InfoGram

January 31, 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 email at usfacipc@dhs.gov.

Psychology of CIP

The 10 January InfoGram briefly discussed the "philosophy of CIP." It explained that the philosophy is to first protect those infrastructures critically necessary to ensure the health and safety of citizens. As specifically applied to the fire and emergency medical services, the philosophy is to first protect those infrastructures absolutely required for the survivability of firefighters and EMTs, and the success of their missions. Actions to do this are considered proactive, preemptive, and deterrent in nature, which is exactly what critical infrastructure protection is meant to be.

Now does it surprise anyone that there is also a psychology to CIP? Very generally, it is about creating new thoughts or "mindsets" and, therefore, different or altered behaviors. For the American people, the CIP psychology is to produce a "mindset" of protection awareness and confidence in our nation's security and prosperity. Given these new thoughts, its purpose is to evoke behaviors that are fully supportive and cooperative with necessary protective measures.

Too often terrorists are successful because they exploit existing vulnerabilities among the people, physical assets, and cyber systems throughout this or any nation. Hence, the CIP psychology as it pertains to terrorists must be to change their behavior. To do this effectively, we must get into their minds and elicit new beliefs that their actions will not yield the results they seek. Properly identified and protected critical infrastructures via the CIP process will eliminate vulnerabilities and serve as a deterrent to terrorism. The CIP psychology here is to develop a new "mindset" among terrorists that their actions will be futile because American critical infrastructures have been properly protected. It is not necessary or prudent that terrorists know what the countermeasures are, but only that potential targets (e.g., emergency services) have successfully implemented them.

Following this psychology, the CIPIC recommends community leaders (including department chiefs of emergency first responders) occasionally make accurate public announcements that their critical infrastructures are being protected. This should be done without divulging any details that would be useful to adversaries. Such announcements are not intended to be a ruse or misinformation campaign, but an honest declaration for the "psychological" benefit of both friends and foes.

Ominous Forecast

The United States still remains highly exposed to attacks from terrorists using nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological weapons, according to numerous experts speaking at a recent security conference at Syracuse University. According to GovExec.com, the speakers cited the volume and pace of people and commercial goods entering the country, economic pressures of the global economy, recent advancements in molecular biology, and a fragmented federal workforce as contributors to the vulnerability of Americans. "For the foreseeable future, there will be anti-American terrorists with global reach," said Stephen Flynn, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. The attacks in September highlighted a central paradox of modern life, he added. "To prosper, nations must be open to the free flow of people, goods, and ideas across borders, but these same freedoms enable the spread of transnational threats and terrorism." So what does this mean to thousands of municipalities around the nation? It means the same thing it has since 11 September, that community leaders cannot afford to do nothing about protecting their critical infrastructures. The leadership of emergency first responders, particularly, must heed the warning and seriously practice the CIP process. This ominous forecast should encourage department chiefs to identify their credibly threatened and vulnerable infrastructures, and initiate the protection of those upon which personnel survivability and mission success depend.

Financing CIP

In the State of the Union address, President Bush announced his desire to improve the ability of first responders to deal with terrorism. The President's First Responder Initiative, outlined in his speech to the nation, proposes $3.5 billion in the 2003 budget for federal aid to state and local first responders administered by FEMA. The initiative will bolster the activities of the emergency services in regards to critical infrastructure protection by allocating the following approximate figures for the purposes indicated:

• $2 billion to state and local emergency service agencies for the purchase of new equipment required for an effective response to terrorism.
• $1.1 billion to train firefighters, police officers, and EMTs to survive and operate in a dangerously contaminated environment.
• $245 million to support training exercises necessary to enhance emergency response capabilities.
• $105 million to support comprehensive emergency preparedness planning by local governments.

Protecting First Responders

The CIPIC has previously expressed that firefighting and EMT personnel are first and foremost of the critical infrastructures of the emergency services. As such, these "frontline soldiers of America" deserve the best equipment available. Currently, many departments are endeavoring to purchase respirators and protective suits with standards against which they can gauge how well the equipment protects against weapons of mass destruction. The CIPIC has learned that with funding from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is facilitating the development of a suite of national chemical and biological protective equipment standards. NIST is now working with all the appropriate organizations to make these standards available as soon as possible.

Another concern of emergency responders is communication. Federal, state, and local emergency first responders (police, fire, and EMS) are assigned to use widely separated radio frequencies. They also use varied types of computer hardware and software systems with access to different databases. Again, with funding from NIJ, the NIST is presently working with the public safety community to standardize techniques for wireless telecommunications and information technology applications.

Aimed directly at protecting emergency personnel, an ongoing NIST project is focused on minimizing the amount of time rescuers spend searching damaged buildings with the use of new tools. As an example, "search and rescue robots" have already demonstrated promise in being able to penetrate areas too small and hazardous for human entry and exploration.

Also, NIST building and fire engineers hope to lessen future tragedies by studying how building evacuation plans contribute to the behavior and survival of occupants and their rescuers. As an outcome of this three-year effort, NIST researchers intend to recommend changes to codes and standards in addition to providing improved building-egress models.