"Plans must be realistic, scalable, and applicable to all types of incidents, from daily occurrences to incidents requiring the activation of interstate mutual aid, and to those requiring a coordinated Federal response. Plans, including emergency operations plans, should form the basis of training and be exercised periodically to ensure that all individuals involved in response are able to execute their assigned tasks. It is essential that plans address training and exercising and allow for the incorporation of after-action reviews, lessons learned and corrective actions with responsibility agreements following any major incidents or exercises. Plans should be updated periodically to reflect changes in the emergency management and incident response environment, as well as any institutional or organizational changes. Plans describe how personnel, equipment, and other governmental and nongovernmental resources will be used to support emergency management and incident response requirements. They represent the operational core of preparedness and provide mechanisms for setting priorities, integrating multiple jurisdictions/organizations and functions, establishing collaborative relationships, and ensuring that communications and other systems effectively support the full spectrum of emergency management and incident response activities. Plans should also incorporate strategies for maintaining continuity of government and continuity of operations during and after incidents, provide mechanisms to ensure resiliency of critical infrastructure and economic stability of communities, and incorporate the advance planning associated with resource management, and communications and information management. Plans should integrate all relevant departments, agencies, and organizations (including the private sector and NGOs, where appropriate) to facilitate coordinated emergency management and incident response activities. Where appropriate, these plans should incorporate a clearly defined process for seeking and requesting assistance from necessary department(s), agency(ies), and/or organizations. The Federal Government has defined plans by which Federal response resources will be deployed prior to or during incidents. Jurisdictions should be aware of these plans in order to accommodate Federal resources when necessary and should integrate them into their plans as appropriate. While it is recognized that jurisdictions and/or organizations will develop multiple types of plans, such as response, mitigation, and recovery plans, it is essential that these plans be coordinated and complement one another". (FEMA, National Incident Management System (FEMA 501/Draft), August 2007, p. 16)