The Response mission area's primary goal is to make sure that the country can respond efficiently to a wide range of incidents. These incidents can vary from those manageable with local resources to those of catastrophic magnitude, necessitating the combined capabilities of the entire nation.

The National Response Framework explains the fundamental principles, the roles and duties of different entities, and the coordinating systems required to provide the essential capabilities needed to stabilize the key aspects of a community's functioning. It also illustrates how response activities are coordinated with the efforts in other mission areas.

Elements of the National Response Framework (NRF) are flexible and can be put into action for any type of hazard, including the utilization of Emergency Support Function (ESF) mechanisms.

The structures, roles, and responsibilities detailed in the NRF can be put in place either partially or completely when dealing with a threat, hazard, in preparation for a significant event, or as a response to an incident.

Implementing the NRF structures and procedures enables a tailored response, ensuring the right resources and capabilities are deployed, and the coordination matches the needs of each specific incident.

The National Preparedness Goal embodies a comprehensive, multi-faceted, and inclusive approach to preparedness. It was developed through the collective input of the entire community, acknowledging that everyone has a role to play in and can reap the rewards of national preparedness endeavors. 

The National Preparedness Goal outlines the collective state of readiness for the entire community when it comes to all sorts of disasters and emergencies. This goal envisions:

"A secure and resilient nation with the capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk."

This goal not only establishes the preparedness vision for the entire country but also identifies the essential capabilities needed to realize that vision, covering five mission areas: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery.

The National Preparedness System and the National Preparedness Goal are all about building the necessary abilities for a secure and resilient nation. These core capabilities are the tools we use to plan, define, and act upon strategies for security and resilience.

To make this happen, the National Planning Frameworks provide guidance in each mission area. They help the entire community work together to develop, maintain, and use these core capabilities.

The National Preparedness Goal includes 32 vital capabilities across five areas: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery. These capabilities are interconnected and need cooperation, better training, and fresh ideas. They create a common language for preparedness, and they are for everyone, not just specific government levels or groups. These capabilities are essential for national preparedness, making sure we're ready for disasters and emergencies.

Preparedness is a shared responsibility involving everyone, not just the government. It's about collective efforts to protect the nation from various threats like natural disasters, terrorism, and pandemics, and to make it resilient when such events occur.

The "whole community" includes:

• Individuals and families, including those with special needs.

• Businesses.

• Faith-based and community organizations.

• Nonprofit groups.

• Schools and academia.

• Media outlets.

• All levels of government, including state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal partners.

This concept is central to preparedness and has two key aspects:

• 1. Engaging people in the development of national preparedness plans.

  2. Making sure these plans reflect the roles and responsibilities of all involved parties.

An example of a tiered response system in action can be found in Illinois through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS). This system is designed for multiagency or multi-jurisdictional responses. Here's how it works:

• Mutual Aid: MABAS allows different municipalities to share equipment, personnel, or services when responding to incidents. These resources are shared at no cost. If there are expenses involved that can be recovered from the responsible party, any funds received are distributed fairly among the municipalities involved.

• Personnel Employment: When emergency personnel respond to an incident under the MABAS agreement, they still remain employees of their original department or agency. This means they maintain their existing employment while assisting with the response.

• Statewide Activation: In the case of larger incidents, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency's statewide mutual aid plan can activate MABAS. This statewide plan enables the deployment of additional resources to a stricken area while ensuring that at least 80 percent of local resources remain available to respond to everyday local emergencies.

• Organization: MABAS is organized into divisions that generally follow county lines, making it efficient and well-structured. The majority of firefighters in Illinois participate in this system. Moreover, this approach has been adopted by neighboring states like Wisconsin and Iowa, and it is being used as a model to establish compatible mutual aid systems throughout the Great Lakes region.

In essence, the MABAS system demonstrates how a tiered response can efficiently manage resources and provide assistance in emergencies. It allows for a scalable response, where local, regional, and even statewide resources can be activated as needed while ensuring that essential local response capabilities remain intact for everyday incidents.

