Incident Management Support Team

Incident Management Support Team (IMST)

• The IMST establishes critical incident contingency plans and assists with coordinating and managing the Department of Law Enforcement's response during mobilizations for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and large-scale critical incidents.
• The IMST serves as the Department of Law Enforcement's National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) point of contact.

Authority and Responsibilities

• The IMST acts under the authority of the Director of the Regional Services Bureau.
• The IMST is responsible for coordinating the Department of Law Enforcement's response to any incident or event requiring a full-scale Incident Command System response.

Goals and Objectives

• Provide a level of service consistent with the standards of the Broward Sheriff's Office and meet the needs of the community during critical incidents and special events.
• Maintain active liaison with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and other DLE districts, divisions, and bureaus.
• Maintain and update lists of emergency points of distributions (PODs).
• Work with the BSO Training Division to conduct and coordinate National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) training for all DLE employees, including table-top exercises and field exercises.
• Provide operational support in the form of the Incident Command System to any on-scene Incident Commander.
• Organize intra-agency emergency coordination and planning workshops and exercises.

IMST Support Staff

• Assists the IMST supervisor with maintaining and updating lists of available resources and assets.
• Maintains the agency's mobile command post(s) and COW tactical radio communications platform in a state of readiness.
• Responds to emergency incidents to assist the on-scene Incident Commander and the IMST Supervisor.

Uniforms and Equipment

• The IMST Supervisor assigns the uniform of the day; however, IMST personnel shall wear a Class B or Class C uniform for routine operations.
• The DLE IMST Sergeant is responsible for maintaining all equipment assigned to the IMST.

Communications On Wheels (COW)

• The COW is a standalone generator-powered portable radio system and radio tower capable of transmitting and receiving a 700/800 MHz Motorola system along with providing repeater capability for statewide emergency mutual aid channels.
• The COW provides emergency communication capabilities when the primary radio systems are inoperable or at operational capacity.

Training and Qualification

• IMST personnel are encouraged to attend training courses and conferences, including Critical Incident training, Hazardous Materials training, Hurricane Preparedness training, Mass Casualty Incident training, Incident Command System (ICS) training, and National Incident Management (NIMS) training.

Emergency Operations Plans

• IMST personnel prepare contingency plans for a variety of critical incidents and disasters involving DLE operations.
• The IMST is available to respond to critical incidents to assist the Incident Commander with the establishment of a command post and liaison with other municipal, state, and federal agencies that respond.
• The IMST provides a 24-hour response capability for DLE.

Learn about the role and responsibilities of the Incident Management Support Team (IMST) in response to critical incidents, including natural disasters and acts of terrorism.