County, city officials attend NIMS training

The training, which is required by the federal government, was provided by the Barrow County Emergency Management Agency.

“This course is designed as an orientation on the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System,” said Barrow County Emergency Services interim chief John Skinner. “The target audience for this training is those persons responsible for establishing or implementing policy, but who normally are not a part of the on-scene ICS organization.”

The course was conducted by staff from the Georgia Public Safety Training Center as part of a cooperative program along with the Georgia Forestry Commission and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security/GEMA.

All elected and appointed officials that are empowered to affect policy in times of emergency are required to attend NIMS training in order to remain eligible for federal public safety funding.

Skinner said the training would ensure that the county was better prepared for any possible disasters. Skinner emphasized that even though many elected officials and department heads were present for the training, no policy decisions were made.