NCIER®
Active Shooter Incident Management (ASIM) is the national standard framework — developed by C3 Pathways and delivered by NCIER — for managing active shooter and hostile events. It integrates law enforcement, fire, and EMS into a unified multi-discipline response using the ASIM Checklist process. ASIM is endorsed by the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) and recognized by DHS/FEMA as a national standard (PER-353).
ALERRT and ALICE primarily focus on individual and law enforcement response tactics. ASIM addresses the full incident management picture — integrating all responding disciplines (law enforcement, fire, EMS, dispatch) under a unified command framework. Where ALERRT teaches officers what to do at the point of the threat, ASIM teaches the entire response system how to coordinate, triage, and manage a complex event from initial response through family reunification.
ASIM Advanced (PER-353) is available at no cost to qualifying agencies through DHS/FEMA grant programs. ASIM Basic Train-the-Trainer and SSAVEIM Train-the-Trainer are also frequently funded through COPS, AFG, and state homeland security grants. Contact NCIER to discuss funding options for your agency — we provide documentation to support grant applications.
Several federal funding paths apply: DHS/FEMA directly funds ASIM Advanced deliveries through the National Training Program. Agencies can also apply for COPS grants, Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funds, or state homeland security grants. NCIER’s training meets national preparedness priorities and HSEEP compliance requirements, making it eligible for most of these programs. We assist agencies with documentation and letters of support.
The ASIM Checklist™ is the operational tool at the core of the ASIM framework — a structured, role-based checklist that guides every first responder position (contact teams, rescue task force, medical branch, staging, command) through their tasks during an active shooter event. It ensures consistent, coordinated action regardless of who shows up on scene. The checklist is owned by C3 Pathways and licensed to agencies through NCIER training.
ASIM is designed for all first responder disciplines: law enforcement (patrol, SWAT, supervisors, commanders), fire (suppression, rescue), EMS (paramedics, EMTs, medical branch), emergency communications (dispatchers, comm center supervisors), and emergency management. School administrators, school resource officers, and hospital security personnel also participate in SSAVEIM, the school-focused variant of the program.
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