InfoGram

January 4, 2001

NOTE: This InfoGram will be distributed weekly to provide members of the emergency services sector with news and information concerning the protection of their critical information systems. For further information please contact the U.S. Fire Administration's Critical Infrastructure Protection Information Center at (301) 447-1325 or email at usfacipc@fema.gov.

Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP): "Food for Thought"

The systems that make up the critical Infrastructure of our Nation include telecommunications, energy, banking and finance, transportation, water systems, and emergency services. Emergency services, while primarily a State and local government function include a broad range of fire, rescue, emergency medical services (EMS), and police. The interruption or lessening of the ability of any of these Critical Infrastructures to carry out their functions would seriously impact the Nation.

Everyday we use telecommunications systems such as the public telephone company both in our personal and professional lives. It is extremely difficult to say the least, to function without these systems. An interruption of our energy supplies was felt by many of us during the gasoline shortages in the seventies, and may threaten us yet again. The loss of a transportation system can be felt when a large metropolitan area is subject to a mass transit strike. These, examples while somewhat simplistic are indicative of how the interruption or loss of any one of these Critical Infrastructures can seriously impact our everyday life.

Within the past several years, computers have allowed us to interconnect to all of these systems. The banking and finance sector now relies very heavily on the telecommunications sector. When the telecommunication systems are shut down there is no electronic transfer of funds which has a devastating effect on the banking and finance sector. Our transportation systems are dependant on the energy and the telecommunications systems to provide them with sufficient fuel at the right time to provide their services. The airline industry as a part of the transportation sector, depends on the energy sector to provide it with the vast quantities of jet fuel that it uses each day. A stoppage of this fuel supply would halt airline operations. In fact, a problem with any one of the Critical Infrastructure sectors has a significant impact on the other, as they have become increasingly automated and are now extensively interconnected.

The emergency services sector is also heavily dependant upon the Nation's other critical infrastructures. The 911 telephone systems, which are part of the telecommunications sector, are crucial to emergency response operations. Across the Nation, people have been trained to call 911 for emergency assistance. Fire alarm boxes have been removed from most cities and towns. What do we do when a 911 system interruption occurs?

In December of 2000 a fire occurred in Marshall, NC, where telephone cables at a switching station were burned which interrupted 911 service, according to the Associated Press. The area was without 911 service for several hours while repairs were made.

During the same month, flooding occurred at a Charleston, WV, telephone office that resulted in a 911 outage. To inform the citizens of the problem, the emergency alerting system was utilized and the following message was displayed on televisions in southern West Virginia, "A civil emergency has been issued for the following counties: Entire state of West Virginia, Boone, Clay, Kanawha, Putnam (counties), until 6:51 p.m. " Many citizens complained to the authorities that they were not told what the emergency was or what they were to do. There was mass confusion, as numerous areas of the State are subject to chemical emergency warnings.

These are just two examples of our Critical Infrastructure dependence and how it affects our ability to do our jobs. Does your community have a plan to deal with 911 outages? How do you inform your citizens about the problem? If your community has a workable plan please forward the information to our office (telephone: 301-447-1325 and/or E-Mail: usfacipc@dhs.gov) so that we may share it with other communities!