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Editorial revision: October 7, 2026. External course availability and provider requirements may change.
 

This pathway builds an understanding of incident coordination, school emergency planning, communication, and learning from incidents.

The sequence establishes the response structure first, applies it to school planning, and concludes with communication and after-action review.
 

Who This Pathway Is For

School safety and security directors, administrators, emergency planning teams, and personnel with incident coordination responsibilities. IS-200.c is especially relevant to supervisory roles.
 

What You Will Learn

• Explain the basic roles and structure used in incident management.

• Connect incident coordination principles with school emergency planning.

• Strengthen emergency communication and use after-action review to identify improvements.
 

Step 1 

IS-100.c — Introduction to the Incident Command System

FEMA

Learn the basic structure, roles, and principles of ICS. Provider estimated time: 2 hours.

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Step 4 

IS-362.a — Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools

Apply emergency preparedness principles to developing, implementing, and maintaining a school emergency operations plan.
FEMA
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Step 2 

IS-700.b — An Introduction to the National Incident Management System

Understand the framework used to coordinate incident management across agencies and organizations.
FEMA
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Step 5 

IS-242.c — Effective Communication

FEMA
Strengthen communication skills for routine interactions and emergency situations.
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Step 3 

IS-200.c — Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response

FEMA

Build on ICS fundamentals with a focus on initial response and supervisory responsibilities. Prerequisite: IS-100.c. Provider estimated time: 4 hours.

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Step 6 

After-Action Review and Reporting: An Introduction

Learn how to review incidents and identify improvements. The course uses a law enforcement context. A provider account is required.
COPS Training Portal
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FEMA course pages provide instructions for taking the training and final exam. A FEMA Student Identification number is required for the final exam.

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Put Your Learning Into Practice

What changes could we make to our emergency plan, communication practices, or incident reviews based on this learning?

Directors may use this question for a team discussion. Individual learners can note one practical action to take in their own role.

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Apply and Review

Choose one situation relevant to your role. Discuss what you would recognize, what information is still needed, who should be involved, what action fits your responsibilities, what should be documented, and how you would review the outcome.

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Keep Your Learning Records

Keep any completion certificates or records offered by the training providers. Team leaders may establish their own documentation and completion requirements. Application notes are for the learner or team and do not need to be submitted to NASSO.

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Completing a NASSO Compass pathway documents learning; it does not by itself demonstrate competency or establish qualification to perform a specialized function. Apply the learning within your role, training, and school or agency procedures.

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