Vidalia &8212; Fire Chief Jack Langston said he is confident that his department will pass the National Instrument Management System or NIMS test by Sept. 30.

&8220;We&8217;re a small department in number, but I&8217;d put these guys up against any station,&8221; Langston said.

NIMS, Langston said, is a spin off the Incident Command System, or ICS program, started in 1970 in California, to help fire departments better deal with wildfires.

In the ICS program, each member of the station is trained to assume the role of incident commander as well as be responsible for logistics, planning and finance during an emergency.

&8220;Everyone knows how the different government agencies reacted to Hurricane Katrina and what a big mess that was,&8221; Langston said. &8220;NIMS is designed to help local governments and departments work together more efficiently during a disaster.&8221;

In a meeting on Aug. 8, Langston told Mayor Copeland and the board of aldermen in order to receive disaster funds from the federal government they would each have to pass the written NIMS test.

&8220;The money given to our station is all government granted,&8221; Langston said. &8220;If we want money to pay for new equipment like fire trucks, turnout gear and any of the latest technology, the men here have to pass the test.&8221;

Langston said no official date has been set to take the test but it would be completed before the deadline.