I was very pleased to see last week’s announcement by the All-Hazards Incident Management Team Association (AHIMTA) about their certification services for incident management personnel. From their website, AHIMTA is utilizing the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the National Qualification System (NQS) as the baseline for their AHIMTA Incident Management Certification System (AIMCS). Information, including trainee application information can be found at https://www.ahimta.org/certification. In many ways, the AIMCS is a continuation of the Interstate Incident Management Qualifications System (IIMQS) Guide that AHMITA developed in 2012.
AHIMTA is providing a much-needed service, filling a vacuum that has always existed in the all-hazards incident management team (IMT) program in the US. While FEMA is responsible for maintaining the NQS, they have not actually provided certification or qualification of IMTs or IMT personnel. Last year it was decided that the US Fire Administration would discontinue their management of the AHIMT program. While the USFA didn’t provide any certification services, the program guidance they provided was valuable. They were also the primary federal agency doing anything with external AHIMTs. While some states have implemented the FEMA NQS standard for IMTs and associated positions, others have not. Even among the states that have, some have only done so, officially, for state-sponsored teams/personnel and not for those affiliated with local governments or other entities. Clearly gaps exist that must be filled. AHIMTA has continued to advocate for quality AHIMTs and personnel across the nation.
AHIMTA’s role as a third-party certification provider presents an interesting use case. While not unique, a third party providing a qualification certification (not a training certificate) based on a federal standard is not necessarily common. AHIMTA doesn’t have any explicit authority to provide this certification from FEMA or others, but as a respected organization in the AHIMT area of practice, I don’t think their qualifications to do so can be denied. Certification demands a certain rigor and even assumes liability. The documentation of the processes associated with their certification are well documented in their AIMCS Guide. While AHIMTA can’t require their certification, states and other jurisdictions may very well adopt it as the standard by which they will operate, and can make it a requirement for their jurisdiction. Aside from some very specific certifications that have existed, such as those for wildfire incident management personnel, much of AHIMT practices has been self-certification, which can vary in quality and rigor. The AIMCS program can provide consistency as well as relieve the pressure from states and other jurisdictions in forming and managing their own qualification systems. There will also be an expected level of consistency and excellence that comes from AHIMTA.
All that said, I continue to have reservations about membership organizations offering professional certifications. While membership organizations arguably have some of the greatest interest in the advancement of their profession and adherence to standards, as well as the pool of knowledge within their practice, the potential for membership influencing the process or injecting bias against non-members can never fully be eliminated. I feel that certifications should be provided by government agencies or fully independent organizations that are not beholden to a membership. Not wishing to stall AHIMTA’s progress or success in this program, I’m hopeful they may be willing to create a separate organization solely for the purposes of certification credentialing. I’d also love to see, be it offered in conjunction with this program or otherwise, an EOC qualification certification program, ideally centered upon FEMA’s EOC Skillsets, but with qualification endorsements for various EOC organizational models, such as the Incident Support Model.
I’m very interested to see the progress to be made by the AIMCS and how states and other jurisdictions adopt it as their standard. This certification should have significant impact on the continued development of quality all-hazard incident management teams.
What are your thoughts on this certification program?
© 2023 Timothy Riecker, CEDP
The Contrarian Emergency Manager 
Tim,
I have been an AHIMTA member since 2010 and support their work. I reviewed the AHIMTA Incident Management Certification System (AIMCS) when it came out last Friday.
As I was looking at the qualification requirements, I saw positions that had a leadership training requirement, but nowhere in the document could I find what courses/classes would qualify as leadership training. They need further guidance in this area.
I believe that rural states that lack sufficient funding to support their AHIMT efforts will find it challenging to meet the required training requirements they have set, specifically completion of subordinate unit leader positions and the cost of certification. Therefore, the AHIMTA AIMCS may not be a good fit for them.
Hi Franklin,
For some reason I’m now seeing this comment five months later! I think a lot of facets across public safety seem to take leadership training for granted. It’s often stated just as you pointed out, with no particular references or learning objectives.
I agree that rural states and many local jurisdictions will have difficulty achieving these certification requirements. It doesn’t mean they are bad, but it does reinforce the gap that exists for these areas.