy logistics of the program for accepted leaders/Principals in navigating Learning Plans/Transcripts become integrated, taking the entire response team effort to a higher level of preparedness. A structurally resilient squad – tailored to a specific emergency event – is formed to act as a single team or as part of a larger assembly including other Jurisdictions, specialists, contractors, and support personnel from the local area, region, or the nation.

The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program assembles Transcripts by individual emergency responder personnel into verified records of capabilities at any level of response. Easy and rapid database access allows authorized administrative and incident command staff to evaluate necessary personnel capabilities for emergency response duties.

The remainder of this guide provides instructions for use of the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System software. Subscriptions to the software service create sequestered accounts that can be updated, maintained, and implemented. As Subscription accounts are managed, only users authorized by the Subscription holder and D&D Larix staff will have access to the information contained in this service.

https://rtlt.ptaccenter.org/Public/




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Access to the Internet Site

Access to the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System site is maintained as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution accessible from any computing device with an Internet browser (even a thin-client such as a Smart Phone or Tablet).

The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform is accessed through the internet: http://NIMS.Resource-Analysis.com

The “Organization” for this account is “Resource Analysis”

The site password: _______________ ←Letter case is critical: do not share this access data with others without prior permission from your NIMS Coordinator or NIMS Administrator.

Once Resource Analysis access is allowed, users can enter their e-mail address and complex password. Users that do not have an account can click the button, complete the survey form (pictured to the left). Users must use their active e-mail address. The e-mail address is the only way the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program can provide feedback to authorized users. The capitalization used when identifying the e-mail address must match when logging into the system: “[email protected]”

is not the same as “[email protected]”. This is one level of security maintained through the program. Do not share your access credentials with other people.

Acceptable passwords are complex collections that possess all these criteria:

At least one capital letter

At least one lower case letter

At least one number

At least one special character (!@#$%^&*?/><[]{}|\=-_)

At least 8 total characters (more is better)

No spaces

Complete all fields and click . The new account can immediately be used to log into the site.

New users will have a Principal assigned to them, determined by the Division where the staff member works. Community members who are not employees of the Client will be assigned a Principal based on the Community they live in. The community members who participate in this program become part of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). All of the FEMA identified CERT training modules are included in the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program.

Structure of the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System Platform

The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform creates an interface for the Student and Principal to use in order to:

1. Create a Learning Plan needed to establish the basic core of emergency response and preparedness courses, plus additional Incident Command classes beneficial to the student and the organization.

2. Verify successful completion of Learning Plan courses by an assigned Principal (usually by the Student providing the Certificate of Completion to the Principal).

3. Move the completed courses, when verified, automatically to the Student’s Transcript section.

Once in the Student’s Transcript, completed courses can be viewed by team members within the Subscription to the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program. Often, Students will seek assistance on courses, or

http://nims.resource-analysis.com/

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



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ask questions of others who have completed specific coursework. Authorized users can compile an entire Jurisdiction’s preparedness profile and use it when preparing compliance reports or conducting readiness activities.

NIMS Training Tracker & Credential ing System Profi le Hierarchy

The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program is designed with a “double verification protocol” to confirm course completion by all participants. Each Student has a Principal. Principals work with the subscription’s NIMS Coordinator. NIMS Administrators are the Organization’s representatives providing continuity with organizational directives, financial commitments, and employee administration. Each Administrator has full access to view all Student Learning Plans and Transcripts within their purview. NIMS Coordinator(s) work(s) with Principals to develop a broad range of training profiles. The Administrator(s) are responsible to arrange policies: which courses can be taken using work time, and which cannot. All Students should check with the responsible Principal, NIMS Administrator, or NIMS Coordinator to verify these policies.

Program Organization

The NIMS Principals, NIMS Administrators, and the NIMS Coordinator (Faculty) have been given higher privileges than Student users to this site. The Student user can see the Home, Transcript, Learning Plan, and My Admin menus on the site’s Dashboard. The other menu items are hidden to Students, but available for NIMS Faculty members.

The NIMS Coordinator is the highest ranking person, or people, entering the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program. The NIMS Coordinator is not necessarily the highest ranking person in the organization: this person is responsible for maintaining policies and reporting about emergency response preparedness. The NIMS Coordinator is the point person who takes responsibility for a) the accuracy of data, b) policies used for reporting, and c) who maintains information in support the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program’s data.

