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NIMS Resource Inventory Management System (NIMS-RIMS)

The NIMS Integration Center (NIC) is supporting the development of a database management tool for Federal, State, local and tribal officials, which will be available to them at no cost. The software will allow emergency responders to enter typed resources and select specific resources for mutual aid purposes based upon mission requirements, capability of resources, and response time. The NIMS-RIMS tool will be rolled out to the emergency response community in phases. Phase One will provide the basic database management tool to enter a community's 120 typed resources1 into a common database, which can be shared nationally and housed locally. Future system functionality will assist in placing and mobilizing resource requests, GPS tracking of resources, and resource recovery.

NIMS-RIMS will:

• Systematically assist communities in inventorying and typing resources in accordance with protocols and provide quick access to resources to support emergency response operations.
• Ensure that a "no-cost" standard national typed resource database is available to support regional, and multiple State response operations.
• Improve the Nation's capability to identify, mobilize, and dispatch a typed resource.

Key Features of NIMS-RIMS:

• A simple resource management solution for all agencies, jurisdictions, and users
• Easy-to-use and intuitive user interface
• Forms-based construct - mirrored after the Incident Command System (ICS)
• Scalable screen (for use on computer or PDA) for browse, select, and input
• Tracks:
  • Equipment
  • Communications
  • Contracts
  • Facilities
  • Responders
  • Services
  • Supplies
  • Teams
• Requires no licensure fees
• Uses the interoperable Emergency Data Exchange Language (EDXL) data messaging construct
• Compatible, not competitive, with existing agency systems and existing and future commercial applications
  • Is easily converted to proprietary systems if necessary
  • Compatible with Oracle, MS SQL, and MS Access
  • Uses annotated and modularized code

Benefits of this Initiative:

• Allows emergency responders to inventory, categorize, type, locate, request, and track all internal and external resources from a single integrated system, which will help facilitate the response of requested resources during an incident.
• Provides a local database that is scalable to the State and Federal level for the identification of all typed resources.
• Can be upgraded as additional typed resources are added, keeping pace with the rapid evolution of the NIMS and the National Response Plan.