Chapter II - Domestic CBRN CM (6) Applicable Laws and Agreements in the Domestic Operational Environment: (C) National Response Framework Guidance: The NRF is a guide to how the nation conducts all-hazards response. It is built upon Scalable, Flexible, and Adaptable Coordinating Structures to align key roles and responsibilities across the nation. It describes specific authorities and best practices for managing incidents that range from the serious but purely local, to large-scale terrorist attacks or catastrophic natural disasters. (1) The NRF explains the common discipline and structures that have been exercised and matured at the local, tribal, state, and national levels over time. It describes key lessons learned from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, focusing particularly on how the USG is organized to support communities and states in catastrophic incidents. Most important, it builds upon NIMS, which provides a consistent template for managing incidents. (2) The term response as used in the NRF includes immediate actions to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs. Response also includes the execution of emergency plans and actions to support short-term recovery. The NRF is always in effect, and elements can be implemented as needed on a flexible, scalable basis to improve response. (3) The NRF is comprised of the core document, the ESF, Support, and Incident Annexes, and the partner guides. (a) Core Document: The core document describes the doctrine that guides the national response, roles and responsibilities, response actions, response organizations, and planning requirements to achieve an effective national response to any incident that occurs. (b) Emergency Support Function Annexes: Appendix B, Department of Defense Roles and Responsibilities for Emergency Support Functions, of the NRF, groups federal resources and capabilities into 15 functional areas that are most frequently needed in a national response. (c) Support Annexes: The support annexes describe essential supporting aspects that are common to all incidents (e.g., financial management, volunteer and donations management). (d) Incident Annexes: The incident annexes address the unique aspects of how agencies respond to seven broad incident categories (e.g., biological, nuclear, radiological). (e) Partner guides provide ready references describing key roles and actions for local, tribal, state, federal, and private-sector response partners