The NIMS Coordinator is also the only client representative who is authorized to perform certain tasks within the program, and is the lead person who will contact D&D Larix administration for program questions, amendment requests, and assistance.

NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System

Courses from 13 providers

Double Verification Protocols

Curriculum Group

Courses

Coordination

Coordinator Full Access

Administrator View Only

NIMS Principal

Student Student Student Student




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Faculty & Student Roles

All Users Have a Princ ipal – even Faculty

NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System does not allow Faculty to “self-administer” their own Learning Plan. Everyone must use another qualified Principal or Coordinator to do the Principal duties for their personal profile. Two Users cannot “swap responsibilities” while administering profiles; if Faculty #1 is a Principal for Faculty #2, Faculty #2 cannot reciprocate by being Principal for Faculty #1. They must involve another Principal in the arrangement. Faculty #1 can be Principal for Faculty #2, Faculty #2 can be Principal for Faculty #3, and Faculty #3 can be Principal for Faculty #1.

Daisy Chain of Principal Responsibilities:

Any Faculty member can be Principal for another Faculty member, but verification arrangements for Learning Plans cannot be swapped. Involve three or

more Faculty in the Principal arrangements. Responsibilities are enforced in the NIMS Training

Tracker & Credentialing System program.

Throughout this guide all authorized Users of the program are referred to as a “Student”, “Staff”, or simply “Users”. Faculty members administer duties of verification, policies, and reporting; Faculty members are Students as well – with additional responsibilities in the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System Program. Labels given within this program are not intended to migrate to incident response events: when an emergency happens the most qualified Incident Commander in charge directs responsibilities.

Security

Data within the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program are accessible by authorized Users with editing abilities based on User credentials. The program is not accessible by unauthorized users and the data within each subscription are not accessible to users of other NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System subscriptions, or to the general “Internet Population”.

By implementing a “two-factor verification” protocol, people entering the site will a) select the account they are authorized to enter, b) provide a Subscription password, c) progress to the second access screen, type their User ID, and provide their unique complex password. When credentials are verified and the site is entered, several

NIMS Coordinator

NIMS Administrator

Principals

Students

•Oversees implementaion of emergency response and preparedness training programs

•Provides oversight and coordination to ensure administrative consistency

•Works with Students to create Learning Plans and verify successful course completion

•People building credentials in emergency response and incident command



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added security measures are implemented including a Session Idle Timer which disconnects the idle session when a User has not activated requests to any part of the website for 30 minutes. Browser requests for “refresh” or changing a screen before the session is timed-out are sufficient to reset the Idle Timer.

As a standard operating procedure, it is advisable to “Log Out” when sessions are done, and do not leave the program running on an unsupervised computer. We request all users of the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program to reset their password not less frequently than quarterly and never share passwords and access credentials with anyone. Each User account in the program is provided to one individual person – the access accounts cannot be shared.

Although no personal banking data, Social Security Numbers, or financial information are associated with NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System accounts, security is important within the program. The collection of names and e-mail addresses is a low security breach risk, but we strive to maintain confidentiality of these data. The Learning Plan and Transcript data associated with each user are the driving forces behind the security implemented in the program: to protect the data, its verification, accuracy, and completeness. Unauthorized access can compromise data and “make it public” for the entire subscription.

It is critical that each user respect the security protocols established while alerting Faculty if a breach is seen. System security breaches may result in a closure of the Subscription until corrective measures are implemented. Security is built into the system, but each User carries responsibility to maintain it.

NIMS TRAINING TRACKER & CREDENTIALING SYSTEM DASHBOARD Below the identification header of the program, is a row of labels giving the User the ability to access features. The available labels are different based on User credentials. The remainder of this document guides the reader through the system of operations.

Home

The Home menu is accessed from the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System dashboard and gives general information about the National Incident Management System (NIMS) program. The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program extends beyond just FEMA associated classes to include fifteen course provider options, and other courses offered by groups and from locally delivered training programs (e.g., Tabletop Exercises).

Below the graphic of the Jurisdiction on the upper-left side of the screen, based on User credentials either one or two hyperlinks labelled “Student Guide” and “Faculty Guide” will be seen. The Faculty Guide is available only to Faculty. The Student Guide can be opened by any authorized user. These guides can be saved locally on the user’s machine or accessed each time the information is needed.

