All-Hazards Incident Management Team Program

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION IN OKLAHOMA QUALIFICATION SYSTEM FOR ICS POSITIONS FORM LETTER

Welcome to the Oklahoma Qualification System for Incident Command System (ICS) Positions.  You may ask why Oklahoma needs a qualification system for ICS positions.  Following disasters in the United States there have been after-action reviews (AAR) and one lesson learned from these AARs is that Incident Management Teams (IMT) and Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMAT) need to be qualified to perform the missions and tasks they have been assigned.  Not only should the team be qualified by meeting team preparedness and performance metrics, but individual team members should also be qualified to perform the roles and responsibilities of the incident command system position they are filling.  To be qualified in an incident command system position means you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) required for the position.

The Oklahoma Qualification System for ICS Positions uses a performance-based approach that focuses on verifying the capabilities of personnel to perform as required in the various incident-related positions. This approach incorporates education, training, and experience to build proficiency and establishes performance as the primary qualification criterion.

The Oklahoma Qualification System for ICS Positions accomplishes this based on completing required training, experience, physical fitness level, and certification of the applicable FEMA NQS Position Task Books (PTB) on qualifying incidents, events, and exercises

The legislatively mandated Oklahoma Incident Management Team Advisory Committee has adopted the Oklahoma Qualification System for ICS Positions.  It applies to Oklahoma residents who are members of a state-sponsored IMT/IMAT.  There is a provision for others regardless of whether they are a member of an IMAT/IMT to voluntarily participate in the Oklahoma Qualification System for ICS Positions thereby freeing them up from having to create and administer their own qualification system.

The Oklahoma Qualification System for ICS Positions is well researched with about 99 references listed.  It was developed following the National Qualification System (NQS) Guidelines.  It was also developed using other qualification systems and documents such as those of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, All-Hazards Incident Management Team Association, Department of Interior, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Coast Guard to flush out the document.

This is a living document, and we plan to conduct annual reviews to revise and update both the system and document as needed.  Please send your suggestions for revisions and updates to our email addresses below. 

Once a trainee completes the Position Task Book and meets all other requirements for the position they are pursuing, they submit their Qualification Packet to the State Qualification Review Board to review it to ensure they meet all the qualification requirements if they do, then complete the “Documentation of Agency Certification” section of their Position Task Book.

Certification is the final and official documentation indicating that an individual is qualified to perform in a specified ICS position.  Certification of personnel helps to ensure they possess a minimum level of education, training, experience, physical and medical fitness, and capabilities appropriate for a particular position.

A Qualification Review Board consists of at least three persons one of which should be qualified in the position they are reviewing.  The Chair and Vice Chair are appointed by the Oklahoma IMT Advisory Committee.  The Chair and Vice-Chair will recruit and select individuals to serve as ad hoc members to conduct a qualification review who meet one or more of the following criteria:

·        Qualified and certified in an ICS position

·        All-Hazards Position Specific (AHPS) Instructor

·        NIMS/ICS Instructor

·        IMAT/IMT Program Manager

·        IMAT/IMT, Team Lead

·        Member of an IMT/IMAT

The Qualification Review Board will meet as frequently as necessary to complete the qualification review process promptly but not less than once a year.

Once the Final Evaluator has completed the Final Evaluator Verification section of the trainee’s Position Task Book, then the trainee seeking certification submits their Qualification Packet to the State Qualification Review Board. 

A Qualification Packet minimally consists of PDF copies of the following documents:

• Certificates of completion of required training
• Completed Position Task Book
• Incident Personnel Performance Ratings (FEMA ICS-225)
• Activity Logs (FEMA ICS-214) from assignments/deployments (qualifying incidents, events, or exercises)

Supporting documentation which may include copies of one or more of the following:

• ICS 203 Organization Assignment Lists from Incident Action Plans listing their assignment on the incident, event, or exercise.
• ICS 201 Incident Briefing Forms listing their assignment on the incident, event, or exercise
• Completed Incident Action Plans for the incident, event, or exercise.
   

Submit Qualification Packets to:

Frank Barnes
Incident Management Specialist
OKOHS
frank.barnes@okohs.ok.gov
405-420-2597

Certification is not permanent.  To ensure personnel continue to be capable of performing in the position they are certified in, they must maintain currency and recertify every five years.  The five-year timeframe begins on the date the State Qualification Review Board certifies the individual as qualified in an ICS position.

Individuals who are certified in an ICS position through the State Qualification System or meet the requirements found in the Portability of Qualifications Section (Basic Guidelines, Page 18), can recertify by submitting copies of appropriate documentation in Portable Document Format (PDF) to the State Qualification Review Board. 

