About the National Qualifications System

The National Qualification System (NQS) provides an approach to qualify, certify, and credential incident management and support personnel to ensure that personnel deploying through mutual aid agreements and compacts have the capabilities to perform the duties of their assigned roles.

Nationally standardized criteria and minimum qualifications for positions provide a consistent baseline for qualifying, certifying, and credentialing the incident workforce. FEMA recommends minimum qualifications, but it is authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) across the Nation that establish, communicate, and administer the qualification and credentialing process for individuals seeking qualification for positions under that AHJ’s purview. AHJs have the authority and responsibility to develop, implement, maintain, and oversee the qualification, certification, and credentialing process within their organization or jurisdiction.

OneResponder System

OneResponder is a secure cloud-hosted system for organizations to manage personnel qualifications. It supports the implementation of the National Incident Management System’s (NIMS) resource management objective to qualify, certify, and credential incident personnel and aids emergency managers in implementing the NQS.

The system allows organizations to establish position requirements by issuing position task books (PTBs) and provides functions to customize and track training and performance requirements to achieve capability targets. Using a OneResponder account, responders can manage their PTBs and permanently store training and qualifications history in one location that they can access wherever they go. It can be accessed on any device with an internet or Wi-Fi connection including computers, tablets, and smartphones, allowing it to be seamlessly and rapidly employed at all levels of government prior to and during emergency response.

This is not a deployment system; it is a practical online system to help organizations manage their personnel and individual responders manage their qualifications and training history. The system is designed to support the development of a national incident workforce and is free to all Federal, state, local, territorial, Tribal agencies, non-government organizations, and other mission partners. A one-page slick sheet / brochure on OneResponder is available for download.

Get Started Using OneResponder

To get started using OneResponder, follow the steps below.

1. Organization managers can take ownership of their organization in OneResponder by completing the Request Form. 
2. Responders seeking to use OneResponder should contact their qualifications manager to find out if their organization uses the system. New responder accounts are issued by invitation only by organization managers.
3. Register for a PrepToolkit account if you don’t have one already. An approved Preptoolkit account is required to gain access to and use OneResponder. 

Once you have completed the steps above, FEMA will review your request and you will be notified by email regarding the next steps to start using OneResponder. Note: Your OneResponder log-in credentials are the same for PrepToolkit and the Resource Inventory System.

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