National Emergency Responder Credentialing System
Federal Emergency Management Agency
NIMS Integration Center

Q1.
What is credentialing?

As stated in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) document, credentialing involves 
providing documentation that can authenticate and verify the certification and identity of 
designated incident managers and emergency responders. This system helps ensure that personnel 
representing various jurisdictional levels and functional disciplines possess a minimum common 
level of training, currency, experience, physical and medical fitness, and capability for the incident 
management or emergency responder position they are tasked to fill.  

Q2.
What is the National Emergency Responder Credentialing System?

The National Emergency Responder Credentialing System is currently under development by the 
Federal Emergency Management Agencys NIMS Integration Center. As a means to routinely 
identify and dispatch emergency responders, the National Emergency Responder Credentialing 
System will help mobilize the swift, safe and successful support of qualified responders who are 
called upon to assist communities across the nation. Ultimately, credentials verifying an emergency 
responders identity and qualifications may be documented through a nationally accepted form of 
identification and/or through a record-keeping system, as required by NIMS.   

Q3.
Why is a national credentialing system necessary?

A national credentialing system will improve the methods, capabilities and coordination of 
emergency responders to deal with domestic incidents. Mandated by NIMS and in accord with 
Homeland Security Presidential Directive  5, Management of Domestic Incidents, this initiative 
will allow quick and accurate verification of emergency responders identities and qualifications. 

Incidents such as the Oklahoma City Bombing, the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center 
and the Pentagon, and the recent responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita highlight the need for a 
national system to verify the qualifications and identity of emergency responders.

A national credentialing system will not provide automatic access to an incident site. In fact, it can 
serve to prevent unauthorized (i.e., self-dispatched or unqualified personnel) access to an incident 
and help maintain perimeter control of and access to that incident, while ensuring that those 
requested to respond to an incident meet the required criteria for participating in such an effort.  

Q4.
Will a national credentialing system be established under the National Mutual Aid and 
Resource Management Initiative?

Yes.  A national credentialing system is a component of the National Mutual Aid and Resource 
Management System. In recognition that these efforts must be nationally applicable and widely 
accepted, the NIMS Integration Center is working closely with existing state, local, territorial and 
federal partners, as well as discipline-specific stakeholders, to reach a national consensus on what 
constitutes acceptable criteria for participation in a multi-jurisdictional response.

Q5.
Does certification differ from credentialing?

Yes. Personnel certification entails authoritatively attesting that individuals meet professional 
standards for the training, experience, and performance required for key incident management 
functions.  Credentials may be issued as a result of certification through testing or evaluation.

Q6.
What are the requirements for a national credentialing system?

A national credentialing system must:
*	Function within existing federal, state, tribal and local identification and qualification 
protocols, where feasible;
*	Not place undue burden on federal, state, tribal or local governments;
*	Support (primarily) interstate augmentation of state and local resources;
*	Conform to ICS protocols; and
*	Use current credentialing emergency responder systems, where possible.

Q7.
Will new training, qualifications and certifications standards be developed for the 
nationwide credentialing system?

Yes. Existing training, qualifications and certifications standards will be reviewed in light of a 
capabilities-based analysis of emergency responders ability to achieve mission critical tasks. 

Using the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Planning Scenarios as a starting point, 
eight discipline-specific working groups will identify critical activities needed to save lives and 
protect property in major incidents. The working groups will identify the specific types of 
emergency responders who would perform these tasks; assign titles to these roles; and detail their 
required professional qualifications, certifications, training, and education.  Gaps in existing 
training, education and experiences will be identified for further review by the NIMS Center.  

Additionally, NIMS awareness training for all levels will be incorporated in course curricula for 
credentialing personnel for selected incident management roles. Core curricula will include general 
awareness courses for all emergency management professionals such as NIMS training, ICS and 
emergency management courses.

Q8.
Will DHS/FEMA issue credentials?

No.  Current governmental and non-governmental credentialing bodies at the federal, state, 
territorial and local levels will continue to issue credentials.  Many of these credentialing systems 
are rooted in state licensure statutes and other well-established requirements and processes. Where 
no processes or requirements presently exist, those elements listed in Q6 will be important for 
participation in a national system.

Q9.
Who can participate in the National Emergency Responder Credentialing System?

Responders from federal, state, territorial, tribal and local agencies, as well as qualified individuals 
from the private sector, are encouraged to participate in the National Emergency Responder 
Credentialing System. The purpose is to develop an integrated and comprehensive system that will 
assist emergency managers in acquiring those qualified resources necessary to deal with an incident 
when local resources are overwhelmed.

Q10.
Why should a state, territory, tribal or local jurisdiction or private vendor participate in 
the National Credentialing Initiative?

As a critical component of NIMS, a national credentialing system will provide the nation with an 
increased capability to rapidly and easily deploy emergency responder during times of need. It will 
also ensure the capability, qualification and certification of any emergency responder called upon to 
assist dealing with an incident.

Q11.
Is participation in the National Emergency Responder Credentialing System 
mandatory?

No. Participation in the National Emergency Responder Credentialing System is voluntary. 
However, emergency responders who volunteer must meet the requirements to support an incident.

Q12.
Who is involved in the National Emergency Responder Credentialing System?

Federal, state and local officials, as well as subject matter experts from private non-governmental 
organizations and other emergency response management organizations and associations, are 
participating in this initiative.  

Q13.
Is the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) part of National 
Emergency Responder Credentialing System?

Yes. NEMA is actively involved in this credentialing initiative and is participating in the working 
group discussions. The credentialing initiative builds on a mutual-aid framework pioneered by 
NEMA through the establishment of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).	

Q14.
What will happen to existing state or discipline-specific credentialing programs?

One requirement of this initiative is to work with the various disciplines in national, state, territory 
and/or local jurisdictions to bring current credentialing efforts into a national system while avoiding 
the duplication of efforts already in place.

Q15.
Should state and local programs under development slow down or halt their progress 
until new standards and procedures are identified by the National Emergency 
Responder Credentialing System?

No.  The NIMS Integration Center would like to know about ongoing or existing credentialing 
efforts, it encourages all credentialing efforts to proceed as normal. It is the intention of the Center 
to facilitate interstate mutual aid requests when local emergency responders are overwhelmed and 
request assistance from other jurisdictions.

Q16.
What can communities and jurisdictions do to prepare for the implementation of the 
National Credentialing Initiative?

Required FY 2006 NIMS compliance activities for state and local jurisdictions include participating 
in and promoting intrastate and interagency mutual aid agreements, including agreements with the 
private sector and non-governmental organizations.   

FY 2007 compliance activities will include:
*	Expanding mutual aid agreements beyond support services and equipment to include 
information sharing; 
*	Supporting and adopting the ongoing efforts of the NIMS Integration Center (NIC) to 
develop a national credentialing system; and 
*	Credentialing emergency responders in conformance with national standards.

The NIMS Integration Center is developing credentialing guidance and will post drafts on the 
NIMS Web page at www.fema.gov/emergency/nims for review and comment by stakeholders 
throughout the development process.

###
The NIMS Integration Center
Credentialing FAQs  
April 2006