FEMA IS-700 TRAINING REVIEW 2025
COMPLETE ICS STUDY GUIDE & CONCEPT
EXPLANATIONS || RECENT VERSION
FEMA IS-700 (NIMS) Study Guide – 100 Questions & Answers
Section 1: Introduction and Fundamentals of NIMS
1. What does NIMS stand for?
Answer: National Incident Management System
2. What is the purpose of NIMS?
Answer: To provide a consistent nationwide template to enable federal, state, tribal, and
local governments, NGOs, and the private sector to work together to prepare for,
prevent, respond to, and recover from incidents.
3. NIMS is applicable to all incidents regardless of cause, size, or complexity.
Answer: True
4. What are the three major components of NIMS?
Answer: Resource Management, Command and Coordination, Communications and
Information Management
5. Which component of NIMS includes concepts such as the Incident Command System
(ICS)?
Answer: Command and Coordination
6. NIMS is only required for catastrophic incidents.
Answer: False – NIMS is applicable to all incidents and planned events.
7. What document guides the National Incident Management System?
Answer: The NIMS Doctrine (as published by FEMA).
Section 2: Command and Coordination (ICS, EOC, MAC Groups)
8. What does ICS stand for?
Answer: Incident Command System
, 9. ICS is a standardized, on-scene, all-hazards incident management approach.
Answer: True
10. Which ICS function is responsible for providing services and support?
Answer: Logistics
11. The Incident Commander is always the most senior person on scene.
Answer: False – The Incident Commander is the person best qualified based on training
and experience, not just seniority.
12. What does the Operations Section Chief do?
Answer: Directs all tactical operations to achieve incident objectives.
13. When an incident expands beyond the capability of a local jurisdiction, what is
activated?
Answer: An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or requests for mutual aid.
14. Multi-agency coordination groups (MAC Groups) help to:
Answer: Prioritize incidents, allocate resources, resolve agency policy conflicts, and
support EOCs.
15. What is an Area Command?
Answer: An organization overseeing multiple incidents handled by separate ICS
organizations or overseeing a very large incident with multiple ICs.
16. The Planning Section is responsible for:
Answer: Collecting, evaluating, and disseminating incident information; preparing and
documenting Incident Action Plans (IAPs).
17. What is a Joint Information System (JIS)?
Answer: A structure that integrates incident information and public affairs into a unified
organization to provide consistent messages.
18. The Finance/Administration Section is activated only for large incidents.
Answer: True – It handles costs, claims, and other financial aspects for significant
incidents.
Section 3: Resource Management
, 19. The NIMS Resource Management process includes:
Answer: Identifying requirements, ordering and acquiring, mobilizing, tracking and
reporting, recovering and demobilizing, reimbursing, and inventorying.
20. What is a Resource Inventory?
Answer: A standardized system to identify, categorize, and track resources available for
incidents.
21. Credentialing in NIMS ensures:
Answer: Personnel meet minimum standards to perform specific tasks during an
incident.
22. Mutual aid agreements are formal documents that:
Answer: Allow jurisdictions to share resources during incidents.
23. Typing resources (e.g., Type 1, Type 2) means:
Answer: Categorizing them by capability based on standards to ensure they meet
expected performance levels.
24. The process of demobilizing resources:
Answer: Begins in the Planning Section and returns resources to original location and
status.
25. What is the purpose of a Multiagency Coordination System?
Answer: To coordinate resources and support between agencies and jurisdictions.
Section 4: Communications and Information Management
26. Interoperability means:
Answer: Communication equipment and systems that can work together between
agencies and jurisdictions.
27. The Incident Command System helps ensure communications interoperability by using:
Answer: Common terminology and standardized communication procedures.
28. What is a Common Operating Picture?
Answer: A view of incident information accessible to all involved, enabling coordinated
decision-making.
29. Incident information should be communicated using:
Answer: Plain language (avoiding codes).
, 30. Which principle ensures information is accurate, accessible, and shared appropriately?
Answer: Communications and Information Management principles of NIMS.
Section 5: Joint Information System/Center (JIS/JIC)
31. The Joint Information Center (JIC) is:
Answer: A physical location where public information staff coordinate during incidents.
32. Who establishes the JIC?
Answer: Incident Command or Unified Command, or by MAC Groups if needed.
33. The JIS integrates:
Answer: Incident information and public affairs into a unified message.
34. Public Information Officers (PIOs) work within the JIS to ensure:
Answer: Consistent, coordinated, timely information is released.
Section 6: EOCs and Multiagency Coordination
35. EOC staff may include representatives from many agencies.
Answer: True
36. When EOCs are activated:
Answer: Staff may fill traditional ICS-like roles (Planning, Operations, etc.) or use other
structures.
37. EOCs play a critical role in:
Answer: Resource coordination, information coordination, and support to on-scene
command.
38. MAC Groups:
Answer: Are policy-level entities that help allocate limited resources and resolve
interagency disputes.
39. EOCs can be organized by:
Answer: ICS structure, Emergency Support Functions (ESFs), or by department/agency.
