From Request to Arrival: A Practical ICS Resource-Ordering Workflow

A resource request is not complete when someone says, “We are working on it.” The requesting team needs to know what was approved, what was ordered, when it will arrive, and what to do if the original need changes.

This guide offers a practical way to tighten that handoff using FEMA resource-management guidance and the ICS 213RR Resource Request Message. Adapt the workflow to your jurisdiction’s approved procedures; the form is a tool, not a substitute for ordering authority.

1. Describe the mission before choosing the equipment

Start with the task and the operational consequence of not meeting it. A request for “a generator” leaves important questions unanswered. Identify the required capability, delivery location, receiving contact, time needed, anticipated duration, and any safety or operating constraints. Have qualified personnel validate technical specifications.

If you cannot identify the right resource configuration, describe the requirement rather than guessing. FEMA’s resource-management training explicitly recognizes requirements-based requests. A supplier or supporting agency can then help identify an appropriate solution through the established coordination process.

2. Give each request a durable identity

The ICS 213RR includes a resource request number, quantity, kind, type, detailed description, requested and estimated arrival times, reporting location, suggested substitutes, priority, and approval fields. Use the locally required form or system and keep the identifier consistent across follow-up messages.

As a local improvement, include the request number in email subjects and shift handoffs. Record revisions against that number rather than creating an unexplained replacement. A changed delivery location or quantity should be visible to both the requestor and the ordering point.

3. Separate approval from an actual order

Agree in advance who can request resources, who approves different categories of requests, and who may commit funds. FEMA advises establishing ordering and purchasing guidelines; not every routine order needs the same approval path.

For your local tracker, consider distinct labels such as submitted, awaiting clarification, approved, ordered, en route, received, and cancelled. These are suggested workflow labels, not mandated ICS resource-status categories. Define what evidence moves an item between labels. “Approved” should not imply that a supplier has accepted an order.

4. Keep request status separate from resource status

A truck may have arrived while its equipment is still awaiting inspection or assignment. Delivery alone does not establish operational readiness.

FEMA distinguishes resource tracking from the ordering activity and identifies assigned, available, and out-of-service resource statuses. Preserve that distinction in briefings: report the request’s progress alongside the actual resource’s operational status when known. Coordinate check-in and status updates through the incident’s established organization.

5. Make exceptions visible before the next shift

A useful local practice is to maintain an exception list: requests without a confirmed source, deliveries that will miss the required time, proposed substitutes awaiting acceptance, and orders that may no longer be needed. Give each exception an owner and next update time.

At shift change, ask three questions: What remains unmet? What decision is needed? Who will follow up next? Do not let an estimated arrival time become an unqualified promise. Record the source and time of the latest confirmation.

6. Connect the request to the cost record

The ICS 213RR provides space for cost and Finance comments. As a practical records-control step, cross-reference the request with applicable purchase, delivery, usage, and invoice records. Follow your organization’s procurement and records procedures.

For organizing the expense side, Response Depot’s Cost Recovery / FEMA Reimbursement Documentation Tracker includes an editable Excel expense workbook with document references and review-status fields, plus a Word quick guide. It is an expense-documentation aid, not an incident resource-ordering system or a guarantee of reimbursement.

Try a short handoff test

Before the next activation, give a new shift a fictional request with a changed delivery address, an unconfirmed arrival estimate, and a proposed substitute. Ask the team to identify the current approved requirement, locate the ordering contact, and explain what remains unresolved without calling the outgoing shift. Use the gaps to improve your procedure.

Bottom line: a useful resource request leaves a traceable record of the need, authority, order, delivery, and unresolved decisions—not just a completed form.

Sources and scope

Sources checked October 15, 2026. This is evergreen organizational guidance, not a new FEMA policy announcement. Local procedures and delegated authorities control.

• FEMA IS-703.B: Resource Management During Incidents
• FEMA IS-703.B: NIMS Resource Management course material
• FEMA ICS 213RR: Resource Request Message