Following the Suffolk tornado in 2008, the Hampton Roads Fire Chiefs Association (HRFCA) recognized the need for a regional Incident Management Team (IMT) to assist with managing significant incidents/events that can overwhelm a single locality.
The Hampton Roads IMT (HRIMT) Oversight Committee was formed by the HRFCA in 2009 to develop recommendations for the establishment of a regional IMT. The recommendations from the Oversight Committee included that the team:
- Due to the risks/threats/events in the region, develop an All-Hazard approach to incident management.
- Allow team membership from local, regional, state, and federal agencies represented in the Hampton Roads area.
- Seek state and federal grant funding.
The HRIMT was created in 2010 funded by federal grant money supplemented by Virginia Port Authority funding and logistics, The City of Chesapeake agreed to be the host city providing fiduciary oversight, equipment storage, and office space.
Originally, the mission of the HRIMT was to provide aid in the Hampton Roads region and, if requested, to other intrastate agencies. Since that time, the HRIMT’s role has expanded to supporting the management of events or incidents outside the Commonwealth of Virginia (COV) via the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
