Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

Request Assistance from the State Incident Management Team

Need help with an incident? We're trained to assist with personnel and resources.

An Incident Management Team member participates in an exercise at PEMA Headquarters.

Overview

Help from our Incident Management Team can be requested by a local incident commander, county emergency management agency coordinator, regional task force chair, muti-agency coordinating center, or state agency.

Criteria to Request Help

  1. 1

    You're Overwhelmed

    The incident or event must overwhelm the capability of the incident management staff.

  2. 2

    Longer Than 24 Hours

    The incident or event is expected to extend beyond 24 hours including response and recovery operations.

  3. 3

    Many Are Involved

    The incident or event involves multiple disciplines and multiple jurisdictions.

  4. 4

    Lots of Resources

    The number of responding single resources exceeds 100.

  5. 5

    Planning Across Organizations

    A planned event that requires the coordination of multiple agencies and organizations, and multiple jurisdictions are involved.

  6. 6

    Significant Response Challenges

    An event that poses unique or significant response challenges and/or special tactical operations.

Arrival Time

Key elements can be on the scene in four to six hours after the request is approved. The full team might take 12 to 18 hours to arrive to an incident within Pennsylvania with a full cache of equipment to set up a base of operations.

Contact

If you have questions about the Incident Management Team or need help, send us an email.

Request Our Help

Local Agencies: Make a request to your County Emergency Management Agency.

County Emergency Management Agencies: Make a request to your Regional Task Force, Multi-Agency Coordination Center (if one is in operation), or request directly through the State Emergency Operations Center

What Happens Next?

The State Emergency Operations Center, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Director, and State Fire Commissioner will review your request with Incident Management Team leaders.

We'll notify you if your request is approved and will let you know estimated time of arrival.