InfoGram

April 8, 2004

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.

Establishing a CIP Awareness Program

It is probable that at this time the senior leaders of emergency management, firefighting, and emergency medical services throughout the nation (i.e., the Emergency Management and Response (EMR) Sector of the United States) are familiar with the necessity for critical infrastructure protection (CIP). These leaders very likely know and understand the urgency to protect community and response department internal critical infrastructures from all hazards in order to guarantee survivability, continuity of operations, and mission success.

Given this assumption by the EMR-ISAC, it is fitting to call upon the EMR local leaders to consider establishing a CIP Awareness Program within their community or first response agency. To do this will require only little time and resources, but the results of doing so can yield significant benefits. The awareness and support of community leaders and emergency responders should provide a momentum and synergy that ultimately enhances the protection of critical infrastructures from man-made and natural disasters. Therefore, the EMR-ISAC suggests the following basic actions to activate a CIP Awareness Program within a municipality or emergency department:

• Prepare a CIP Mission Statement, for example:
  - Reduce the vulnerability of community or response department critical infrastructures to all hazards.
• Establish Goals, for example: (These goals comprise the CIP Process.)
  - Identify community or department critical infrastructures.
  - Determine how each infrastructure is threatened or not by all hazards.
  - Analyze the vulnerabilities of credibly threatened infrastructures.
  - Assess the risks of the degradation of threatened infrastructures.
  - Apply protective measures when the risks are considered unacceptable.
• Develop Strategies to accomplish the Goals, for example:
  - Obtain a commitment from local stakeholders and responder key leaders.
  - Implement the CIP Process.
  - Produce a dynamic mixture of briefings and awareness actions.
  - Acquire the services and products of the EMR-ISAC.
• Create Measures of Success, for example:
  - Set dates to accomplish each goal and strategy listed above.
  - Select qualitative methods to evaluate the level of success for each goal and strategy listed above.
  - Conduct program revision when the level of success for any goal or strategy is not achieved.

Firefighting Departments: A National Critical Infrastructure

The EMR-ISAC has consistently written that firefighting organizations are among this nation's critical infrastructures. The major reason why the American Fire Service is a critical infrastructure of the United States is something worth considering and sharing. Essentially, firefighters provide an indispensable service to America because when performing duties they protect other national critical infrastructures and key assets as exemplified by this abbreviated list:

• Chemical, electrical power, nuclear power, and hydroelectric plants.
• Petroleum handling facilities such as refineries, ports, terminals, and pipelines.
• Natural and liquid gas storage facilities.
• Primary data storage and processing centers such as banking and finance centers.
• Telecommunications, Internet, and cyber facilities.
• Major surface and subway transportation assets.
• Key bridges and tunnels.
• National treasures including buildings, monuments, and archives.

The significance of the above listing should remind chief fire officers and their personnel that their service extends far beyond the many local emergencies to which they respond. "We are the protectors of our nation's critical infrastructure and as such, we must do everything within our power to be fully equipped, staffed, and trained to respond to any emergency," said Chief Ernest Mitchell, president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. He encouraged all fire chiefs to "continue dialog with local officials and remind them of the important role the fire service plays in the protection of the nation's critical infrastructure."

Cell Phones Threaten Public Safety Radio Communications

In the past year numerous fire and police departments throughout the country have publicly complained about "dead spots" (i.e., the inability to send or receive radio signals) caused by the interference from wireless phone transmissions. When investigating this threat to emergency communications, the EMR-ISAC learned that the proliferation of cellular technology has had dangerous outcomes in hundreds of large and small cities. Cell phone signals are increasingly stepping on the radio waves used by the police, fire, and emergency medical services.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocates portions of the radio frequency spectrum for commercial radio and television broadcasts, emergency service agencies, amateur radio operators, cell phone companies, military communications, etc. In one portion of the spectrum, known as the 800-megahertz band, the radio frequencies of emergency first responders are intermingled with frequencies used for cell phones and other civilian transmissions. Therefore, the FCC recognizes the underlying problem is that some of the radio frequencies allotted for public safety are intermixed with the frequencies designated for commercial cellular phones.

Communication systems are one category of internal critical infrastructures that emergency response departments must protect if the systems are threatened and vulnerable. It is common knowledge that the inability to communicate-or even delayed communications-could mean life or death to first responders and the citizens they are attempting to assist. EMR senior leaders agree that getting nothing but "dead air" at certain times and locations is an unacceptable threat to their personnel and operations.

The FCC has been receiving recommendations and developing plans to eliminate this threat and the vulnerability of emergency communications to the increasing usage of wireless technology. The EMR-ISAC recommends that community officials pay attention to the solutions that are eventually applied by the FCC and be ready to adjust accordingly.

Resource for Emergency Medical Personnel

Repeated warnings about possible terrorist attacks using radiological dispersion devices emphasized the requirement for medical practitioners to be prepared for such events. In response to this need, the American College of Radiology (ACR) coordinated the effort to create a primer entitled: "Disaster Preparedness for Radiology Professionals: Response to Radiological Terrorism." The primer intends to help medical professionals and emergency personnel better manage an emergency situation resulting from a radiological disaster. Its goal is to allay unwarranted fears and provide accurate information to the emergency medical community on how to prepare for and respond to a radiological terrorist attack.

The primer serves as a quick reference in the event of a radiological event. It specifically summarizes current information on preparing for a radiation emergency, handling contaminated persons, dose assessment, and radiation exposure health effects. The primer additionally includes information on radiological findings related to agents that could be used in a biological or chemical attack.

This resource can be downloaded directly from the ACR website at the following link: http://www.acr.org/dyna/?doc=departments/educ/disaster_prep/dp_primer.html