Which federal agency is responsible for establishing the national incident management system?

The correct answer is FEMA, which stands for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This agency is tasked with coordinating the federal government's response to natural disasters and other emergencies. In 2004, FEMA developed the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as a standardized approach to incident management, emphasizing interoperability among different agencies and sectors during emergencies. The establishment of NIMS was crucial for ensuring a more structured and effective response to incidents, aligning federal, state, local, and tribal organizations under a common framework.

The other options do not fulfill this responsibility. NIMS is the system itself, rather than an agency. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, focuses primarily on ensuring workplace safety and health. The CDC, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, primarily deals with public health and safety issues but does not set national incident management policies. Thus, FEMA is the appropriate authority recognized for establishing NIMS.