InfoGram

August 21, 2003

NOTE: This InfoGram will be distributed weekly to provide members of the emergency management and response sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures. It has been prepared by NATEK Incorporated for the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. For further information, contact the Emergency Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) at (301) 447-1325 or by email at emr-isac@fema.dhs.gov.

A CIP Review of the Power Outage

A review of the recent major power outage from a critical infrastructure protection (CIP) perspective seems appropriate for the consideration of the leaders of communities and their emergency responders. An examination of national news sources during the last several days reveals that particular critical infrastructures upon which first responders depend were partially degraded by the blackout. The following summary offers some brief insights into lessons-learned at several locations of the nation.

9-1-1 Systems:

• The extraordinary volume of calls created tremendous backlogs.
• Calling volume spikes sometimes caused callers to encounter fast busy signals.
• Many computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) systems stopped working.
• 9-1-1 operators resorted to handwriting notes for distribution to first responders.
• Some locations had backup systems and some did not.
• Battery backup power usually did not last more than a few hours.
• Responses or dispatches to the callers were occasionally delayed.

Hard-Wire and Wireless Telephone Service:

• Generally, hard-wire or landlines continued to work.
• More sophisticated landline equipment sometimes failed without electrical power.
• The wireless or cellular network depends on a consistent flow of electricity.
• Cellular transmitter stations failed when their battery backup power was exhausted.
• Some cellular service was interrupted by extremely high caller volume.

Backup Power Generators:

• Numerous backup generators support vital security and cooling systems.
• Some generators made the transition to backup power simple and fast.
• Generators at some locations were either not available or not functioning.
• Those not tested on "full load" for more than two hours were prone to fail.
• Those not routinely serviced and maintained are an unreliable source of power.
• Several operational generators simply ran out of fuel with no reserve supply.

Water Supply:

• Municipal water/sewerage departments cannot clean water without power.
• Without power, pumps could not spread water through local systems.
• Millions of people lost water shortly after the pumps stopped.
• Backup power was frequently unavailable to keep pumps operating.
• The loss of water and/or pressure necessitated alternative action by firefighters.

E9-1-1 Call to Action

In a speech earlier this week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman, Michael K. Powell, issued a "call to action" to state governors and state and local public safety officials to join the FCC in saving lives by ensuring that emergency call centers (also called Public Safety Answering Points or PSAPs) can identify the locations of people making 9-1-1 emergency calls from wireless (cellular) telephones.

According to a 19 August article in Government Technology, studies show that nearly a third of 9-1-1 calls are from cell phone users. "The FCC's Phase I E9-1-1 rules required wireless carriers, within six months of a valid request from a 9-1-1 call center or PSAP, to begin supplying to emergency dispatchers the telephone number of a wireless 9-1-1 caller and the location of the cell site or base station transmitting the call."

"The FCC's Phase II E9-1-1 rules require wireless carriers, within six months of a valid request by a PSAP, to begin providing more precise location information to emergency dispatchers, specifically, the latitude and longitude of the caller." This information must meet FCC accuracy standards, which means it should be accurate to within 50 to 300 meters (depending on the type of technology used).

Chairman Powell linked the importance of Enhanced (E) 9-1-1 to broad homeland security concerns. He said, "Before and since September 11th, the FCC has developed policies to secure our nation's telecommunications infrastructure and network reliability." He continued, "Spectrum policy and homeland security are at the forefront of my strategic plan for the FCC." Mr. Powell concluded, "Central to that plan is the implementation of Enhanced 9-1-1 for wireless communications services."

Wireless Growth Disrupts Emergency Communications

The Washington Post reported on 18 August that the explosive growth of the mobile phone industry has crowded and tangled the nation's airwaves to such an extent that wireless company signals are increasingly interfering with emergency radio frequencies use by firefighters and police. The article stated that dozens of large and small first response departments throughout the United States have registered complaints, although no death or catastrophe has been attributed to this communications problem.

Communication officials said many factors cause interference. A common problem arises when an emergency responder anywhere in the nation is close to a cellular phone company transmitter, but far from a tower that carries the signal for his or her emergency radio. In this situation, the cell phone tower overpowers the emergency radio and completely disrupts its signal. Public safety representatives insist that this situation is unacceptable and urgent. They argue, "If we don't fix this now, it's only going to get worse."

To solve the problem, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has vowed to consider reorganizing a large swath in the 800-megahertz band of the radio spectrum. Their idea is to separate the wireless companies from the public safety departments so they inhabit different ends the band. However, experts claim that the idea will be a massive and controversial task, potentially costing hundreds of millions of dollars and taking years to complete. FCC Chairman, Michael K. Powell, warned that solving the problem "may be one of the most challenging spectrum policy proceedings" to come before the FCC.

Grants to States for Community Emergency Response Teams

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has given notice of the availability of grant funding in the amount of $18.8 million for fiscal year (FY) 2003 for the development or improvement of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). In the FY 2003 program, FEMA intends to continue, maintain, and expand existing state and local CERT programs while supporting new CERT Train-the-Trainer courses and extending the CERT program into new localities nationwide.

When emergencies occur, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT personnel can also help with non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of the community and, to some extent, the enhancement of its critical infrastructure protection.

The CERT training program, made available nationally by FEMA, is a 20-hour course typically delivered over a 7-week period. Training sessions cover disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, basic disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, and team operations.

For further information contact: Sam Isenberger, National Emergency Training Center, Training Division, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727. His telephone number is: (301) 447-1071, and his email is: sam.isenberger@dhs.gov.