DHS Releases National Response Framework

February 13, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS

The NRF also addresses how to prepare for and respond to all-hazard disasters across all levels of government and all sectors of communities, said the DHS.

The NRF is intended for senior elected and appointed leaders such as federal department and agency heads, state governors, mayors, tribal leaders, city managers and the private sector, said the DHS.

Simultaneously, it is designed to inform emergency management practitioners by explaining the operating structures and tools routinely used by first responders and emergency managers at all levels of government, said the DHS.

 In addition to releasing the NRF base document, the Emergency Support Function Annexes and Support Annexes were released and posted at the NRF Resource Center at www.fema.gov/nrf.

The NRF Resource Center is an online repository of the entire component parts of the NRF and will allow for ongoing revisions as necessary to reflect real-world events and lessons learned, said the DHS.

The annexes are 23 individual documents designed to provide concept of operations, procedures and structures for achieving response directives for partners in fulfilling their roles under the NRF, said the DHS.

Upon finalization and publication of the NRF base document and the annexes, the focus will be to implement a nationwide training and exercise program to embed the NRF into the nation's preparedness and response cycle, said the DHS.

Implementation of the NRF training and exercise strategy will include awareness training, position-specific training, exercises (tabletop and functional) and sustainment training.

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).