InfoGram

January 27, 2005

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.

Vulnerability Analysis

Early this week a fire gutted a locked room containing relays, switches, and circuits that transmit vital subway information, and temporarily suspended some train operations in a major metropolitan area. The fire underscored the fragility of equipment, but also the vulnerability of essential services to disruption or destruction by deliberate or accidental causes. Considering this event, the EMR-ISAC encourages the organizations and agencies of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) to analyze their vulnerabilities that can be intentionally or accidentally exploited.

Once an emergency department leader confirms there is a deliberate (i.e., people), and/or nature (i.e., natural disaster), and/or accidental (i.e., HazMat accident) threat, the critical infrastructure protection (CIP) process guides the decision-maker to a vulnerability analysis of only those critical infrastructures (e.g., personnel, physical assets, communication/cyber systems) against which a threat exists. It is unnecessary to perform this analysis for critical infrastructures that are not credibly threatened. Such actions may squander precious time and resources.

A vulnerability is the weakness in a critical infrastructure that renders the infrastructure susceptible to degradation or destructions by the source of the threat. An effective vulnerability analysis will examine each threatened infrastructure from the "threat point of view." In other words, the analysis will seek to understand the ways by which each threat might disrupt or destroy each particular infrastructure because of existing vulnerabilities. The eventual elimination or mitigation of present weaknesses cannot be accomplished without knowing what or where they are. Moreover, removing vulnerabilities will significantly increase the survivability, continuity of operations, and mission success of ESS organizations.

Benefits of Effective Communications

It is common knowledge that effective communications within ESS agencies and their communities will potentially benefit plans, operations, and also critical infrastructure protection. Where effective communications exist, internal and external stakeholders provide insights, recommendations, and solutions during emergency planning and training for all hazards. Most of all, effective communications significantly improves mutual understanding among those inside and outside of the emergency department. The EMR-ISAC suggests that mutual understanding must be the goal of all communications regardless of time, type, location, etc.

Vertical and lateral mutual understanding enables leaders to know and comprehend more accurately the actual conditions and readiness within their organizations. It further prepares them to reliably estimate what still needs to be done in order to guarantee their department's "response-ability," particularly in relationship to other community assets. In today's threat environment with scarce resources, the benefits of mutual understanding as well as the trust it promotes can not be underestimated.

When community stakeholders genuinely understand their colleagues and local circumstances, then there is a greater likelihood they will make sound decisions regarding the application of limited resources. This understanding and trust is crucial to the protection of internal critical infrastructures in addition to those of other agencies and the community as a whole.

The Farm-Food Chain

Amid growing concern over methamphetamine production and anhydrous ammonia thefts, activist activities, and the possibility of agricultural terrorism, a prominent agriculture security consultant recently urged farmers, their rural neighbors, and local emergency responders to adopt a more vigilant philosophy toward crop and livestock threats. Because of the increased susceptibility of livestock to disease, a general lack of farm and food related security, a passive reporting system, etc., numerous security specialists concur that the farm-food chain is vulnerable to intentional and accidental disruption of operations and services.

Some experts postulate that the impact of an attack on the farm-food chain would be considerable and easily extend to other sectors of the nation including the Emergency Services Sector (ESS). They believe the ESS will be affected since the overall responsibility for response preparedness usually rests primarily with an emergency management agency followed by the public health department. Furthermore, besides the medical and veterinary personnel, others such as emergency medical and rescue departments should be engaged in emergency planning and response operations.

The EMR-ISAC recommends the thorough integration of preparedness activities by emergency managers and responders in those states and localities containing agricultural and food industries. Preferably, the plans should be rehearsed and tested in exercises involving all agencies responsible to respond to a farm-food chain incident.

Crew Resource Management

With the assistance of the U.S. Fire Administration, the Foundation for Firefighter Health and Safety, and Volunteer Fireman's Insurance Services, the International Association of Fire Chiefs has made available online its third edition of Crew Resource Management (CRM). The manual reviews the different components of CRM and explains how to implement CRM in the fire service. Its purpose is to introduce a concept that will encourage a top-to-bottom behavioral change in the way firefighters approach their work. The goal of the behavior changes discussed in the manual is to break the unacceptable death and injury rate that has plagued the fire service for several years.

The CRM manual of 36 pages can be downloaded for free at the following link: http://www.iafc.org/downloads/CRM%20Manual.pdf.