Transcripts: Documenting Lessons Learned

Transcripts are one of the primary reporting deliverables created by the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform. Transcripts are a collection of each User’s Learning Plan classes which are completed and verified. One important aspect of the transcript for each participant is the degree of verification enacted for the records as they move from a Learning Plan to a Transcript.

1) A class is identified and agreed by a Student and their Principal, 2) The Student completes the course and passes the class, 3) The Student enters the date of completion in the program, 4) The Student provides the Certificate of Completion to their Principal, 5) The Principal verifies successful completion of the class, 6) The Student’s Transcript in the program is documented immediately.




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The full list of Student Transcripts demonstrates compliance for the Department of Homeland Security and reporting within the client’s organization. More important, the assembled Transcripts provide a measure of the jurisdiction’s readiness for emergency response events. By studying Student Transcripts reviewers can identify and understand gaps in preparedness and redundancy in capabilities.

When the Transcripts menu is accessed, the user will see the “Select User:” option automatically set to their personal transcript record. When the pull-down menu is selected, all users in the profile are listed, and any name can be selected. When the desired User name is chosen, the button is clicked to activate the request. The screen reports the selected User’s name, their Principal, Division, Community, and all completed and verified courses (from all course providers).

The data for the designated User will be displayed, including their completed and verified classes. Below the user’s personal information and above the transcript is a hyperlink “Download Transcript”. When selected, this generates a *.csv (comma-separated values) file for downloading to the active User’s device. This file-type can be opened with any spreadsheet, database, or text editor program. This feature allows a date-verified confirmation of each user’s transcript records. Any authorized User can view all User Transcripts in the subscription and individually download each User’s Transcript as a *.csv file.

NIMS Coordinator

The NIMS Coordinator has an added feature on the Transcripts page: “Download All User Transcripts”. When selected, the NIMS Coordinator will receive a *.csv file with all completed transcripts for all students in the Subscription. This file is one of the most insightful collections of first responder verified training capabilities. It can be opened in a spreadsheet or database program: columns and names can be sorted and grouped by communities or work Divisions. There is no lag time between Principal verified course completion and migration to Transcript records.

The NIMS Coordinator is the only User type that can pull the entire jurisdiction’s Transcript records as one *.csv file.

Learning Plan

The Learning Plan menu item is where all pending class assignments are assembled. The appearance of the Learning Plan page is similar to the Transcripts page. The Learning Plan menu is where most Users will visit each time when entering the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System site.

The User’s view on this page depends on the User’s Credentials:

Student users will only see the option of viewing his or her own Learning Plan. Individual Students cannot view the pending Learning Plan records for other Students.

Principals can only see the proposed Learning Plan records for themselves and “their Students”, concur on course selections for their Students, and verify successful course completion for their Students.

Administrators can see the Learning Plans for all Students within their Division but they cannot overwrite the duties of the Principal or make changes to Student Learning Plan selections.

Coordinators can see all Learning Plans for all Students in the Subscription. o The Coordinator can substitute for Principals to propose/agree on course selections, enter

Student course completion dates, and verify course completion records. o The Coordinator can “Download Pending Classes” for all Students: more on that below.

User Viewing

While on this page Students will see their “Name:” listed near the top of the screen. All of the remaining data presented on this screen is about the Student’s Principal, Division, Community, and selected Learning Plan classes. Students can add classes, delete them, or update their Learning Plan agenda on this screen.



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NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System Faculty will see the top report item as “Select User:” (instead of “Name:”) initially showing the name of the Faculty member logged into the program displayed in a pull-down menu. When the menu is selected, the list shows all Students the Faculty member is authorized to review. After the name is selected, the Faculty member will click the adjacent button and the screen will be refreshed with the data requested.

Available Courses

Proposed Learning Plan classes can be selected from a pull-down list on this page (see image below). These lists include over 2,500 classes.

