Press Office

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Fact Sheet

January 6, 2005 

Contact: Press Office 202-282-8010 

NATIONAL RESPONSE PLAN (NRP) 

What it does for America. 

The National Response Plan establishes a comprehensive all-hazards approach to 

enhance the ability of the United States to manage domestic incidents. The Plan 

incorporates best practices and procedures from incident management disciplines—

homeland security, emergency management, law enforcement, firefighting, public works, 

public health, responder and recovery worker health and safety, emergency medical 

services, and the private sector—and integrates them into a unified structure. It forms the 

basis of how federal departments and agencies will work together and how the federal 

government will coordinate with state, local, and tribal governments and the private 

sector during incidents. It establishes protocols to help protect the nation from terrorist 

attacks and other natural and manmade hazards; save lives; protect public health, safety, 

property, and the environment; and reduces adverse psychological consequences and 

disruptions to the American way of life. 

Plan Organization

Concept of Operations, Coordinating Structures, Roles Base Plan and Responsibilities, Definitions, etc.

Glossary, Acronyms, Authorities, 

and Compendium of National 

Interagency Plans Appendixes 

Groups capabilities & resources into functions that 

are most likely needed during an incident (e.g., 

Transportation, Firefighting, Mass Care, etc.) 

Emergency

Support Function 

Annexes 

Describes common processes and specific 

administrative requirements (e.g., Public Affairs,

Financial Management, Worker Safety & Health, 

etc.) 

Support 

Annexes 

Outlines core procedures, roles and 

responsibilities for specific contingencies 

(e.g., Bio, Radiological, Cyber, HAZMAT Spills) 

Incident 

Annexes 
National Response Plan Incident Management Priorities

• Save lives and protect the health and safety of the public, responders, and 

recovery workers. 

• Ensure security of the homeland. 

• Prevent an imminent incident, including acts of terrorism, from occurring. 

• Protect and restore critical infrastructure and key resources. 

• Conduct law enforcement investigations to resolve the incident, apprehend the 

perpetrators, and collect and preserve evidence for prosecution and/or attribution. 

• Protect property and mitigate damages and impacts to individuals, communities, 

and the environment. 

• Facilitate recovery of individuals, families, businesses, governments, and the 

environment. 

Emphasis on Local Response

• The Plan identifies police, fire, public health and medical, emergency 

management, and other personnel as responsible for incident management at the 

local level. 

• The Plan enables incident response to be handled at the lowest possible 

organizational and jurisdictional level. 

• The Plan ensures the seamless integration of the federal government when an 

incident exceeds local or state capabilities. 

Timely Federal Response to Catastrophic Incidents

• The Plan identifies catastrophic incidents as high-impact, low-probability 

incidents, including natural disasters and terrorist attacks that result in 

extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting 

the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale, and/or 

government functions. 

• The Plan provides the means to swiftly deliver federal support in response to 

catastrophic incidents. 

Multi-agency Coordination Structure

• The Plan establishes multi-agency coordinating structures at the field, regional 

and headquarters levels. 

• These structures execute the responsibilities of the President through the 

appropriate federal departments and agencies. 

• These structures provide a national capability that addresses both site-specific 

incident management activities and broader regional or national issues, such as 

impacts to the rest of the country, immediate regional or national actions required 

to avert or prepare for potential events, and management of multiple incidents. 
New Coordinating Features in the National Response Plan

• Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC). 

The HSOC serves as the primary national-level multiagency hub for domestic 

situational awareness and operational coordination. The HSOC also includes 

DHS components, such as the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center 

(NICC), which has primary responsibility for coordinating communications with 

the Nation’s critical infrastructure during an incident. 

• National Response Coordination Center (NRCC). 

The NRCC, a functional component of the HSOC, is a multiagency center that 

provides overall federal response coordination. 

• Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC). 

At the regional level, the RRCC coordinates regional response efforts and 

implements local federal program support until a Joint Field Office is established. 

• Interagency Incident Management Group (IIMG). 

A tailored group of senior federal interagency experts who provide strategic 

advice to the Secretary of Homeland Security during an actual or potential 

Incident of National Significance. 

• Joint Field Office (JFO).

A temporary federal facility established locally to provide a central point to 

coordinate resources in support of state, local, and tribal authorities. 

• Principal Federal Official (PFO).

A PFO may be designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security during a 

potential or actual Incident of National Significance. While individual federal 

officials retain their authorities pertaining to specific aspects of incident 

management, the PFO works in conjunction with these officials to coordinate 

overall federal incident management efforts. 

Maintaining the National Response Plan

• The Department of Homeland Security/Emergency Preparedness and Response 

(EP&R)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in close coordination 

with the DHS Office of the Secretary, will maintain the National Response Plan. 

• The Plan will be updated to incorporate new Presidential directives, legislative 

changes, and procedural changes based on lessons learned from exercises and 

actual events. 

###