(March 2009)
Critical infrastructures of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) of the United States (i.e., emergency managers, police, fire, EMS, and 9-1-1) are the personnel, physical assets, and communication/cyber systems that must be intact and operational 24x7 in order to ensure survivability, continuity of operations, and mission success. In other words, they are the essential people, equipment, and systems to prevent or mitigate the catastrophic results of all man-made and natural disasters.
Generally, critical infrastructure protection (CIP) consists of the proactive activities to protect indispensable people, physical assets, and communication/cyber systems from all hazards. More formally, it is an analytical process to guide the systematic protection of critical infrastructures by the application of a reliable decision sequence that assists leaders to determine exactly what needs protection and when security measures must occur. As a time-efficient and resource-restrained practice, the process ensures the protection of only those infrastructures upon which survivability and mission success actually depend. The process involves the following steps: identifying the organization’s critical infrastructures, determining the threats against those infrastructures, analyzing the vulnerabilities of threatened infrastructures, assessing the risks of degradation or loss of a critical infrastructure, and applying countermeasures where risk is unacceptable.
Community leaders including those of emergency response organizations have the responsibility to determine which infrastructures must be protected from attacks by people, nature, or hazmat accidents.
The EMR-ISAC provides no-cost CIP consultation services to ESS leaders by a variety of convenient methods. To assist the implementation of CIP, the EMR-ISAC published a CIP Process Job Aid and Homeland Security Advisory System Guide, which are posted on the U.S. Fire Administration website at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/emr-isac. Additionally, the EMR-ISAC offers the following information to ESS personnel who are subscribed at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/emr-isac/subscribe/.
Furthermore, the EMR-ISAC disseminates Department of Homeland Security (DHS) CIP Information For Official Use Only (FOUO) to ESS leaders through the secure portals of DHSInteractive. These CIP (FOUO) Notices contain emergent, actionable information regarding threats and vulnerabilities to support effective advanced prevention, protection, and mitigation activities.
Police, fire, EMS, hazmat, 9-1-1, and emergency management personnel currently occupying leadership positions in their respective departments and agencies who subscribe for EMR-ISAC CIP information will additionally receive the CIP (FOUO) Notices after their online application has been reviewed and their identity properly validated.
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center
National Emergency Training Center
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727
Phone: (301) 447-1325
Email: emr-isac@fema.dhs.gov
Web: www.usfa.fema.gov/emr-isac
Last Reviewed: March 25, 2009
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U.S. Fire Administration, 16825 S. Seton Ave., Emmitsburg, MD 21727 | USNG: 18SUJ00529652
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