COMPLETE ICS STUDY GUIDE & CONCEPT
EXPLANATIONS || RECENT VERSION
FEMA IS-700 (NIMS) Study Guide – 100 Questions & Answers
Section 1: Introduction and Fundamentals of NIMS
1. What does NIMS stand for?
Answer: National Incident Management System
2. What is the purpose of NIMS?
Answer: To provide a consistent nationwide template to enable federal, state, tribal, and
local governments, NGOs, and the private sector to work together to prepare for,
prevent, respond to, and recover from incidents.
3. NIMS is applicable to all incidents regardless of cause, size, or complexity.
Answer: True
4. What are the three major components of NIMS?
Answer: Resource Management, Command and Coordination, Communications and
Information Management
5. Which component of NIMS includes concepts such as the Incident Command System
(ICS)?
Answer: Command and Coordination
6. NIMS is only required for catastrophic incidents.
Answer: False – NIMS is applicable to all incidents and planned events.
7. What document guides the National Incident Management System?
Answer: The NIMS Doctrine (as published by FEMA).
Section 2: Command and Coordination (ICS, EOC, MAC Groups)
8. What does ICS stand for?
Answer: Incident Command System
, 9. ICS is a standardized, on-scene, all-hazards incident management approach.
Answer: True
10. Which ICS function is responsible for providing services and support?
Answer: Logistics
11. The Incident Commander is always the most senior person on scene.
Answer: False – The Incident Commander is the person best qualified based on training
and experience, not just seniority.
12. What does the Operations Section Chief do?
Answer: Directs all tactical operations to achieve incident objectives.
13. When an incident expands beyond the capability of a local jurisdiction, what is
activated?
Answer: An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or requests for mutual aid.
14. Multi-agency coordination groups (MAC Groups) help to:
Answer: Prioritize incidents, allocate resources, resolve agency policy conflicts, and
support EOCs.
15. What is an Area Command?
Answer: An organization overseeing multiple incidents handled by separate ICS
organizations or overseeing a very large incident with multiple ICs.
16. The Planning Section is responsible for:
Answer: Collecting, evaluating, and disseminating incident information; preparing and
documenting Incident Action Plans (IAPs).
17. What is a Joint Information System (JIS)?
Answer: A structure that integrates incident information and public affairs into a unified
organization to provide consistent messages.
18. The Finance/Administration Section is activated only for large incidents.
Answer: True – It handles costs, claims, and other financial aspects for significant
incidents.
Section 3: Resource Management
, 19. The NIMS Resource Management process includes:
Answer: Identifying requirements, ordering and acquiring, mobilizing, tracking and
reporting, recovering and demobilizing, reimbursing, and inventorying.
20. What is a Resource Inventory?
Answer: A standardized system to identify, categorize, and track resources available for
incidents.
21. Credentialing in NIMS ensures:
Answer: Personnel meet minimum standards to perform specific tasks during an
incident.
22. Mutual aid agreements are formal documents that:
Answer: Allow jurisdictions to share resources during incidents.
23. Typing resources (e.g., Type 1, Type 2) means:
Answer: Categorizing them by capability based on standards to ensure they meet
expected performance levels.
24. The process of demobilizing resources:
Answer: Begins in the Planning Section and returns resources to original location and
status.
25. What is the purpose of a Multiagency Coordination System?
Answer: To coordinate resources and support between agencies and jurisdictions.
Section 4: Communications and Information Management
26. Interoperability means:
Answer: Communication equipment and systems that can work together between
agencies and jurisdictions.
27. The Incident Command System helps ensure communications interoperability by using:
Answer: Common terminology and standardized communication procedures.
28. What is a Common Operating Picture?
Answer: A view of incident information accessible to all involved, enabling coordinated
decision-making.
29. Incident information should be communicated using:
Answer: Plain language (avoiding codes).
, 30. Which principle ensures information is accurate, accessible, and shared appropriately?
Answer: Communications and Information Management principles of NIMS.
Section 5: Joint Information System/Center (JIS/JIC)
31. The Joint Information Center (JIC) is:
Answer: A physical location where public information staff coordinate during incidents.
32. Who establishes the JIC?
Answer: Incident Command or Unified Command, or by MAC Groups if needed.
33. The JIS integrates:
Answer: Incident information and public affairs into a unified message.
34. Public Information Officers (PIOs) work within the JIS to ensure:
Answer: Consistent, coordinated, timely information is released.
Section 6: EOCs and Multiagency Coordination
35. EOC staff may include representatives from many agencies.
Answer: True
36. When EOCs are activated:
Answer: Staff may fill traditional ICS-like roles (Planning, Operations, etc.) or use other
structures.
37. EOCs play a critical role in:
Answer: Resource coordination, information coordination, and support to on-scene
command.
38. MAC Groups:
Answer: Are policy-level entities that help allocate limited resources and resolve
interagency disputes.
39. EOCs can be organized by:
Answer: ICS structure, Emergency Support Functions (ESFs), or by department/agency.
