In Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5 (HSPD-5), President Bush called on the secretary of homeland security to develop a national incident management system to provide a consistent nationwide approach for federal, state, tribal, and local governments to work together to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity.

On March 1, 2004, after close collaboration with state and local government officials and representatives from a wide range of public safety organizations, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued the NIMS.