Course Providers:

ARC: American Red Cross First Aid, CPR and AED Training

ASTM: American Society for Testing and Materials

CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, through the Public Health Foundation and the TRAIN National Team

CDP: Center for Domestic Preparedness

COMET: MetEd at University Corporation of Atmospheric Research

IAT: Interagency Aviation Training

MRA: Mountain Rescue Association

NASAR: National Association for Search & Rescue

NFA: National Fire Academy of the U.S. Fire Administration

NFPA: National Fire Protection Association

NIMS: National Incident Management System - Emergency Management Institute

NWCG: National Wildfire Coordinating Group

OSHA: Occupational Safety & Health Administration

OEM: Office of Emergency Management - locally delivered drills & exercises

RTLT: Resource Typing Library Tool - Personnel Training - An online catalogue of national resource typing definitions and position qualifications provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Integration Center (NIC).

The menu item next to “Choose Course Provider” includes each provider listed above. When an option is selected on this menu, the lower “Available Courses:” list will automatically update. By selecting the “Available Courses:” pull-down menu, the classes can be scrolled to locate a course and select it. After course selection the

User will click the button to add the class to the Learning Plan for the selected User.




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The Course list on this pull-down menu may be quite long, but if the User knows the “type of class” (B, E, G, IS, L, K), the operator can click on the pull-down menu arrow () and type the first few characters of the course number to jump to the first matching occurrence (if the class is an Independent Study course, type “IS-” and the menu will jump to the first instance of Independent Study Courses). Type “IS-0100” and the “Introduction to the Incident Command System, ICS-100” will be selected. The student can scroll and select a course from the pull-down menu and click . Courses already added to the Student’s Learning Plan, or included in the Transcript classes for the Student, will not appear on this pull-down menu in order to avoid course duplication confusion. They will reappear when viewing the list for a Student without the class.

Students, Principals, and the Coordinator can add as many classes to a Student’s Learning Plan as desired. If a Course is determined to be unnecessary after it is added, authorized users can click “Remove” to take it away from the Student’s Learning Plan agenda.

It is important to remember that once class selections are made, when a check box is filled ( ), or when a completion date is entered, the User must click the button at the bottom of the page. More is

presented on this topic in this section, but remember: click the button whenever a change is made on this screen or forfeit the changes.

Curriculum Groups

Curriculum Group courses combine courses from one, or several providers into a collection of training events to build a robust training platform for a certain topic. These may be in the form of classes to achieve a basic level of understanding for incident command, or for advanced skills related to a certain credential.

Curriculum Group selections are made from the Learning Plan screen to be applied to a Student’s agenda. As with all courses added to Student agendas, the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program will only apply the courses needed by the Student to fulfil the Curriculum Group assembly. Not all course providers have Curriculum Group packages associated with them. The providers with Curriculum Group selections are discussed below.

The NIMS Coordinator can request new Curriculum Group combinations for use within the subscription. The request should be written in an e-mail listing the providers (e.g., NIMS, NWCG, ARC, OEM), the course numbers,



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and the new name for each Curriculum Group. These are generally added within a day of the request and become available for all users.

Within NIMS

Curriculum Groups are created from the NIMS provider to give Students a group of courses for basic levels of NIMS compliance. NIMS courses for Awareness, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, OEM Staff Level NIMS, and a Professional Development Series include a few to several courses often recommended to be taken together to achieve training goals. Emergency Support Function (ESF) courses are 15 separate NIMS course groups consistent with Students who will be responsible for implementing emergency support services for specific hazard response obligations (e.g., Energy, Public Works, Search and Rescue).

When one of these Curriculum Group selections is made, and the button is clicked, the collection of courses will be added “en masse” to the Student’s Learning Plan.

Within COMET

COMET courses provide online training for Students who are not specifically trained in environmental science disciplines. These courses are not currently required for NIMS related credentialing purposes. COMET courses provide students with a better understanding of weather, oceanography, geology, meteorology, flooding and related incidents. These courses help to explain how disaster events initiate, progress, and impact people, structures, infrastructure, and the environment. Most courses from COMET are offered in an online format.

Several Curriculum Group selections are available within this curriculum set to bundle topic specific training offered through COMET.

Within IAT

Interagency Aviation Training is a collection of US government departments, mostly within Interior and Agriculture. About 15 Curriculum Group collections are included in the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform, with 100 individual courses under this label. The RTLT consortium has attached several courses from this collection, mostly for Search & Rescue with aviation purposes.

