enough, numerous ICS classes were offered that same year (Cabag Jr., 2012).
In one advertisement from the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center ([ADPC], 2009), was revealed that a collaborative effort was being put forward to train countries about the ICS system. This collaboration included the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service ([USFS], n.d.). According to the information, ICS was adapted to many countries including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. This adaption was based on the structure of the countries national government while being cognizant of cultural considerations. This specific training offered Train‐the‐Trainer ICS course curriculum to key national agencies and trainers (ADPC, 2009). Train‐the‐Trainer courses provide the individual or agency with the knowledge and resources to become instructors and to teach the ICS system to others. According to the US Forest Service (n.d.), beyond the ASEAN, the agency had provided ICS trainings to Canada, Australia, Mexico, Bulgaria, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka by some time in 2007 (USFS, n.d.). Additionally, after the approval of the Sendai Framework, there were also a multitude of classes that were offered in ICS in 2015 and beyond.
3.2 Australia
In the 1980s, the Australian government created the Australian Inter‐Service Incident Management System (AIIMS). This was the first iteration of an IMS system in Australia. It closely mimicked the National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS) system in use by the US Forest Service and that was based on the IMS method of ICS.
In 1989, the Australian government enacted legislation called the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act. The legislation mandated that an IMS system should be developed for all disciplines within public safety. The first implementation of Australian Inter‐Service Incident Management System (AIIMS) method was sometime in 1991, and it implemented Incident Control System as the way to manage an incident. The Incident Control System was nearly identical to the USICS method, with one primary difference. The person in charge of an incident was not known as the Incident Commander (IC), but rather an Incident Controller (Turner, n.d.). In 2002, after hearing years of criticism that the system was fundamentally for the fire service, the Australian and New Zealand National Council for fire, emergency services, and land management undertook a revamping of the system to make it nonspecific to discipline type. While some changes were made, the system closely resembles ICS method used in the United States.
Sometime after the September 11 attacks, the US Fire Administration, in conjunction with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) began training Australians. This was done on‐campus at the National Fire Academy to assist them in getting advanced training on the US version of ICS. Specific individuals were chosen to attend the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. With the ICS training from the National Fire Academy, Australian first responders began to adapt the Australian Inter‐Service Incident Management System (AIIMS) method to integrate with the ICS method. This ensured that whenever the Australian personnel worked with other agencies from around the world, they would be able to work nearly seamlessly with each other.
The latest iteration of the Australian Inter‐Service Incident Management System (AIIMS) method utilizing the Incident Control System is also compatible with the ICS method used in the United States. Much like the United States utilizes NIMS for integration of resources, and they use the ICS method to manage the incident, the Australians utilize AIIMS for the integration of resources and the Incident Control System to manage the incident. In recent years, the United States and Australia have seamlessly exchanged Incident Management Teams (IMTs) during eventful fire seasons. This integration from each other's country went smoothly, with relatively few problems.
Beyond the use of Incident Control System, another IMS method commonly used in the United States for healthcare facilities is the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) to manage emergencies and disasters in hospitals. Similarly, the Australian healthcare system is closely mirrored to HICS, but it is called Hospital Incident Management System ([HIMS], n.d.). This IMS method allows hospitals to keep their basic hierarchy while still being able to integrate and be compliant with the larger IMS method for requesting external resources. In the case of Australia, the Hospital Incident Management System (HIMS) method integrates with the AIIMS method.
3.3 Bermuda
Bermuda mirrors the Incident Command System used by the United States. In fact, Bermuda's ICS system mirrors the US program so much, that the same number classification for levels of training is used. According to Bermuda's Authority in Workplace Safety and Health (n.d.), individuals can be trained on ICS‐100, ICS‐200, and ICS‐300, although there was no mention of ICS‐400 (Worksafe BDS, n.d.). These classes have very similar descriptions of the classes offered by the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in the United States, and they are numbered much in the same way. While there is no concrete information on where the Bermuda Islands received their training, it could be speculated that they may have received their training from the US Forest Service. It is possible that this might be the reason the ICS method in Bermuda closely mimics the ICS method in the United States.
Gathering information from press releases, it appears as if the Incident Command System has been used in Bermuda since at least 2012. In 2013, off the Island of Bermuda, Exxon Oil, the Bermuda Department of Environmental Protection, and various other businesses (and agencies) participated in a full‐scale exercise together. The exercise was a four‐day exercise, and the command and control system used was the ICS method (Bermuda Department of Communication, 2013).
No information could be found as to whether Bermuda utilizes the HICS method to manage incidents within a hospital. If the HICS system is currently not used in Bermuda, there is a likelihood that it may be used in the future.
3.4 Burma/Myanmar
As was previously mentioned, in 2003, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed an agreement with each other that they would implement the Incident Command System in each of their countries. This was done so that when one country needed the assistance of another, the method to manage the incident would be seamless in guiding resources from the other ASEAN countries. In looking at the ICS method used in Burma/Myanmar, it looks identical to the IMS method created in the United States. This is in part because the United States Agency for International Development and the United States Forestry Service provided ICS training to Bermuda/Myanmar. By 30 June 2010, all training in Bermuda/Myanmar had been completed (UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 2010).
It appears as if Burma/Myanmar does not use the Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (HEICS) or Hospital Incident Command System (HICS). While there is no way to confirm it, no information was found that discussed the HEICS method or the HICS, or anything similar being used in this country after undertaking extensive search. For the sake of the citizens, we can only hope that this changes in the near future.
3.5 Bangladesh
The country of Bangladesh has been extremely proactive in disaster management and incident management, much to the surprise of many. They have implemented an IMS method that closely resembles NIMS, but it uses a different name and acronym. The Mutli‐Agency Disaster Incident Management System (MADIMS) method is used widely in Bangladesh, and similar to its counterpart (NIMS), the ICS method is a key component of the system for managing incident operations.
To better understand just how comprehensive the use of the MADIMS method is, you only need to view the governments Standing Orders on Disaster ([SOD], 2010). Due to numerous disasters, Bangladesh is, and has been, active in disaster preparedness, so the use of the MADIMS method would seem to be a natural progression. The original framework was implemented in the country in 1997, and then updated in 2010. While the initial framework for disaster management (which included and their own IMS method) was implemented early on, the signing of the UN Hyogo Framework for Actions (HFA 2005–2015) inspired the government to go a step further. Based on Hyogo agreement, Bangladesh felt it was critical to update the Standing Orders on Disaster (SOD) and make sure that it was implemented in all sectors of the government, for all types of incidents