InfoGram

July 10, 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.

Threat Analysis

Multiple media sources have reported that some municipalities and their emergency first responders do not believe they are threatened by or susceptible to terrorist attacks. They are persuaded that large population and commerce centers of the nation are truly vulnerable to attack; not the sparsely populated states lacking major metropolitan areas. Because of this belief, elected leaders in these localities do not support the expenditure of any time and resources for infrastructure protection.

As contained in the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Job Aid (http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/cipc-jobaid.shtm) the second step of the CIP process methodology is determining the threat against identified critical infrastructures. A threat is the potential for an attack from people, nature, HazMat accident, or a combination of these. The CIP Job Aid recommends that leaders should concentrate only on those threats that will dangerously degrade or prevent survivability, continuity of operations, and mission accomplishment.

CIP is an all-hazards discipline that guides the practitioner to consider all the threat possibilities, not just the threat of terrorism. Therefore, the CIPIC suggests that a lesson can be learned from the temporary disruption and degradation of emergency services caused by the tornado that ripped through Jackson, Missouri, on 6 May. After much hard work and a short period of time services were restored. However, two months after their stations were struck, both the fire and police departments are still working out of alternate locations.

The lesson here is that community decision-makers, particularly the chief officers of emergency response departments, should analyze all the threats against their personnel, facilities, and operations. Where the threats from natural and/or accidental disasters exist, then leaders must prepare and rehearse plans that provide for hazard mitigation and sustain mission assurance. These activities are the top and bottom line respectively of critical infrastructure protection.

Bridges: A Local Critical Infrastructure

For the emergency services sector of the United States, critical infrastructures are those personnel, physical assets, and communication systems essential for the accomplishment of missions affecting lives and property. They are the people, things, and systems that must be intact and operational 24/7 to guarantee organizational survivability, continuity of operations, and mission success. The USFA CIP Process Job Aid includes bridges among the critical infrastructures of first responders, despite the fact that emergency personnel have little or no control over the bridges in their jurisdiction.

Considering importance of bridges to the rapid and safe movement of emergency responders as well as citizens, community leaders should know an Associated Press computer analysis of Federal Highway Administration data revealed that over 1 in 4 U.S. bridges are deficient. An Associated Press article on 8 July indicated these bridges need repairs, cannot adequately handle traffic loads or do not meet safety standards.

Although the number of deficient bridges decreases as years pass and spending rises, municipal leaders routinely ensure their bridges are inspected annually and scheduled for necessary repair or modification before mandatory closure or accidental collapse. Because the bridges are a critical infrastructure of the emergency services, it is additionally appropriate for chief officers to maintain awareness of the status of each local bridge and to continue advocacy for expeditious repair or improvement when justified.

Standards for First Responder Equipment

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has begun issuing the first of a series of standards for first responder equipment, said the acting head of DHS research and development. According to Homeland Security & Defense, Maureen McCarthy indicated that the draft standards for first responder radiation detection equipment were released just a few weeks ago, "with more coming out one at a time."

"DHS Research and Development worked very hard on the radiation standards because that is a very pressing issue for us. A lot of first responders had radiation pagers and some had handheld equipment," Ms. McCarthy stated. Comments on the draft standards for both handheld and portal radiation detectors will be reviewed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a quasi-government organization that analyzes standards for the DHS, before they are studied and published by the department.

She added that other draft standards, such as those for handheld biological detectors and interoperable communications equipment, will be "coming out fairly succinctly in an accelerated schedule in the next couple of months. They're on track"

In addition to putting out the evaluation criteria, Ms. McCarthy conveyed that the DHS was establishing certified laboratories to test equipment. Eventually, DHS will be able to recommend equipment to federal, state, and local operational end-users that has "gone through a chain of certification, basically an underwriters laboratory, and meets the gold seal of approval of DHS."

Security Barricades

The Army Corps of Engineers reported that firefighters could not navigate the "s-pattern" security barriers with their ladder truck when responding to a 24 April fire. The configuration or spacing of the barricades completely prohibited movement and maneuver of the vehicle.

Placement of security, serpentine barricades at various locations throughout the country may present an access obstacle and significant delays for large firefighting apparatus. Therefore, the CIPIC advises fire departments to ensure that any security barriers in their jurisdiction have been installed in a manner that accommodates all department apparatus.