Within NFA & NFPA

Courses from the National Fire Academy of the U.S. Fire Administration, and the National Fire Protection Association are widely integrated into RTLT Curriculum Groups. The NFPA collection includes courses specific to fire protection, mainly for structural defence. FEMA credentialing includes NFPA course completion for several titles. One course, “NFPA 1031”, is a collection of NFPA courses required for completion of the descriptive title. This specific title is referenced in NIMS credentialing requirements for several titles. Three Curriculum Groups are included within this provider’s series on the Learning Plan screen to add to Student Learning Plans.

Within NWCG

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group can be considered the predecessor of Homeland Security’s NIMS approach to incident command. Historically, NWCG has been based within the Departments of Interior and Agriculture (Bureau of Land Management & US Forest Service). NWCG and FEMA course materials are in the process of being unified into a common structure. Adoption and use of the NIMS training courses will enable the NWCG to align itself with the concepts and principles of the NIMS Training Program while focusing efforts more on maintaining wildland fire specific training.

Within OEM

The local Office of Emergency Management accepts several confirmation responsibilities from RTLT requirements. In addition, the OEM can schedule and confirm local training classes, exercises, drills, and other




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events. Generally, the OEM will not have separate Curriculum Group assemblies within this category, but can assemble courses within the title of listed providers.

Within RTLT

The RTLT series includes no specific courses maintained by this provider. The RTLT is a collection of credentials for equipment and people deployed on emergency events of all sizes. FEMA released credentialing criteria in 2014 and described them in the Resource Typing Library Tool online service. The criteria have been integrated into the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform. To select the Curriculum Group credentials, users navigate to the Learning Plan screen, select the desired Student by name, and choose the Course Provider “RTLT”. There is only one entry of a pseudo-class under this label to enable the collection of Curriculum Group selections. Use the Curriculum Group pull-down chevron (see image below) to select available credential sets.

The requirements listed for each position are specific in some situations (ICS-200), while in other situations the position requirements provide ambiguity such as “NFPA 472 Hazardous Materials Safety Officer or equivalent basic instruction on responding to and operating in a CBRNE incident”. Another example, from the same position credential training recommendation is, “First Responder, including AED and/or any additional training determined by the AHJ”. The imprecision of criteria specifics is interpreted by the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program to best match training components with listed credentialing needs.

The examples provided above are from the “HazMat Safety Officer” position, credential 4-509-1025. Within the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System platform, the course NFPA 472 is included as a training requirement. Also included is “CDP PER-260: Technical Emergency Response Training for CBRNE Incidents”, and “NFPA 0472 - Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents (Haz.Mat./WMD)”.

The cited credential also has requirement for “First Responder” training to include “NFA Q0462 - ICS-100 for First Responders” and “NFA Q0463 - ICS 200 for First Responders”. While redundant of the NIMS IS-100 and IS-200 courses, the emphasis on First Responder duties in the NFA courses may augment the training effort. The selection or removal of specific courses within each category with multiple options can be decided by the AHJ.

Several additional requirements in the RTLT credentials list have been translated into AHJ verifications. These include “years working in a setting commensurate with the mission assignment” and Certification, Registration, or Licensing in specialties consistent with the mission assignment. These are confirmed by the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System Principal (or Coordinator) to be documented within each Student’s transcript.



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As participants in the platform apply these Curriculum Groups for credentialing, we recommend that the RTLT website is visited to confirm the required versus recommended components. Students may find that previously completed courses held in their Transcript satisfy the credential, depreciating need for other course options. These can be “Removed” from the student’s Learning Plan agenda without compromising the compliance with credential requirements.

The courses added for each collection to the Student’s Learning Plan are based on credentials and a verification of existing Student Transcript records and courses in their Learning Plan agenda. Most credentials in this category pull courses from several providers, including confirmations of fitness for duty made by the Student’s Principal (annual physical, years in position, fingerprinting and background check), or verification of certification for certain duties (licensing).

Credentials are arranged by a leading number (e.g., 4-509-1023) assigned by the agency, followed by the title of the credential (e.g., HazMat Officer). The courses added to the Learning Plan (in this example) include 15 providers. Redundancy in the form of overlapping course provider options for similar courses, such as ICS-100 and ICS-200 offered by NIMS and NFA, give the Student and Principal the option to remove redundant courses or requirements.




