InfoGram

October 30, 2003

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 information systems. It has been prepared by NATEK Incorporated for the US Fire Administration. 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.

Potential Exploitation of Wildfires

Multiple news sources communicated today that California's 14 active wildfires have killed 20 people including one firefighter, destroyed nearly 2600 homes, eliminated countless of other essential structures, burned over 600,000 acres, and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands at a cost already exceeding 2 billion dollars according to Governor Gray Davis. The fires have additionally damaged electrical transmission lines causing widespread power outages, ruined approximately 70 earthquake monitoring stations, wrecked several key relay facilities, seriously disrupted commercial communications, and produced immense quantities of polluted smoke, soot, and ash.

While firefighters focus on containing the blazes and the detective work necessary to prosecute arsonists, many are wondering about a possible connection with terrorism. Such thoughts are understandable since the media reported in July that a senior al Qaeda detainee hoped to create several large, devastating wildfires intended to further degrade the U.S. economy. At the time, his statements were perceived as credible because terrorists in Israel have started dozens of major forest fires over the years.

In order to ensure the protection of critical infrastructures, the CIPIC suggests that it is now important and necessary for the emergency management and response sector senior leadership to consider how terrorists might exploit the chaos caused by California wildfires or any other man-made or natural disaster. A quality review of existing protective measures as well as mitigation, preparedness, and response plans are prudent at this time since the catastrophic fires in California could be used as a diversion or a means to capitalize on the concentration of federal resources in one area of the country while an attack is staged in another part of the nation.

According to security specialists, the most likely exploitation of the wildfires or any disaster is surveillance by the extremists to collect information about soft targets including evacuation routes and emergency shelters, but also about hard targets including government facilities and nuclear plants. However, terrorism experts caution that the U.S. becomes more vulnerable on those occasions when emergency responder and national resources are already stressed. These circumstances can provide opportunistic moments for another attack.

DHS Information Bulletin

This week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an Information Bulletin entitled: "Acts of Sabotage involving High Voltage Transmission Towers." Several incidents involving the removal of support bolts at the base of electric high-power transmission towers have been reported on the West Coast, between Oregon and California. The sabotage is under investigation by the FBI and local authorities, who suspect that the tampering may be the work of a single individual or a group like the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). The ELF is one of the biggest domestic terrorist-based movements in the country.

"There's the potential if you take all the bolts, the tower could come down," said a spokesman for the Western Area Power Administration. He stated: "We're taking this very seriously," since the entire Western area power grid could be affected by this attempted sabotage. DHS agrees with the significance of these criminal actions and the probable impact on the electrical power system infrastructure. Therefore, DHS recommends that transmission providers throughout the nation coordinate with their local law enforcement and emergency response agencies concerning all high voltage tower assets and contingencies for each.

Quality Training Promotes CIP

Chief officers of career and volunteer emergency response departments completely agree that their personnel deserve and should expect "world-class training." They fully recognize that quality training promotes the survivability, continuity of operations, and mission success of the manpower and systems (i.e., critical infrastructures) they allocate to each incident or operation. The CIPIC opines that there is a positive correlation between first class training and critical infrastructure protection (CIP). Quality training bonds departments, sustains cohesion, generates confidence, strengthens morale, and saves the lives and property of responder departments as well as of the citizens being served. What are the attributes of training that will acquire these benefits?

The following twelve points are provided to stimulate thought regarding what quality training should achieve to obtain the aforementioned benefits and also enhance CIP:

• Leads directly to good discipline.
• Develops initiative and resourcefulness.
• Allows ample room for personal and professional growth.
• Derives a commitment to excellence and the service ethos.
• Builds trust and confidence in the chain of command.
• Challenges physically, mentally, and even emotionally.
• Demands realism and performance without being reckless or careless.
• Instills and reinforces local operational guides and practices.
• Provides circumstances by which to learn from mistakes.
• Recognizes the high value of time and opportunity.
• Affords the occasion to observe, coach, and teach.
• Gives high priority to training the trainer.

Taking the Mitigation Approach

Reports received by the CIPIC during the last three years indicate that natural and man-made disasters continue to adversely affect a few emergency response departments, sometimes causing degradation or disruption to internal critical infrastructures. The CIPIC realizes that in some instances, the injury to or death of personnel and the damage to physical assets or communications systems might have been prevented through the application of well-conceived and prepared all-hazard mitigation plans.

According to the FEMA website, hazard mitigation is "the process of determining how to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to human life and property damage resulting from natural and man-made hazards." This coincides with a key objective of CIP, which is about the mitigation of all hazards to the critical infrastructures of communities and, particularly, their emergency first responders. There should be no doubt that the identification and implementation of mitigation measures can deter or eliminate the short and long-term risks to critical infrastructures.

Therefore, the CIPIC suggests that it is in the best interest of first responder organizations to take stock of the hazards they face and to develop plans for mitigating their potential consequences, especially to the department's critical infrastructures. Any steps taken to become more disaster-resistant will foster improved operational effectiveness and response-ability.