Maintained currency by performing their certified ICS position during a qualifying incident, event, or exercise within 5 years:

One or more of the following showing their assignment or ICS position on a qualifying incident, event, or exercise:

• ICS 203 Organization Assignment Lists from Incident Action Plans
• ICS 201 Incident Briefing Forms
• Completed Incident Action Plans
• Activity Logs (FEMA ICS-214)
• Incident Personnel Performance Rating (FEMA ICS-225)

Maintained currency by performing their certified ICS position in the individual’s regular agency/organization position within 5 years:

• Official job description including responsibilities/duties
• Work performance evaluations
• Letter from agency/department head stating the timeframe they performed in that position.

For individuals meeting the requirements found in the Portability of Qualifications Section (Basic Guidelines, Page 18) and who did not maintain currency in the ICS position they were certified.

• Training certificates for current training requirements for the position they were qualified
• Training certificate for successful completion of the O-305 Type 3 All Hazards Incident Management Team Introduction course
• Upon completion of current training requirements, the person submits to the State Qualification Review Board their training certificates.

Once the individual submits their Recertification Packet to the State QRB, it will go through the Qualification Review Board Process described above.

Except as otherwise specified in the Portability of Qualifications Section (Basic Guidelines, Page 18), if an individual does not maintain currency, then they revert to trainee status.  They must initiate a new Position Task Book using the current version for the position they are pursuing.  They must meet the current Qualification Requirements for the position they are pursuing.  A return to trainee status may have the advantage of introducing the individual to new technology, procedures, and advances in incident and event management.

Submit Requalification Packets to:

Frank Barnes
Incident Management Specialist
OKOHS
frank.barnes@okohs.ok.gov
405-420-2597

This great course focuses on the importance of developing and operating as a functional Type 3 All-Hazards Incident Management Assistance Team (AHIMAT) or All-Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT).

This course will assist individual responders to perform as viable team members by:

• Demonstrating the ability to perform the role and responsibilities of Command and General Staff positions within an AHIMAT or AHIMT.
• Emphasizing the nature and purpose of an AHIMAT or AHIMT so that others in the community and emergency services are more willing and able to interface with and assist within various components of their local or state AHIMAT or AHIMT.
• Demonstrating the critical role that leadership and teamwork skills play in the success of an AHIMAT or AHIMT.
• Providing a basic framework for building and maintaining critical interpersonal communications and working together as a team member of an AHIMAT or AHIMT.

Offering practical experience in on-scene operations, incident planning process, incident action plan development, and other functions through extensive exercises and simulations.

Please check our Training Calendar for course offerings.

This training is designed to provide all-hazards competencies and behaviors for command, general staff, and selected unit leader positions within a Type III or IV All-Hazard Incident Management Assistance Team (AHIMAT) or All-Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT) environments. Competencies in the training are focused on the ability of the student to assume specific position responsibilities, lead assigned personnel, communicate effectively, and ensure the completion of assigned tasks to meet identified objectives for the position.

All-Hazards Position Specific training should be completed by individuals seeking to be qualified, certified, and credentialed in an ICS command, general staff, or unit leader position, individuals seeking to increase their skill set and capabilities, or who are members or plan to be members of an AHIMAT or AHIMT. 

Please check our Training Calendar for course offerings.

A voluntary program for All-Hazard Incident Management Assistance Teams (AHIMAT) and All-Hazard Incident Management Teams (AHIMT) seeking accreditation.

The standards are built on the 3-Tiered Preparedness System for All-Hazards Incident Management Teams (preparedness metrics) and Defining Standardized Performance Capability Metrics for Incident Management Teams (performance capability metrics).

The accreditation process is administered by the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security and includes a self-assessment, OKOHS on-site assessment which includes inspection of records and proof of compliance plus inspection of required equipment, materials, and supplies, and finally performance evaluation during a multi-day functional exercise.

An All-Hazard Incident Management Assistance Team (AHIMAT) is built on the foundation that they will only assume a supporting role to the “in place” and on-scene incident management structure provided by the requesting jurisdiction. The Incident Commander/Unified Command (IC/UC), selected Command and General Staff, and possibly Unit Leader positions will continue to be staffed by personnel from the initial response/attack organization or jurisdiction with the incoming AHIMAT assisting by:

• Filling needed vacant ICS positions
• Functioning as assistants/deputies to existing filled ICS positions
• Performing as subject matter expert (SME) or in a mentor/coach role for ICS positions filled by the initial response/attack organization or jurisdiction
• Performing tasks or assignments to fill gaps in capabilities or meet the needs of the affected community.

The Department of Public Safety Commissioner has designated the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security as the All-Hazard Incident Management Assistance Team Host Entity (AHE) and provides the Team Manager for the State-Sponsored AHIMAT.

OKOHS will work with stakeholders from the five Homeland Security Regions in a collaborative approach to develop this team and seek regional participation to staff the team.

Also, OKOHS can guide any jurisdiction, organization, agency, and department on how they can develop an All-Hazard Incident Management Assistance Team or All-Hazard Incident Management Team.

If you are seeking more information on the State-Sponsored AHIMAT or guidance on developing your own AHIMAT or AHIMT, please contact Team Manager Frank Barnes using the information below.