Building Specialized Response Teams to Strengthen Tennessee’s Emergency Readiness

At the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, our mission is to ensure the state is ready to respond to any disaster or emergency. A key part of that preparedness is investing in specialized emergency response teams that are trained, credentialed, and ready to respond with the right tools and training, whether at home or across the country. 

"Everything about emergency response is about partnerships, it's about relationships, it's about working together," said Ryan Thompson, Team Development Manager for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. "Because of these collaborative partnerships, we've been able to develop additional capacity across the state."

Over the past several years, TEMA has prioritized the development and credentialing of a range of specialized teams across the state. These include: Land Search Teams, All-Hazards Incident Management Teams, Emergency Management Support Teams, Urban Search & Rescue Teams, Swiftwater Rescue Teams, and Technical Rescue Teams.  Together, these teams form the backbone of an all-hazards emergency response environment - one that’s built on collaboration and readiness.

Recently, Chattanooga Fire Department's Swiftwater Rescue Team joined Tennessee's state-accredited response assets.  Now, with this accreditation complete, CFD’s Swiftwater Rescue Team becomes a trusted, deployable asset available to respond across the state, and potentially nationwide, when swiftwater rescue capabilities are needed most.

"It means that the state and TEMA have recognized that we have the equipment, the training, and the safety standards to be a swiftwater rescue team," said Chief Terry Knowles, Special Operations with the Chattanooga Fire Department.  "So, we can not only assist local agencies, but also state and federal agencies all across the country if needed during swiftwater or flood disasters."

Strengthening Capacity Through Real-World Exercises

As part of our ongoing efforts, TEMA recently facilitated the Phase II evaluation for Tennessee Task Force 2 – Urban Search & Rescue (US&R). This exercise was a major milestone and brought together state and federal partners, including members from Tennessee Task Force 1, as part of the 2025 TNCAT/Vigilant Guard Exercise. The exercise featured an active All-Hazards Incident Management Team component, allowing multiple agencies to test coordination in a complex scenario.

These large-scale training opportunities are essential to ensure that teams can work together under pressure and respond effectively during real emergencies.

Help Lead Tennessee’s Emergency Response: Recruiting for All-Hazards Incident Management Teams

Tennessee’s strength in emergency management depends on the dedicated people behind the response. That’s why the All-Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT) program is actively recruiting new members to support disaster response across the state.

 These teams play a critical role in managing complex incidents, everything from severe weather and wildfires to search-and-rescue operations and public health emergencies. The AHIMT structure brings together trained professionals who can step in, organize, and lead during high-pressure situations.

Why Join an AHIMT?

Joining an AHIMT means more than just being on standby. It means receiving specialized training, getting real-world experience, and having the opportunity to serve your community during its greatest times of need.

Whether you're aiming to serve as an Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Situation Unit Leader, or in another vital role, the AHIMT program offers a clear pathway to become qualified and credentialed in your position.

The Tennessee Incident Management Qualification System (TIMQS)

At the heart of the program is the Tennessee Incident Management Qualification System (TIMQS). This system:

• Aligns personnel with appropriate roles in the team structure
• Offers targeted training and real-world exercise opportunities
• Provides a mentorship-based credentialing process using Position Task Books
• Enables coaching and evaluation by experienced professionals in the field

This experiential learning model ensures participants not only understand their roles—but also gain the confidence and competence to lead effectively in real situations.

Applications for the All-Hazards Incident Management Teams can be found on the TEMA website.

Tennessee’s AHIMTs are built to support all-hazards responses, which means we need representation from across the emergency services landscape. Having a broad, multidisciplinary team ensures the right people are managing the right incidents - whether it’s a wildfire, a public safety crisis, or a missing person search.

Training Opportunities

There are many courses that support both the Land Search Team and All-Hazards Incident Management Team efforts.  

SAR 101 Search Operations 

This 1-day awareness level course gives a thorough overview of TEMA search operations and focuses on non-urban environments. This entry-level course will provide an excellent foundation that helps lead students into GPS/Land Navigation, Basic Visual Tracking, and Managing Search Operations. With a heavy focus on the 5-steps for conducting search and rescue operations, this course provides a solid base to build upon for each student.  

Prerequisites: 

None 

Scheduled: 

• August 12th, 2025, in Madison County, TN 
• September 2nd, 2025, in Montgomery County, TN 
• September 13th, 2025, in Lincoln County, TN 

SAR 125 GPS/Land Navigation 

This two 1/2-day course is hands-on, and the participants can expect to spend significant time outside, in the field/forest environment. There will be a GPS and compass navigation component, which will involve considerable hiking, and a terrain walk as part of the field exercise portion of the course. After training, participants will be familiar with topographical maps, coordinate systems, GPS technology, and mapping programs. Participants will be capable of relaying positioning information to search managers and receiving positioning instructions to move to directed search areas.   

Prerequisites: 

SAR 101 Search Operations  

Scheduled: 

• September 10-12, 2025, in Davidson County, TN 
• September 16-18, 2025, in Carroll County, TN 
• September 23-25, 2025, in Montgomery County, TN 

SAR 110 Basic Visual Tracking 

This 4-day course teaches the basic skills in visual tracking and map/compass orientation and specifically targets law enforcement tactical personnel and volunteer search/rescue, squads. Students receive 4 hours of classroom instruction. The remainder of the course will be outdoors, performing medium-intensity fieldwork and several tracking exercises of increasing difficulty and complexity.  

Prerequisites: 

Search Operations – SAR101  

Scheduled: 

TBD 

SAR 201 Managing Search Operations 

This course focuses on the initial establishment of incident command and ongoing management of an active SAR incident. The course covers several scenarios ranging from rural mountainous areas to the challenges of a law enforcement managed search in an urban setting.  

Prerequisites:   

SAR101 TEMA Search Operations, SAR125 GPS Land/Navigation, IS-200, G300 

Scheduled: 

• September 15-19, 2025, in Rutherford County, TN 

H218 Hazmat Awareness 

This 4-hour resident course covers the basic skills to recognize, detect, and identify the presence of hazardous materials during an emergency.  Students will learn how to define and describe how hazardous materials are classified, understand their risk, and proper notification procedures.  Topics on instruction include Understanding the importance of initiating command and control activities during a hazardous materials incident, surveying a hazardous material incident, identifying the containment systems and materials involved, and using the Emergency Response Guidebook.  

Prerequisites:   

None 

Scheduled: 

• July 22, 2025, in Hamilton County, TN 
• July 29, 2025, in Jackson County, TN 
• August 2, 2025, in Jackson County, TN
• August 19, 2025, in Shelby County, TN 
• September 18, 2025, in Dickson County, TN 

You can find more information on TEMA's Training programs and courses offered here.