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Progressing Forward

Selected courses are added to the Student’s learning plan but a few additional tasks need to be completed before the User leaves this page. Within each Course row four (4) input columns need attention by the Student and the Principal:

1. Student: this box should be clicked ( ) next to each class by the Student wanting to take the class (or accepting the class);

2. Principal: this box should be checked ( ) by the student’s Principal concurring with the selection of the class (or proposing it);

3. Date Completed: this box should be checked ( ) and the completion date of the course should be entered by the student (mm/dd/yyyy).

a. The student should provide the Principal with the signed Certificate of Completion for the course;

4. Verified: this should be clicked ( ) by the Principal once the authentic Certificate of Completion is confirmed.

Steps 1 & 2 can be completed to initiate course selection. Step 3 (Completion) cannot be entered unless both # 1 and #2 have been checked ( ). If step #3 is not completed (both criteria), step #4 cannot be entered and the Learning Plan class cannot progress to the completed Transcript. Each time a change is made on this page, the

button must be clicked to save the changes and alert the next person in the cycle of their responsibility for the task.



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Learning Plan Layout – Student

Each time a box is checked ( ), or the “Date Completed” is entered, and before leaving this page, the users should click on the button at the bottom of the page. When the button is clicked and there has been a change in the record, the “next person in the cycle” will receive an e-mail informing them that the records have been updated, and they are requested to take the next step.

Concurrence between the Student and the Principal must be confirmed with checked boxes ( ) below their positions before the Student can enter a “Date Completed” and check the accompanying box ( ). Courses can be identified by either the Student or the Principal, but concurrence between the two must be verified before the class completion is entered. Readers will notice, on the image shown above that IS-700 has been proposed by the Principal but not yet accepted by the Student (no check mark in the box in the Student column ). This class is not yet available for confirmation of course completion (greyed out Date Completed column).

These features becomes important if the organization has a policy to pay Student time for taking classes to insure that a Principal has approved the Student’s time allocation to the classes identified. The Remove link can be issued by an authorized user prior to completion to remove the class from the Learning Plan.




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Learning Plan Creation and Movement to Transcript

This process can start with either the Student or the Principal initiating the selection of the class. The Student scrolls through the options of classes and selects the ones he or she wants to take. Then the Principal approves the selection of classes, or offers additional classes. The other option is that the Principal selects the mix of classes for the Student, and the Student accepts the training program, or adds additional classes. In both cases,

the selection requires the boxes to be checked ( ) and the button to be clicked.

Each time the Learning Plan is updated by either the Student or the Principal, and the button is clicked, an e-mail is generated to alert the next person in the cycle of the update, as displayed above.

Use Caution: if the button is not clicked before exiting this page all changes entered by the User to

the Learning Plan will be lost.

Did everyone notice that the detail of the button was repeated about five times? Really, it is important to remember this little button and click it after making a change to the Learning Plan and before leaving the page.

Learning Plan Report

While on the Learning Plan page, the NIMS Coordinator will see a hyperlink “Download Pending Classes” for all Students in the Subscription (everyone). The Coordinator(s) is(are) the only User(s) who can access this command. This command will pull all of the records currently in Learning Plans for the Subscription and deliver them as a “ClassesNotAttended_yyyy-mm-dd” *.csv file.

This file shows the Course Provider, Course number, Title, the Name of each Student, and the Department they work in for each record. By sorting these records in the spreadsheet or database program of choice, the

Student Proposes

Class

Principal Approves

Class

Student Completes

Class

Principal Verifies Class Completion Class Moves

to Completed Transcript

Principal Proposes

Class

Student Accepts

Class



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Coordinator can quickly total the number of Students for each pending Course. This is a strategic planning tool (especially for cost management) when deciding options for sending Students away for training, or inviting an instructor to the Jurisdiction’s office to deliver it.

My Admin

While in the My Admin screen, all users can update their personal information. When these data are updated, the current complex password must be entered to confirm the changes made. These changes may include a change of Division, Community, or even Name. Permitted name changes include a surname change associated with marriage, divorce, a typing error, or other permitted name and e-mail address change. This feature should not be used to convey a Seat in the program to a new user. Students should check with their Coordinator to avoid confusion on this topic.

