InfoGram

January 17, 2002

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.

CIP Planning and Emergency Preparedness

It is a common belief among respected security experts that the critical infrastructures of the United States will be threatened during 2002 by deliberate attacks from people (e.g., terrorists, other criminals, hackers, etc.), natural attacks from nature (e.g., floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.) and accidental attacks from HazMat accidents involving chemical, biological, or radiological substances.

Government officials agree that natural disasters and HazMat accidents will continue to occur throughout the nation. These incidents will significantly affect physical infrastructures with adverse consequences for the well-being of many Americans. Scientists speculate that weather-related events will probably increase in frequency and severity. Fires, hazardous spills, and industrial accidents will also happen on a regular basis. At the same time, U.S. cyber infrastructures will be confronted by a growing series of threats directly linked to our dependence on computers, fiber-optic lines, and the switches and routers that connect them.

Future deliberate, natural, or accidental attacks have the serious potential to disrupt or degrade critical infrastructures. To acquire comprehensive emergency preparedness for these assaults, the CIPIC recommends that local emergency planning committees (LEPCs) incorporate critical infrastructure protection (CIP) into their plans. Preferably, CIP planning is an extension of emergency preparedness activities, rather than an entirely new or different effort. It is a process that will make a positive difference in the health and safety of citizens only if applied and reapplied on an annual basis.

Simply adding CIP measures to an emergency management plan that is more than a year old will be ineffective. When conducting an annual review, LEPCs can practice CIP by identifying new critical infrastructures requiring protection, and deleting those infrastructures no longer existing or in need of security. During each update, countermeasures to protect new critical infrastructures should be scheduled for implementation as soon as available resources (i.e., money, personnel, time, or materials) permit.

Agroterrorism

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), farms and the food supply remain among the nation’s most exposed targets for terrorism. Fertilizers can be used to produce powerful bombs, pesticides can become chemical weapons, and small amounts of deadly bacteria can taint the food supply for thousands of people. Their experts say fresh produce may be the food most vulnerable to tampering because it is often eaten raw and is subject to little government inspection. Given these facts, the USDA maintains that agricultural terrorism awareness needs to be heightened by federal, state, and local authorities.

In a related action, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is aiming new guidelines toward farmers, food processors, restaurateurs, and grocery store owners. The FDA began working with the food industry on recommendations shortly after the September 11 attacks. As a result of their efforts, the agency will imminently issue food safety guidelines that involve everything from patrolling salad bars to checking to see whether waiters have criminal backgrounds. The proposed voluntary procedures also include regularly testing water supplies and monitoring for suspicious employee activity. However, consumer advocates insist that voluntary measures are not enough to protect the food supply. Their work in the halls of Congress may eventually generate a consolidation of government inspection services to give the FDA and USDA more authority.

The FDA teaches that consumers are the final judges for the safety of the food they buy. Call the FDA’s toll free consumer helpline at (888) 723-3366 for more information about food safety. But, if the old adage, "let the buyer beware," must apply to food purchases, then the CIPIC offers the following (FDA suggested) guidance to protect the personnel infrastructure of the emergency services as well as the members of our families:

• Check whether the food package or can is intact before opening it.
• Do not use it if the package or can has been damaged, dented, or partially opened.
• Be alert to abnormal color, taste, or appearance of a food item.
• Do not eat it if there is any doubt about the safety of a food item.
• Report it if the food item appears to have been tampered with.
• Call the FDA's hotline (301-443-1240) if the questionable product contains seafood, produce, or eggs.
• Call the USDA's hotline (800-535-4555) if the questionable product contains meat or poultry.
• Ensure foods are cooked with the proper heat and for the appropriate time.
• Wash and peel foods that are eaten raw.
• Wash hands, cutting boards, utensils, pots, and dishware in hot, soapy water.
• Wash hands, boards, utensils, pots, and dishware after touching raw food.
• Refrigerate foods promptly.
• Vigorously sanitize sinks, countertops, stovetops, and ovens after each use.

CIP Legislative Update

When the second session of the 107th Congress reconvenes on 23 January, it will have to negotiate over a mountain of proposed critical infrastructure protection and homeland security bills, several of which focus on helping the first line of defense-the police, fire, and emergency medical services of American cities and counties. Because there are numerous bills affecting emergency first responders, deciding which to enact and how to fund them will be an extremely arduous task for the members of Congress.

As a service to the many living heroes who read this InfoGram, and with the assistance of the National Governors Association, the CIPIC will periodically report on the status of the bills pertaining to CIP or homeland security. It should be beneficial to begin by reviewing which of these bills are of major significance and still under consideration:

S. 1737: The "Homeland Security Block Grant Act" authorizes $3 billion in grant funds for local governments to address the needs of first responders.

H.R. 535: The "Preparedness Against Domestic Terrorism Act" establishes a Council within the Executive Office of the President to coordinate and oversee funding for federal agencies to work with state and local preparedness programs.

H.R. 3338: The "FY02 Defense Appropriations Bill" includes $20 billion in supplemental spending for defense, homeland security, and aid for NYC.

H.R. 3255: The "Bioterrorism Protection Act" proposes responding to the bioterrorism threat through improved local community response, enhanced planning, greater intergovernmental coordination, and better surveillance and communications.

H.R. 3269: This bill provides for the development of state medical disaster response plans regarding terrorist attacks that use biological or chemical weapons.

H.R. 3435: The "Empowering Local First Responders to Fight Terrorism Act" will give grants to local first responder agencies to combat terrorism and be a part of homeland defense.

H.R. 3448: The "Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Response Act" improves the ability of the United States to prevent, prepare for, and respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies.

H.R. 3458: This bill provides for the development and dissemination of educational materials about responding to terrorist events involving a nuclear, biological, or chemical element, as well as an emergency medical alert network.

H.R. 3483: The "Intergovernmental Law Enforcement Information Sharing Act" increases the flow of critical information among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

NTWS Advisory Update

On 16 January, the National Threat Warning System (NTWS) published a terrorist threat update. The FBI received uncorroborated information indicating that terrorists may be using state, county, and municipal websites to obtain information regarding local energy infrastructures, water reservoirs, dams, uranium storage sites, petroleum facilities, and nuclear power plants. Although the FBI possesses no specific threat information, they urge that law enforcers and all emergency first responders remain vigilant for any unusual activity around these locations.