Response efforts must be able to adjust and evolve as incidents change in terms of their size, scope, and complexity. This means being ready to meet the shifting requirements and challenges that come with different incidents and their ripple effects. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) introduces concepts and principles that bring this flexibility into incident management.

When an incident's demands grow and change, it's essential for response processes to stay flexible and adaptable. The National Response Framework (NRF) outlines structures and processes that can quickly mobilize resources from various parts of the community to respond effectively.

As incidents stabilize, response efforts must be able to pivot towards recovery. This means shifting from immediate response actions to longer-term recovery outcomes, which require their own unique strategies and adjustments. Adaptability and nimbleness in response efforts are crucial to effectively address the various phases of an incident.

Following the 9/11 attacks, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) took important lessons to heart and established and trained specialized Incident Management Teams (IMTs). These IMTs were created to provide operational capabilities that ensure the FDNY maintains continuous coverage during prolonged incidents or emergencies.

Each member of these IMTs undergoes training and obtains credentials to fulfill specific roles within the Incident Command System (ICS), a standardized approach to incident management.

When Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana and Mississippi in August 2005, the FDNY had a sufficient number of trained personnel to deploy a complete IMT to aid in the response effort. Then, in 2012, when Hurricane Sandy hit closer to home, an IMT took charge of the response efforts during and after the storm.

These instances showcased the impressive capabilities of the FDNY IMTs. They demonstrated their ability to adapt and respond effectively to incidents of varying size, location, and complexity. This adaptability, scalability, and flexibility proved to be valuable assets in managing different types of crises.

Success in managing complex incidents requires a unified effort that respects the individual chain of command within each participating organization while ensuring smooth coordination across different areas in pursuit of shared objectives.

Unified Command is a collaborative approach that enables all agencies with the authority or responsibility for the incident to work together effectively. They do this by establishing joint incident objectives and strategies, developed collectively. Each participating agency retains its own authority, responsibility, and accountability, but they collaborate seamlessly to achieve common goals. This ensures that all organizations involved can work together efficiently while maintaining their respective roles and responsibilities. 

For example, in Boston, planned events can draw enormous crowds, often exceeding a million participants and spectators. This large-scale gathering provides an excellent opportunity to test and enhance disaster plans.

Medical planners, under the leadership of Boston Emergency Medical Services, began treating these special events as if they were "planned disasters." This approach was particularly evident during preparations for events like the Boston Marathon.

All the agencies and organizations involved in these events adopted the Incident Command System and carried out planning and operations using a unified command structure. They also integrated elements of the region's disaster plans into the event's operations plan.

These thorough preparations proved to be of immense importance during the tragic events of the 2013 Boston Marathon. When bomb blasts rocked the crowd, the coordinated efforts of a wide array of agencies, medical services, and community members came together to save lives. This exemplified the power of a unified response in the face of adversity.

A successful response hinges on a preparedness to take action, but this readiness must be well-balanced with an awareness of the risks and dangers that responders may encounter. Whether it's individuals, communities, private entities, nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, or various government levels, the national response relies on the capability to make prompt and determined decisions.

In many situations, decisive action is essential for saving lives and safeguarding property and the environment. While some level of risk for responders may be unavoidable, it's the responsibility of all response personnel to anticipate and manage these risks. This is accomplished through careful planning, effective organization, proper equipping, thorough training, and regular exercising of response protocols. By doing so, risks are minimized and the overall effectiveness of the response is improved. 

An example of readiness to act is seen in FEMA's Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMATs). These teams are swift-responding emergency units, available full-time, and equipped to be on-site within 12 hours after being alerted to an incident. Their primary role is to aid the State and Federal Coordinating Officers in setting up the Incident Action Planning (IAP) process and the Initial Operating Facility (IOF).

IMAT teams are responsible for:

• Supporting the establishment of a Unified Command at the outset of the incident. Unified Command ensures that all responding agencies and organizations collaborate seamlessly.

• Providing situational awareness to Federal and state decision-makers. This information helps them assess the immediate requirements for Federal support and the type of assistance needed. Essentially, IMATs facilitate informed and rapid decision-making at critical early stages of an incident.