The Users can also change their password on this screen. We recommend every User to change their complex password no less frequently than quarterly. If the User has requested a new password ( ) the User must visit this page to update their password for the next entry into the program. The temporary passwords work only for one entry and expire within 24 hours after they are issued.

My Students

The My Students menu is only visible to Faculty: Students will not see this menu item. The primary users of this menu item are Principals: they can view Student names currently within their management responsibilities. This menu option is primarily informational, but other tools are provided here as well.

First, a Principal can ‘release’ any Student from their oversight making the Student in a position without a Principal by clicking the hyperlink “Remove”. While in this status, the Student’s records will remain valid in the program, but there will be no Principal to confirm course selections, completions, or provide verification. This feature facilitates a Student who migrates to a new department where they will receive a new Principal. It is used when a Principal changes employment and a new Principal takes the position. It can also be used to reallocate Principal duties between faculty as needed.




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Principals will also see the pull-down menu item “Available Users:” on this screen. This list is a collection of Students without a Principal identified. It may be Students who created their new account from the login page, or Students who were released by a Principal (mentioned earlier). A qualified Principal or the Coordinator can use the menu to select the Student name and then click the button. The Student’s name will immediately be added to the faculty’s list of Students to administer.

It is not uncommon for Students to be shuffled between Principals as needed. Confirmation with the Coordinator is advised.

Users



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All members of the Subscription can view the Users menu. All authorized Users can create new accounts, while accounts are managed only by Faculty. Each name in the Subscription is matched with its hyperlinked e-mail address. Additional information is shared with all authorized users on this menu item.

The User Type selection is controlled based on Faculty credentials. When the Faculty account is created, the Faculty member can log into the profile, select the User menu, and click “Reset Pwd” (reset password) for any registered User with credentials lower than the Faculty member doing the operation.

When the “Reset Pwd” is selected, the program will generate a new temporary password and deliver it to the User’s e-mail address associated with the account. When the “Reset Pwd” command is executed, the previously authorized password is cancelled, and the temporary password will only work for the intended Student for one entry. While logged into the program with this temporary password, the student must visit the ‘My Admin’ menu item and use the ‘Change Password’ applet to create a new complex password.

While on this screen, clicking Edit will allow the authorized Faculty member to assign User Type credentials or reset the Principal for the target User. From a management point of view, it is important to coordinate the transfer of Principal responsibilities between Faculty – including the Coordinator. This feature allows a cadre of Principals to assist one another when one Principal is away from their office and another Principal can step in to verify Learning Plan class completion or establish recommended class assignments.

For Principals

The Users link is provided for Principals to be able to view details of all users. Principals can edit profiles of users with credentials lower than Principal but can only reset the User Type to Student.

For Administrators

The Users link is provided for Administrators to be able to view details of all Students. Administrators can edit profiles and can set the User Type to Student, Principal, or Coordinator, but not Administrator.

For Coordinator

The Users menu is provided for the Coordinator(s) to be able to view and edit details of all Students – except their own. Coordinator(s) can edit profiles and can set the User Type to Student, Principal, Coordinator, or Administrator. The flexibility given to Coordinators is broader than any other user’s abilities in the program. Since the Coordinator is the only Faculty member with the credentials to create new Administrators, it is incumbent on the Coordinator to work closely with groups within the jurisdiction to clearly identify who represents the roles of Faculty within each group.

After the Coordinator position is filled, it is not required that each group within the profile supply their own Coordinator. The primary Coordinator can provide the coordination services to all Faculty and Students in the Subscription. It is advisable for a back-up Coordinator to be assigned to work with the Primary Coordinator – treat it as a Deputy Coordinator position – and it can be a person located at any position within the Subscription account, but they must be qualified to fill this position for the entire subscription.

The Users menu on the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System dashboard shows the Coordinator with the broadest capacity to enter changes and make updates. The only profiles the NIMS Coordinator cannot edit from the Users menu is the ‘action hyperlinks’ for the NIMS Coordinator’s own profile: those are reset on the My Admin link.

When the Delete hyperlink item is selected, the entire Student profile is deleted. Use caution when exercising this command: the Student’s data (Learning Plan and Transcript) are erased from the system and are not retrievable.




