InfoGram

May 1, 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.

Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) is Here to Stay

For approximately twenty months, emergency first responders throughout the United States have been vigilant for suspicious or unusual activities and alert for another terrorist attack. Their untiring dedication to the protection of life and property has made the nation a considerably safer place to live, work, and play. Nevertheless, terrorism remains an imminent threat despite the lack of terrorist activity. With America as the "primary target," said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, "terrorism in all its forms, and all its followers, is still a real and daily threat to this country." Despite the fall of the former Iraqi regime, "the war on terrorism is not over." This is an unfortunate reality that first responders will have to deal with for the foreseeable future, if not permanently.

The threat to municipalities and their emergency response community perpetuates because the dangers are from a complex combination of sources. These sources, both domestic and foreign, possess the capabilities to disrupt or destroy the critical infrastructures upon which we depend for life sustaining operations and services. Therefore, plans and preparations to deter or respond to terrorism must now become a permanent part of American life, just like crime fighting and traffic accident prevention. Additionally, the application of CIP should always be a crucial component of any plans and preparations. There are strong indications from the federal government that CIP is here to stay to enhance safety, security, and operational effectiveness!

The CIPIC encourages local emergency managers as well as the leadership of emergency first responders to incorporate the protection of critical infrastructures into all terrorism deterrence and response plans. Protecting those personnel, physical entities, and cyber systems that really, really need protection will ensure their survivability, continuity of operations, and mission success. Concentrating foremost on critical infrastructures when deciding what to protect should prove to be a time-efficient and cost-effective approach to guarantee the sustainability of truly essential operations and services.

Implementing CIP helps to eliminate the potential for fraud, waste, and abuse when applying resources to protect people, things, and systems. Contact the CIPIC at usfacipc@dhs.gov for more information about the implementation of CIP or development of a CIP program.

Emergency Management and CIP

More communities are relying upon their local emergency managers to resolve emergency planning issues and tasks. Consequently, the responsibilities of local emergency management directors have evolved to include the development of comprehensive, all-hazards emergency management programs in their jurisdictions. According to the Executive Director of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), Elizabeth Armstrong, this specifically involves the development of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery programs. She also notes that emergency management represents the linkage among the first responders of the fire, police, and emergency medical services.

Several years ago, emergency management transitioned from a focus on natural disasters to an all-hazards approach, which necessarily includes man-made incidents. Emergency managers are now actively involved in producing plans to mitigate and when required respond to multi-faceted terrorist attacks. To ensure efficient planning and preparing, they promote coordination procedures that bring together numerous leaders, including those of emergency first responders. It is both important and urgent that this cooperation of community leadership considers the benefits of CIP for the phases of emergency planning.

The CIPIC suggests that when collaborating with municipal decision-makers, emergency managers should accept CIP as an indispensable part of mitigation phase activities. At minimum, the CIP process offers the following advantages for mitigation planning:

• Improves understanding of the man-made and natural threats to critical infrastructures.
• Aids the assessment of which infrastructures are most vulnerable.
• Helps determine priorities to avoid or minimize undesired effects.
• Assists the selection of necessary protective measures.

The application of the CIP process will either prevent the degradation of, or otherwise, mitigate the loss of critical infrastructures resulting from a deliberate or accidental catastrophe. Hence, the CIPIC opines that CIP should always be a significant ingredient of emergency management. To examine the CIP process, access this URL: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/cipc-jobaid.cfm.

Registration for 9-1-1 Call Centers

Federal officials announced a campaign on 25 April to guarantee that 9-1-1 centers get their service restored quickly in the event of a terrorist attack, widespread emergency, or local crisis.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Communications System (NCS) said they want to register every one of the nation's 9-1-1 call centers with the Telecommunications Service Priority Program (TSP), so that their service is restored on a priority basis in times of disaster. TSP was established in 1988 and is responsible for more than 50,000 of the nation's most critical lines.

"We must not assume that our 9-1-1 service provider or the telephone company will automatically give priority to 9-1-1 circuits if we haven't registered with TSP," said Evelyn Bailey, president of the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators.

Reasons for Caution

There have been recent local events of juveniles constructing "McGyver bombs," also called "acid bombs," from a recipe obtained off the Internet. This device was first described in the last entry of the 30 January InfoGram: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/igjan3003.cfm.

These devices usually consist of aluminum foil, Drano, and water contained in a plastic soda bottle. The reaction creates a pressure that causes the bottle to explode. Police authorities report that there have been an increasing number of mischievous bombing incidents. They recommend first responders exercise caution when working with any bottles suspected to be one of these devices.

The CIPIC also learned that there are many storehouses packed with explosive ordnance on U.S. Forest Service land. These ordnance magazines are generally secure. However, the sites are not always properly controlled because of their remote locations, which makes them vulnerable to entry, theft, and misuse.

The Agriculture Department's Office of the Inspector General advises that ordnance magazines are more common in the western states. Officials of this office advise that when operating in or around U.S. Forest Service land, emergency responders should be knowledgeable of the location of these ordnance magazines and the contents of each identified site. Such information is particularly critical during the wildfire season.