The National Response Framework (NRF) establishes a single, comprehensive approach to domestic incident management. The NRF is used to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies. It is an all-hazards plan built on the template of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The NRF provides the structure and mechanisms for national-level policy and operational direction for domestic incident management.
The NRF can be partially or fully implemented in the context of a threat, anticipation of a significant event, or in response to an incident requiring a coordinated Federal response. Selective implementation through the activation of the NRF elements allows maximum flexibility to meet the unique operational and information-sharing requirements of any situation. It enables effective interaction among various federal, state, local, tribal, private-sector, and other nongovernmental entities.
The development of a National Response Framework was mandated by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5. The plan was completed in January 2005 and revised after Hurricane Katrina. The NRF integrates the National Contingency Plan (NCP) and other national-level contingency plans, and supersedes the following plans:
- Federal Response Plan (FRP);
- Domestic Terrorism Concept of Ops Plan;
- Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan; and
- Initial National Response Plan.
