InfoGram

June 27, 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 infrastructures. For further information please contact the U.S. Fire Administration's Critical Infrastructure Protection Information Center at (301) 447-1325 or email at usfacipc@dhs.gov.

Benefits of Information Sharing

The May 16th InfoGram announced the official beginning of an information sharing partnership between the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC). The primary goal of the relationship is to facilitate the expeditious dissemination of information regarding potential threats to the critical infrastructures of the fire and emergency medical services. Another important goal of this arrangement is to acquire the information sharing cooperation of all fire and EMS departments.

USFA and NIPC are currently working on the development of appropriate protocols and procedures to ensure information is delivered to and received from all departments despite size, status, and locality. Until these reliable and discreet communication channels are determined, USFA will continue to use this document (InfoGram) and electronic messaging to forward NIPC threat advisories and warnings to the FEMA regions, state fire marshals, and state fire training directors, in addition to the local departments that have requested subscription.

The synergistic advantages of the USFA and NIPC agreement can only be derived from dedicated and trusted two-way information sharing between NIPC and the emergency services sector. Recently, at least four emergency departments transmitted details to the NIPC about suspected sensitive information gathering activities. In turn, NIPC notified USFA which generated an article about suspicious contacts in the June 6th InfoGram. Hence, many more organizations were able to benefit from the actions of those few departments.

Considering the favorable effects, fire and EMS departments are urged to cooperate by providing information about suspicious contacts, threats, attacks, vulnerabilities, anomalies, and security best practices. Only if that cooperation is achieved will the NIPC be able to efficiently identify the patterns, methods, and sources of potential malicious actions directed against the critical infrastructures of emergency first responders. NIPC welcomes phone calls to 202-323-3205; facsimiles to 202-323-2079; and email to nipc.watch@fbi.gov. NIPC will notify USFA of any sharing contact and furnish feedback to the information provider as well as USFA.

Counties and Infrastructure Protection

Chief officers of the fire and emergency medical services recognize that county governments own, operate, and secure numerous state and local critical infrastructures. Elected county officials and county emergency managers routinely provide the essential regional planning and coordination function in preventing, preparing for, and managing the response to emergency events. Typically, county officials believe it is crucially important that emergency preparedness and infrastructure protection plans be coordinated and rehearsed among local, state, and federal levels, as well as coordinated across the various federal and state agencies. Conscientious networking has always proven to significantly enhance readiness. According to the National Association of Counties (NACo), "counties have unique responsibilities for effectively coordinating the plans and response actions of their law enforcement, public safety, public health, and other departments that assist in protection and response actions."

Presently, there are disastrous wildfires and floods occurring in the United States. These incidents have required nationwide resources for response and mitigation operations. Consequently, they have consumed an abundance of American time, personnel, and materials. It is understandable that with so much attention being given to these many ongoing events, community critical infrastructures, particularly in the affected areas, are vulnerable to attack from other sources.

County officials and the chief officers of emergency first responders are encouraged to examine the status of their critical infrastructures. Do not allow "operational tempo" to degrade existing protective measures and prevent the implementation of future countermeasures where needed. Scrutinize all operations, plans, and training to ensure each department eliminates infrastructure vulnerabilities and preserves continuity of operations.

NACo has mustered its resources to assist counties in their essential role of securing citizens and vital infrastructures. "NACo has assembled information on resources that county governments can use in their efforts to provide safety and protection to their communities." Those counties desiring information or assistance with infrastructure security, emergency planning, and public safety should contact NACo at 202-393-6226.

The Citizen and Infrastructure Protection

Throughout the country thousands of citizens supervise or operate federal, state, and local critical infrastructures. These civilians are actively involved in the planning for and implementation of measures to protect the infrastructures for which they are responsible. Fortunately, most of them perform their security duties in a truly outstanding manner and deserve our respect and admiration.

The general public could also have a role in the business of critical infrastructure protection. Local leaders should capitalize on known civilian talents and capabilities. Willing participants can be empowered with information and directions regarding how to prepare for and what to do when a deliberate or accidental attack occurs. They need to hear clearly what kind of personal responses make sense when protecting community assets as well as their families. In most circumstances, if these individuals know what to do, they will act responsibly and help to avoid panic among the general populace.

Local leaders cannot offer citizens simple recipes for emergency preparedness and infrastructure protection because of the range of potential threats. Although each attack presents a different challenge, most Americans will understand the distinctions if the explanations given are thorough, straightforward, and repeated often. Officials additionally need to help sort out some of the responses that are not required. Finally, the general public must know to call the professionals when they perceive that something is wrong.

New Security Challenges and Strategies

The U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee just released a report on new security challenges and strategies. The report contains two specific papers on critical infrastructure assurance. The first paper examines critical infrastructure assurance in general. The second paper looks at assuring critical services, which includes security, from an operational perspective. Click on the following URL to see a copy of the full report containing both papers: http://www.house.gov/jec/security.pdf.

Vulnerability Assessment Methodology

The June 20th InfoGram announced the Justice Department's release of a 12-step analysis and risk-reduction process to improve security for chemical, water, and wastewater treatment plants. That National Institute of Justice Special Report can be seen at the following URL: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/195171.htm.