Emergency Response Structure 



In the event of a major animal health emergency in the United States, the appropriate 

 local, State, Tribal, and Federal governments and their partners (such as industry) 

 in the private sector must respond in a coordinated, mutually supportive manner 

 to ( 1 ) determine the nature of the disease outbreak or other emergency, (2) initiate 

 an appropriate response (e.g., eliminate or control disease), and (3) help facilitate 

 recovery (e.g., the resumption of business and trade). 



The National Animal Health Emergency 

 Management System (NAHEMS) 



A Federal-, State-, and industry-coordinated emergency response system established 

 in 1996, NAHEMS is designed to help the United States prevent, prepare for, 

 respond to, and recover from any foreign disease introduction causing significant 

 economic loss. Although a host of protective measures, including strictly enforced 

 import regulations, are in place to protect American agriculture, APHIS and its 

 State and industry partners are prepared to take immediate action to bring an FAD 

 introduction under control and to eradicate it. 



The National Incident Management System (NIMS) 



Since the terrorist attacks in September 2001, the Federal Government has 

 reevaluated how to respond to emergencies on U.S. soil. In 2003, the Department 

 of Homeland Security (DHS) established the National Incident Management 

 System (NIMS). This presidcntialK- mandated system, coordinated through 

 DHS, will provide a consistent nationwide approach for Federal, Tribal, State, 

 and local governments to work effectively and efficiently together to prepare for, 

 prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, 

 or complexity. 



NIMS provides a managerial and organizational structure for use in accomplishing 

 these objectives. Use of NIMS also provides the agricultural community with ready 

 access to the human and material resources of the wider emergency management 

 community, thus facilitating the potential mobilization of large-scale resources for 

 response to major emergencies. 



Under most circumstances, the existing well-trained cadre of local. State, and Federal 

 animal health professionals is sufficient to cope with a disease outbreak threatening 

 American agriculture. In the event of a sizable regional or national disease outbreak, 

 however, the agricultural community would need help from the larger emergency 

 management community to avoid being overwhelmed by the logistical, operational, 

 and administrative demands of a rapidly changing situation. 



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