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Courses

The Courses menu item (shown below) displays all of the courses currently entered into NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System databases. These include fifteen course provider organizations and other classes organized by the Jurisdiction. These extensive lists can be viewed only by NIMS Faculty. The organization’s faculty can add courses to these lists. Once added, the courses will be displayed for all users through the Learning Plan’s pull-down menu for adding courses.

The Courses image shown below is visible to a Principal. Each Principal can enter new classes by filling in the requested fields, identifying the Provider from the pull-down menu, and clicking the button. The new class is immediately added to the Course Provider’s database and is selectable by all Students.

The NIMS Coordinators and NIMS Administrators will see an image similar to the Principal’s view on the Courses page, with the addition of a “Remove” hyperlink for each class. Extreme caution should be exercised when executing this command: when selected it will remove the selected course from all Learning Plans and all Transcripts (even after completion): it cannot be undone.



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The NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System program will issue a warning to the User when the delete option is selected (below).

The creation of new Courses provides an online coordination node where courses or programs can be assembled. The “Provider” should include the specific Jurisdiction implementing the NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System service. For instance, the Jurisdiction may offer orientation classes for new Emergency Services personnel, local classes for Emergency Response, LEPC meetings, or others: these can be entered into the OEM provider list.

Only the Coordinator can request new Providers for addition to the platform. The request is made to the D&D Larix coordinator who will enable the new Provider or Curriculum Group name and format the input data.

Divisions

The Divisions management page is available to users with credentials of Administrator and Coordinator, but not Principal or Student. The default Administrator and Principal for each Division are set here. When a new User creates a profile on the login page, these positions are automatically filled with identified names.

Individually authorized Faculty can assign Students to different Administrators and Principals through the “Users” menu item.

When the “Edit” hyperlink is selected, the Division’s details will be displayed allowing the authorized User to change the Administrator to any of the qualified Administrators identified in the program. When the “Delete”




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hyperlink is selected the entire Division is removed from the records. An alert applet will warn the User of the irrevocable action and request confirmation of the deletion.

The label “Divisions” should be considered a generic label synonymous with Department, Task Force, or team. It can apply to Administrative Departments, Fire Departments, Law Enforcement, LEPC, or other entities of local Emergency Response teams. These are associated with providing an Administrator and Principals for each Division. These default representatives can provide continuity for the preparations of NIMS compliance and preparedness.

Communities

The Community management page is available to users with credentials of Administrator and Coordinator, but not Principal or Student. The default Administrator and Principal for each Community are set here. When a new User creates a profile on the login page, the new User’s information will be automatically filled with these organizational names. The Community information is used for linking local volunteers and CERT users with NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System representatives. As people in each Community become interested and motivated to participate in emergency response, and acquire training, leaders within each Community may be included and used during hazard mitigation and emergency response activities.

The operations of the “Edit” and “Delete” hyperlinks are similar to how the Divisions menu are organized.



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EXAMINATION COMPLETION IS AN INDIVIDUAL EFFORT Jurisdictions have established procedures to ensure that completion of all examinations are individual efforts. Copying the work of others on an exam, or allowing others to take a course for the student is prohibited. Those who feel that test answers are being improperly provided should report this to their Principal, the Coordinator, their Division Director, or directly to the National Emergency Training Center and follow measures for reporting unethical conduct.

The Emergency Management Institute and National Emergency Training Center have established the protocol that if a student is found to have cheated on an exam, the penalty may include – but is not limited to – expulsion; foreclosure from future classes for a specified period; forfeiture of certificate for course/courses enrolled at the Emergency Management Institute; or all of the above. A letter notifying the local Office of Emergency Management of the individual's misconduct will be sent by the appropriate official at the National Emergency Training Center.

Additional punitive measures may be taken for academic misconduct.

INITIATING PARTICIPATION

Online NIMS Training Tracker & Credentialing System videos are available at YouTube in separate modules to explain the operations of the platform. The videos are accessible at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq6MK7UU054KS_XekqclFSQ/feed

Online links to the YouTube videos are also offered from the entry portal screen to the program when first logging into the service.

This Software-as-a-Service solution gives Jurisdictions, Agencies, and Cooperators a tool that becomes as strong as the users who employ it. Use the program, investigate how to integrate its tools into daily operations, and strengthen the team and the people it serves.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq6MK7UU054KS_XekqclFSQ/feed

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