InfoGram

October 3, 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.

Critical Infrastructure Protection Program

Many of us have heard that "the unthinkable now seems inevitable; hence, preparedness is our only defense." Since this is probably a valid statement, the CIPIC submits that there is a strong, positive correlation between preparedness and critical infrastructure protection (CIP). A quality CIP program supports the protection of the people, physical entities, and cyber systems upon which survivability, continuity of operations, and mission accomplishment depend. The CIPIC opines that if the threat of terrorism itself does not motivate CIP action by fire and emergency medical service chief officers, then those leaders are asked to remember that a CIP program can also mitigate the devastation of essential assets by nature and HazMat accidents.

CIP is primarily leader business. Therefore, the CIPIC recommends that the department chief appoint a program manager from among the senior leadership of the organization. The program manager administers the program and maintains its value, relevance, and currency. Each manager prepares, obtains approval for, and publishes the program's purpose, strategic goals, and immediate objectives. It is the program manager who will ensure the practice of the CIP process to initiate only those actions that protect the organization's critical infrastructures from deliberate, natural, or accidental attacks.

More information on the implementation of the CIP process and development of a CIP program can be seen in the CIP Process Job Aid (MS Word, 81 KB), which can be viewed and downloaded from the following URL: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/cipc-jobaid.cfm. Additional technical assistance can be acquired by contacting the CIPIC by telephone at 301-447-1325, or by electronic mail at usfacipc@dhs.gov.

Suspicious Activities Continue

To promote the awareness of fire and emergency medical service personnel, two September InfoGrams reported about suspicious activities at fire stations. Now is necessary to disclose another incident, which occurred at a California fire department.

A member of the concerned department stated that on 18 September, he received a phone call from someone with a heavy foreign accent. The caller initially requested information regarding department patches, but then started asking questions about staffing and capabilities. When queried why this type of information was needed, the caller quickly hung up the phone. On the following day, an individual of Middle Eastern appearance was found parked behind the same fire station making notes and sketching the building. The person could not or would not speak fluent English and, therefore, did not adequately respond to questions before driving away.

The firefighters involved on both days appropriately prevented the unauthorized collection of sensitive details about their station and department. Furthermore, as encouraged in previous InfoGrams, they contacted local authorities and also the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC). The one firefighter provided a description of the driver, vehicle, and its license plate number. Their notification of NIPC facilitated additional incident examination by the NIPC, this InfoGram report, and critical information sharing with the emergency services sector. As a reminder, phone numbers for the NIPC can be seen at the bottom of this InfoGram.

Facilitating 9-1-1 Improvements

On 30 September, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) announced that it is bringing together national leaders and experts from public safety, government, and other infrastructure sectors "to begin a historical process to establish 21st Century priorities and strategies for the nation's 9-1-1 systems." The NENA Strategic Wireless Action Team (SWAT), a volunteer group of nearly 50 personnel, has been charged with finding new innovative ways to better serve American citizens with the nation's 9-1-1 critical infrastructure.

"SWAT is drawing on leaders from 9-1-1, private industry, and the government under four elements: technical, operations, policy, and finance." Deploying the appropriate resources, technologies, tools, and expertise, according to NENA, the action team is creating a consensus-building process with the mission to:

• Complete a national E9-1-1 infrastructure;
• Provide technical implementation and support teams for deployment;
• Offer legislative and regulatory guidance and expertise;
• Help facilitate state and federal policy education;
• Advance Public Safety Answering Points readiness evaluation capabilities and structures.

Building Infrastructures for Bioterrorism Preparedness

EmergencyNet News reported that Congress approved the nationwide distribution of $918 million funneled through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to state and local governments for use in building infrastructures for bioterrorism preparedness. "Funding will support needs assessments and will be used to build and maintain pharmaceutical stockpiles and upgrade information technology." A national electronic public health information network will be constructed "for the benefit of federal health officials to track and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and potential chemical, radiological, and biological attacks."

The report indicated that the new plan supercedes the boundaries of the CDC's current three-year national electronic alert network project and will enable federal and state specialists to assist local agencies in treatment and law enforcement agencies in evidence handling. Using some of its share of the federal funding, at least a couple of states have already begun to put into place a network system linking statewide health organizations to local health agencies, hospitals, fire, police, and other emergency agencies.

The CDC advises that those municipalities or emergency response organizations who desire to learn more about this initiative should contact their state health department or its equivalent.