InfoGram

July 17, 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.

Discord Can Degrade Infrastructure Protection

Although one city in particular has captured attention regarding tensions, scuffling, mistrust, and miscommunication between its emergency uniformed services, there are indications that the "battle of the badges" is ongoing at many locations within the United States. This antagonistic relationship usually appears as a jurisdictional dispute at rescue operations, especially when no clear, formal protocols or guidelines exist to determine who should be in charge of the incident.

Over a period of time, the CIPIC learned that there are several American municipalities where frequent disagreements occur concerning the legal, jurisdictional, functional, or geographic responsibilities of the local fire, police, and emergency medical personnel. This disparity is exacerbated occasionally by differing ideologies and competition for adequate funding to support department staffing and operations.

The discord described above can potentially degrade critical infrastructure protection (CIP). Such friction could draw precious time and energy away from protecting the people, physical assets, and communication systems upon which survivability, continuity of operations, and mission accomplishment depend. What chief officer would not agree that when the lives of their personnel and citizens are at risk, there is no excuse for anything that creates a distraction from an outstanding response and rescue?

To eliminate the discord that may have grave consequences for CIP and the performance of duties, numerous localities are preparing and applying an incident command system with a unified command component for an all hazards response with the involvement and assistance of the appropriate office of emergency management. In most cases, the system being developed or implemented contains practices and procedures for coordinated and harmonized responses to even minor rescues.

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) component of DHS/FEMA has adopted the FIRESCOPE Incident Command System (ICS) as its base for teaching the concepts of incident command. ICS is recognized by USFA as a system that is documented and successfully tested in managing resources during operations. The CIPIC further recommends ICS as an essential tool for protecting the critical infrastructures of the fire, police, and emergency medical services during emergency operations.

Situational Awareness Promotes CIP

Despite many changes in the United States resulting from the events of 9/11, there are reports from around the nation that average Americans remain preoccupied with their own circumstances. Several security experts recently revealed too many citizens are generally unaware of the activities that should arouse their suspicions about possible domestic or international terrorism. These terrorism specialists expressed concern that a large segment of the population are not confident about what to look for and, therefore, will not see the things "out of place" that indicate possible terrorist activity.

If it is true that Americans are largely unaware of the indicators of terrorism, then there is an urgent necessity for all public servants to practice 24/7 "situational awareness," particularly those of the emergency response services. To prevent the degradation or destruction of municipal and first responder critical infrastructures, community leaders including firefighters, police, and EMS personnel must be firmly habituated to "looking for trouble" regardless of whether on or off-duty. Given the abundance of time that emergency and safety personnel spend on the streets, alleys, and bridges, and in the tunnels, homes, and businesses of the city they serve, they are a very appropriate "watch force" for the protection of their own as well as local critical infrastructures.

Investing Money in CIP

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has begun issuing millions of dollars to communities across the country for emergency training and equipment. On a related matter, USA Today reported this week that some officials in remote communities say they are not sure what to do with the windfall of money from DHS. In a few towns, local leaders admitted they were "having a hard time figuring out how to spend it." A county director of emergency services stated: "The money's coming as fast as can be, but sometimes the counties aren't ready to handle it."

The CIPIC proposes that if uncertain about how to advantageously utilize the money, communities and their chief officers should consider applying it to emergency training and equipment that support and protect local critical infrastructures from terrorism and all hazards. To determine exactly which infrastructures are truly critical and warrant monetary expenditures, refer to the brief, easy reading CIP Job Aid for assistance. This word document (81KB) intends to help leaders decide what really, really needs protection from natural and manmade threats. Download it using the following URL: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/cipc-jobaid.shtm.

Secondary Explosive Devices

Many emergency first responders remain concerned that they may be confronted with secondary explosive devices at the scene of an incident, especially a terrorist one. These devices are typically designed to inflict damage to first responder units by increasing casualties, creating confusion, disrupting command and control, and preventing rescue operations.

The following basic guidelines for response agencies were abridged from those compiled by the Florida Division of the State Fire Marshal. They are abbreviated here in a manner to be informative, but that also respects and enforces information and operations security:

• Anticipate the presence of a secondary device at any suspicious incident.
• Search for a secondary device before moving into the incident area.
• Avoid touching or moving anything that may conceal an explosive device.
• Effectively manage the scene with boundaries, exclusion zones, triage areas, etc.
• Evacuate victims and non-essential personnel as quickly as possible.
• Preserve scene as best as possible for evidence collection and crime investigation.