Reposted from EMR-ISAC

Mutual aid agreements establish the terms under which one party provides resources — personnel, teams, facilities, equipment and supplies — to another party. These agreements can support all mission areas; they can be established before, during or after incidents; and they can be between all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector. Mutual aid does not include direct federal assistance.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) just released an updated guidance document, National Incident Management System for Mutual Aid (Guideline). The Guideline supports the Resource Management component of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) by providing guidance on different types of mutual aid agreements, the key elements of a mutual aid agreement and the key elements of mutual aid operational plans used for implementation.

Since the Guideline was last updated in 2017, it has been expanded to incorporate national stakeholders’ new best practices, strategies, and resources for mutual aid agreements, including:

• Impacts and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic on mutual aid operations.
• Acknowledgement of legal liabilities for parties in a mutual aid agreement.
• Additional special considerations for underserved communities.
• Additional emphasis on the importance of a common operating picture.
• Guidance for virtual mutual aid delivery in order to provide support in alignment with FEMA lifelines.

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